Day 262 | Sept 19, Fri – In my Buy Nothing group, my awesome multi-talented neighbor, Eliza, offered to do illustrations of families. A ton of people, including myself, asked to be considered, and I was one of many names she chose. She left this for me on my door on Friday. I was so excited!! I love it! Here’s our family, Super Mario Bros. style ~
Month: September 2014
Project 365 – Week 37
Day 255 | Sept 12, Fri – Crafting time! Homer and Matthew, painting away…
Day 256 | Sept 13, Sat – The Search For the Northern Lights! … This is the best pic I got all night, which tells you everything you need to know, I think! This adventure probably deserves a blog post of its own… The short version is Tina, Homer, and I piled in the car at 11pm, drove east forever, made it into Cle Ellum (where I took this pic at the gas station), and even made it into Ellensburg.. But no lights. 😦 Still, it was a crazy evening and it makes me laugh whenever I think of it. We are crazy.
Day 257 | Sept 14, Sun – Dog park!! My sweet baby… He was the total n00b for the longest time, and now he’s the one gently playing with the unsure puppies, inviting them to play with his sweet little play bows. He’s amazing. I’m glad he’s so comfortable there! And it was great seeing Cinnamon, Garth, and Tank, too!!
Day 258 | Sept 15, Mon – We joined Tina and Matthew at Pine Lake! I experimented with some new photography tips I’ve been reading lately, and I really liked the results! This pic in particular is my favorite from the day, because Homer looks so deep in thought, and I love the way the sunlight looks on his sweet face. It was a really fun relaxing time to be out in nature just playing in the sand and water for so long, too. I’m glad we’re taking advantage of these last warm days before the cool of Fall settles in!
Day 259 | Sept 16, Tues – My friend, Heidi invited me to her moms’ group’s event at Palettes and Pairings! I was SO excited that it was the Seattle Starry Night painting. I’ve been wanting to do that one!! Here’s us, a pic of Heidi at work, and a close up of my painting.
Day 260 | Sept 17, Wed – It rained! Homer was excited to take out his new minions umbrella first thing in the morning.
Then we took Daddy to the dentist, where Homer loves playing with this wooden beads on wires thingie that all children seem to love.
And Joe in the dentist’s chair. He said he was due for his 75,000 mile maintenance workup.
Day 261 | Sept 18, Thurs – The next day was my own dentist appointment! It was my first visit with this dentist and I really love them. They’ve done great with Joe and Homer, and I had a great visit with them, too. They take x-rays and really great photographs of all your teeth, then show you close up what’s going on. I need two fillings replaced (next week!), and it was easy to see why, when they showed me on the monitor. I love my new dentist’s office, and I love THAT I love my new dentist’s office, you know? It’s a good feeling. I’m not even dreading my fillings next week, though that may change as we get closer to the day!! Anyway, check out my teeth! This is pre-cleaning btw, so ignore all that tartar, as it’s all gone now. 😉
And after a morning at the dentist, what’s more comforting than playing at our favorite coffee shop? 😉
And, that was our week! As always, thanks for stopping by! Hope you all had a great week!!
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Join us in taking a photo a day for the entire year! Visit the gracious hosts of this project if you like: Mindi from Simply Stavish, Sarah from Nurse Loves Farmer, and Stephanie from Behind the Camera and Dreaming.
Start any time, and link up every Friday:
Project 365 – Week 36
This week was intense. Anxiety brought on by bug infestation… cannot handle blood sucking parasites on my beloved pets (who are wondering why I won’t snuggle them), or the anxiety that ensues when I see them both scratching… And then I just DO go ahead and snuggle them (because I can’t resist for very long, so convince myself the bugs must be gone, and then let them pile on top of me as usual), and end up with gross flea bites. Also, I have been pretty sick with a cold, which sucks. And epic tantrums from my little guy were occurring daily there for a bit. It was quite a week, really.
Plus sides of this week, though, were getting back on track, thank god – as my cold waned, I felt more able to take Homer outside, get us some more fresh air and exercise than usual, and wouldn’t you know it? Things actually calmed down! As of writing this, on Thursday, my cold really does feel gone, which I’m super glad about. I feel like I’ve just emerged from a fog… Other plus sides – good friends, getting to spend time with those good friends, and getting to beta read a novel written by one of those friends, too! I’m glad the week turned around so much, and that we’re all feeling better! And now, our moments captured this week in pictures ~~
Day 248 | Sept 5, Fri – This is really not what I wanted to deal with today. Fleas just… ugh. Why? WHYYYYY? I hate fleas so freaking much. I saw two on Ashton, immediately gave him a bath, then put on his flea preventative, which I was late with applying, ugh. Then it was Tails’s day to go to the vet for a well-kitty checkup and he was totally covered in fleas, which I had no idea about. I hate feeling like a crappy pet owner. I combed him all out though (and my skin will be crawling forever because of it… my nerves can’t handle combing live fleas off animals!), and applied the Frontline, and am hoping that vacuuming, and keeping them on preventative meds will get rid of these horrible things!!!
