Saturday, March 31, 2012

A Good Saturday

Kites as far as the eye can see
We went to the Kite Festival in DC today. There certainly were a lot of kites. It was a good windy day too; perfect for kite flying. The kite had a moderate amount of success, but Wiggle had less success because he kept trying to run with the kite which resulted in tangled strings and bumping into other unsuspecting kite fliers.
He still had fun though. As did I.
Showing off his mad kite skills
Where is our kite?
Oh, there it is. It's the one on the right.
C had a turn too.
Looking very Opie-esque
Can anyone else see the teenager lurking inside?
Phew! There's my toddler.
Two months today!

One of the only pics so far of me and Buster
This is the closest we got to having a pic with me and both boys;
Wiggle didn't want to pose for us.
After flying our kite for a bit, we drove back to Fairfax and went to Costco. We ate lunch at the food court as is our tradition at Costco. I really only like hot dogs at baseball games and Costco now for reasons I cannot explain.
Then after a rousing game of back-of-the-door basketball with Wiggle, we went in the yard to investigate what's growing.
Even the trees are blooming (this is a departure from the kind of landscape I am used to).
And pink!
Outside our family room window.
Outside our front door. There are more azaleas coming too!
Not a bad Saturday at all.














Friday, March 30, 2012

Post-Its

I keep meaning to write blog posts, but somehow I can't seem to find the time. So instead of wistfully composing grand posts in my head while folding laundry or sitting at stop lights, I've decided to take my own advice and take this posting thing in baby steps. I still have a lot I want to say about things like how having two kids is different than having one, how I don't want to become a "professional" mom like some of the ones I run into at the playground, and other such riveting subjects, but for now I will be satisfied with getting to the computer while it still is charged with both hands free for a few minutes to write just a little bit about what has been going on in our lives as of late.
I have been on one glorious walk in the evening by myself that was tortuous for C because Buster cried the entire 45 minutes I was gone. That ended that dream pretty quickly. My new plan is to walk around the block in circles after I get Wiggle down and Buster conks out in the evening, so that if he wakes the minute I walk out the door (how do babies know things like that), I will never be more than ten minutes away. Not as fun in the scenery department and might make me feel a little like a hamster in a wheel, but right now, chained to the house and the babe, I feel like a hamster without a wheel, so I'll take it.
Wiggle has gotten over the potty training hurdle of pooping in the potty with the aid of a giant Transformer bribe (ShockWave for those of you in the know). He even went to school on Thursday in underpants and didn't have an accident, so we are well on our way. And while I am ecstatic at the prospect of not having to change any more disturbingly adult-like poopy diapers, part of me is sad that it is time for this milestone. When he's in a diaper, I let myself give in to the sometimes irresistible urge to give his toddler-bottom a quick pinch while changing him. Now, even though those cheeks are undeniably cute strutting around in his superhero underpants, I can see that my days of bottom-pinching are almost over. Well, at least they are over with Wiggle; Buster is another matter entirely.
Speaking of Buster, he is getting more and more expressive every day. Tonight, he had a whole conversation with me. We "uhhh"ed and "ack"ed at each other for several minutes interspersed with wide grinning and dimple kissing on my part. He also loves to take baths. Seriously, he is never happier during the day than when he is in an absolutely overflowing baby tub inside the regular bath with his brother.
And we have a white and a pink dogwood in the backyard that are wowing me every time I look outside. Not to mention, the azaleas in the front that I totally need to take pictures of, but may or may not get around to. Right now, they make me smile every time I go in or out of the house.
Smiling at Mommy
Working on laughing
Superman one day...
Batman the next.


Sunday, March 11, 2012

I Am a Glutton...For Everything

No, really, it's true.

I had this epiphany the other day that I am a terrible glutton. While this may not be a surprise to some who know me, it was a surprise to me.
The thought came to me when I squeezed in a special trip to the library on the way back from a doctor's check-up with Buster. The library didn't have the one parenting book I was looking for, but I picked up three more in the same genre, you know, just in case. Then I bee-lined over to gardening and picked up five more books about how to turn our brown lawn into a lush green one. And wouldn't you know, the cookbooks are in the same aisle as gardening, so I might as well pick up two Ina Garten books to peruse when I get home. As I precariously hauled my loot to the checkout desk while hefting the car seat and my overloaded purse, I realized something was wrong. I had come for ONE book, and was leaving with ten, none of which was the one for which I came in.
Then I realized that I do this all over my life. I was contemplating buying a new lipstick to replace one that Wiggle had mashed into a pulp inside its case, and then was suddenly thinking of buying two new ones. Our pantry is one can of beans away from qualifying me to join one of those nut-job post-apocalyptic survivalist groups. I have four tank tops with paint on them, but haven't even thought about getting rid of any of them. I subscribe to at least five periodicals and get to read about 1/4 of one each month, but damned if I'm going to cancel any of those subscriptions.
I mean, if one is nice, two is better, right? Of course, I know that's not right, but that is the way I act, and it's really got to stop - like, now.
Now don't misunderstand me, I am not a hoarder; you can get through every room in my house and I have no problem throwing plenty of things away, but my urge is to acquire. And more than that when I acquire things, I always get more than I need. This is also not to say that I can't get utility from the extra things I get. This weekend, for example, we implemented the discipline method from one of the parenting books; with the aid of the gardening books, I have identified several options to plant in the corner of our yard for increased privacy, and I have cooked several recipes from the Ina Garten cookbooks. But would my week have gone on had I not brought home those books? Yes. Or what if I had just chosen one of the books from each category. After all, I can always go back to the library.
And I'm not just a glutton about material things. When I start a new hobby, I do it all the time, or read about every technique. When I started running, I set a goal of a marathon. I have a sewing machine, a quilting board, a rotary cutter, a book on quilting, but I have yet to quilt anything. When I make a menu, I always want to cook a million new recipes instead of going to some tried and true ones that would actually make my weekly cooking easier.
So I have decided to pare down- simplify.
Of course, I would love to be gluttonous with my urge to organize  and embrace material moderation by diving head first into a major house-wide purge, but in the spirit of moderation, I will instead make an effort to really think about every purchase I bring into the house, and purge just one or two things every time I clean an area.
The thing is - now my time is much more precious. With two boys, I barely have time each day to shower and get one load of laundry in, let alone look through, or god forbid, read a big stack of library books, so having extra just seems like more money or more work. I want less now. To spend less. To have less. To be less. Everything less, because life is so much more.