Day 249 | Sept 6, Sat – I asked some friends online what I should take pictures of, and someone suggested my book case, so here it is! It’s the one in the bedroom, which, as you can tell, is where we usually change Homer’s diapers. That photo frame on top is turned to a pic of me holding a porcupine. (I used to work with all kinds of animals doing zookeeping work, for those reading who may not have known that about me.) Then there’s a bunch of books, Joe’s and mine mixed together, the bottom shelf mostly mine – and I have folders of sheet music in that bottom shelf, too. Anything stuck in there sideways on top is mine. Joe doesn’t do that. He’s the neat and organized one, the majority of the time.
Day 250 | Sept 7, Sun – Beautiful full moon! Or, almost full, anyway.
Day 251 | Sept 8, Mon – Refrigerator oats! This does not look like the tastiest food in the world, but trust me, it is! I’m so excited! I don’t know what made me afraid to try it. I guess I just kept thinking, “But oatmeal should be hot…” How did it never occur to me that it would basically be like cereal with cold milk, which I’ve been eating all my life? Anyway, the combo I used real quick in case you’re interested:
1/2 C old fashioned oats
3/4 C milk
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp chia seeds
1 tsp flax meal
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana
I just left it in a bowl for about 40 minutes while I did other stuff, came back and enjoyed it! Yum!
There are a bunch of other ideas I can’t wait to try here!
Day 252 | Sept 9, Tues – Something about the way he stands with his hands in his pockets just slays me. My kid is adorable!
Also, I guess tonight was the night the moon was officially full! It looked incredible!
Day 253 | Sept 10, Wed – Today was awesome. I loved having Homer as my little helper making pizza rolls for lunch!
Day 254 | Sept 11, Thurs – Homer and his buddy, Everett, hugging trees at the park. So sweet!
As always, thanks for stopping by! Hope you all had a great week!
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Join us in taking a photo a day for the entire year! Visit the gracious hosts of this project if you like: Mindi from Simply Stavish, Sarah from Nurse Loves Farmer, and Stephanie from Behind the Camera and Dreaming.
Start any time, and link up every Friday:
Homer Stories Part 5
In the car, as Joe and I were talking, Homer piped up with saying, “Guys! Okay.. Okay.. We’re ALL zombies!” I love how he sets the stage for his next pretend play session!
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We like to talk to Homer about serious subjects as well as light hearted ones, too. So, as subjects of death have come up from time to time (like our cat dying, and my brother and sister in law’s cat dying), we’ve talked about it a bit. One night, Homer asked me more about it, about what would happen if Ashton died, so I told him that he wouldn’t be able to be with us, or think or feel or move, and that he’d be gone. And he thought about it, then said, “Okay. Okay, but Ashton’s not dead… and he likes to chew all my toys… And he can chew them all up…”
It was extremely sweet to me, like okay, this is a pretty heavy subject, but we know Ashton isn’t dead because he likes to chew up my toys, and he can go ahead and do that!
He’s an interesting kid. Any time I think about kids discussing death, I think of this poignant part of a book I love called Waiting for Birdy… (spoiler alert! skip to the next “===” if you don’t want to know!) It’s true stories of motherhood, and the moment I’m thinking of came about when her three year old heard a grown man (a friend of the family) mention his mom, and when the 3 yr old asked, “Oh where’s your mom?” the man said, “Oh my mom died a few years ago.” The man instantly realized he maybe shouldn’t have said that. But then the little boy went over to their Christmas tree, took his dad’s special ornament, his mommy’s, and his own, stacked them all together and put them, touching, all on the same branch. As if that somehow would protect them all. I love little kids’ minds and the way they interpret things. That has stayed with me for years. That’s a GREAT book, and I highly recommend it, by the way.
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I told Homer we would go on an exercise walk three times around the apartment complex. When I had done two, and was a bit out of breath, I said, “Okay, let’s just head in.”
“Mommy. You said THREE times,” he said.
“Okay. You’re right. I did. Here we go…” And I did the last loop. He’s a good trainer!!
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For anything remotely large, Homer uses the descriptor, “Giant gigantic!” “Look at this giant gigantic leaf!”
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Kung Fu is pronounced Fun Coo. The best was that he got an Airbender toy, and kept calling him, “my fun coo guy!” But it sounded like, “fun, cool.” Even though he meant Kung Fu! I also like “Fun coo kick!!” haha!
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“Hey guys!” he said one night, in this voice of amazement. “The every time I sleep, the every time my heart bumps!”
We explained that his heart is beating all the time, but it’s just awesome that he noticed his pulse as he’s lying down to sleep. What a cute kid! Also, Homer uses correct wording much of the time, so when he doesn’t, it’s extra super cute to me. “The every time,” just melted my heart!
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“Wait. I’ve been practicing! This is my Chicken Singing…” *warbly gargled high-pitched noises*
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"I wish I was a bird. I'd fly around. And my friends would be Birdie, Rain, and Flower."
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While swinging him on the swing, he asked to go higher and higher. I pushed him extra high, and he laughed and laughed, and shouted, "I'm having the BEST LIFE!"
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We were driving around, looking for a beach to meet a friend. I found the beach, but the lot was full, so I pulled out and saw a sign for overflow parking, but missed the street. So I had to turn around AGAIN, and almost missed it, and didn't see the lot, and said, "ARGH!! This is SO aggravating!"
"No!" Homer said, encouragingly. "It's good!"
Doubtfully I said, "Oh it's good?"
And he said, "Yes! It's all good! Because YOU'RE good!"
How did I get so lucky? What a great kid!
I said, "Aw Homer, you are one of the best people I know. You always make me feel better!"
And he said, "It's what I do."
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We played a board game for the first time together!! It was Chutes and Ladders. Weirdly, it was also MY first time playing Chutes and Ladders. I kept asking him what number he'd landed on, and showed him how to count spaces. He did and hung in there really well, but at one point he did sigh and say, "This is a LOT of work!"
I asked if he wanted to keep playing and he said yes. And then he won! I was glad, because after all the effort he put in, I think if he'd lost, it might've put him off board games for a while!!
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Homer's latest phrase he likes to use is, "I can't believe…" And it applies to anything.
"I can't believe we have a dog!"
"I can't believe we're eating pizza!"
"I can't believe it's DAY time!"
Recently, he learned a little bit more about getting married, because he's been watching us play Tomodachi Life. I told him, "you know, Daddy and I got married."
"Was I even there?" he asked.
I said no, that it was before he was born.
I told him we are still married now, too, and he said, "REALLY?!" It was super cute.
The next evening, when we picked up Joe from work, he was pretty late coming out of the office. He got in the car and the first thing Homer said was, "I can't believe you guys are STILL married!"
Joe said, "I wasn't that late, was I??”
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Hope you all enjoyed these! 😀
Project 365 – Week 35
Day 241 | Aug 29, Fri – PAX! The local video game conference here in Seattle. Since this was the coolest thing we did all week, I couldn’t decide and chose more than one photo (as usual!).
We saw this bear online, and Homer was all worried about him, saying, “I don’t want to see the bear,” on the drive over. But once we arrived, he kept saying he did, in fact, want to see the bear. For the uninitiated (like myself, I just learned this at PAX, I’m a total n00b), this is Tibbers, from League of Legends, and Annie. Awesome stuff! Homer seemed glad we saw him, and asked to see him again later in the day, too.
These sisters were definitely sporting PAX’s cutest costumes. Oh my god. Just too freaking much. I chatted with the parents after asking if I could photograph their insanely adorable children, and they were awesome, too. The Dad made me laugh when he said the little one is like an actual ewok, always foraging for food and easily distracted. As for the older girl… her amazing dress, the sonic screwdriver, the bow tie, the fez. The whole ensemble just slayed me, seriously.
Here’s Homer in his true ninja form. 😉 Completely unintentional, but I love how the folks behind him are blurred. I need to learn how the heck I managed that so I can do more shots like this!
Day 242 | Aug 30, Sat – We left PAX mid-afternoon when it became evident we probably all needed naps. Homer seemed like he had a cold, too. 😦 So Saturday, we just took it easy, playing video games (what else?). 🙂 Here’s Ashton, lazing about, like he does…
Day 243 | Aug 31, Sun – Another gorgeous day
Day 244 | Sept 1, Mon – Homer has been wanting to walk Ashton more. It scares me, but I also want to let him try it out, so here we are in the tennis court. I had to take the leash when Ashton spied a rabbit!
Day 245 | Sept 2, Tues – Today definitely seemed like the start of fall – a HUGE downpour came out of nowhere, along with loud thunder rumbles, and then what sounded like a GIANT thunder crack. We weren’t sure what happened until I ran into our neighbor later, who showed me the enormous tree that had fallen over. Whoa!
It was right next to our building. Suddenly, my quaint notions of how lovely it would be living adjacent to the forest went out the window. Yikes. Crossing my fingers that the trees never fall this direction into the building. It’s only a matter of wind direction, really. Eek. Here’s my attempt at a pic of the fallen tree, view from my balcony. All those sideways branches make up just the top of the very, very large tree that toppled over. It’s hard to tell though, huh? Oh well.
Then that night, Homer and I were playing with a flashlight. These are his little hands clasped together over the light. I used to do this all the time as a kid. I love that he loves it too! (Maybe all kids do. 🙂 )
Day 246 | Sept 3, Wed – I love being the animal cushion at night!
Day 247 | Sept 4, Thurs – Waiting for Daddy to get out of work, snacking on some grapes
And that’s pretty much it! As always, thanks for reading! Hope you all had a great week!
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Join us in taking a photo a day for the entire year! Visit the gracious hosts of this project if you like: Mindi from Simply Stavish, Sarah from Nurse Loves Farmer, and Stephanie from Behind the Camera and Dreaming.
Start any time, and link up every Friday:
particlewoman 