Too...Much...To...Blog....

Seriously. I'm in overload. I haven't blogged because:

A) World-traveler husband is home for an almost two-week stint! YAY!!! I heart companies that shut done between Christmas and New Year's. Every company should. Except Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks. They should always remain open.

B) Our house has been overtaken by Toys R Us. I can't step anywhere for fear of puncturing my foot with a loud, noise-making, beeping, blinking baby brain developing toy. Once I clear out the wrapping paper, maybe I can get to the laundry and then finally find the toys to put them away. They're like little land mines waiting to be unearthed so they can explode with a resounding "The light is On" or "The Lion goes ROOOOOOOOOAR." (Which, by the way, makes Nells crack up hysterically. All we have to do to get a giggle around here is roar like a lion or woof like a dog. She's thrown into fits of laughter - which are accompanied by a scowl - don't ask, we don't know.)

C) Husband has said so many memorable lines and had so many memorable "Daddy moments" that if I tried to catalog them all, I would never leave the computer. Oh, how I love husband.

D) We've been at Mom and Dad's or Great-grandparents or with friends or at Dunkin' Donuts so we've not been near la computadora much at all. It's true. I went three entire days without looking at my mommy blogs. I almost went into withdrawal.

Anyway, I"m back. :) I know you all missed me. More to come today!!!

So...I've been working...

Meet Family Martial Arts, Tim and Megan, Becca Boo and Seth and Lindsay. There are more. Oh. Are there more. : ) But that will have to wait until a better time...aka not 12:30 am Friday night/Saturday morning...aka not 3.57 hours after my bedtime. What can I say, I'm a morning person! : )

Ribbons and Spice and Everything...Nice? Part II

The same day as Spice Extravaganza '09 the box man came to visit. (I just discovered the beauty in linking back to your own posts -- why didn't anyone tell about this before!?) Anywho, his large brown vehicle pulled up outside our house and the butterflies from my childhood returned. :) Nells was the recipient of the glorious, faded khaki package. I opened the outside box for her (duh - too young for knife wielding yet - apparently the golden age for throwing knives is nine.) which revealed a wonderfully wrapped package from Aunt Becky. I sat Sesame down by the box and this is what unfolded:

She stared and grinned.

Then played with the springy ribbon for awhile. I was slightly shocked because lately any package I place under the tree is immediately unwrapped! Then the following collage commenced:

Nonetheless, she did enjoy her package...aside from her freakish mother putting the scary ribbon in her hair. Not a fan. And it would appear that eating her crib (that's right, removes the rail guards and then chews still...) do not provide enough fiber in her diet - hence the eating of the wrapping paper. We LOVED the book and blue smocked jumper Aunt Becky!! Sorry for the whole opening before Christmas deal -- we were just soooooo excited! :)

Ribbons and Spice and Everything...Nice?

Sesame helped cook yesterday! :) She's really starting to investigate cabinets and cupboards and the like. I heart it. :) Whilst I was busy tossing eggplants and shallots around in the kitchen she discovered the spice and pan cabinet.

"Oh she's so cute!" I thought to myself. "I should go grab my camera." And so I did. Clearly. I took a shot or two and discerned I needed my flash since the sun sets at like 3:00 in the afternoon anymore.

I returned to this cute striped, who-baby. My heart melted yet again. I mean - hello - it's like she was posing for me. What with the spices scattered about just so and her back to me. -sigh- I thought "It's just like in a Taste of Home Magazine when the Mom's write in a recipe and say 'My baby helped! Look I have cute photos to prove it!' " Really - I was so excited.

Note - was. I stood up and moved in for a different shot. Then I say this. Do you see it?? Let me help you out a bit:

That's right. The beautiful, serene little angel opened my Coleman's dry mustard and had a glitter party with the contents. She wasn't sitting there with her back to me posing - she was hiding her crime?! And of course it had to be the Coleman's dry mustard - it couldn't be the parsley that I've had since we got married cough-threeyearsago-cough it had to be one of my favorite, pricey spiceys. -sigh- What am I going to do with her?!

Well I reprimanded her to which she responded with a giggle, to which I responded with a swat on the rear end, to which she responded with a scowl and "Da-da-ee," to which I responded with "I don't think you know what you're really asking for when you ask for Daddy after I spank you," to which she responded with a face plant on her blankie. Ah, to snuggle with your blankie instead of sweeping up Coleman's. Someday she'll be the one sweeping up her mess while I snuggle with my blankies sip a sweet tea.

Oh Good Gravy...

This baby:

is looking more and more like a toddler these days. She totally digs the Daddy shades. Yesterday afternoon she she kept reaching for them, so he put them on her. She left them on until they fell off. Then last night she crawled over to the coffee table, pulled up (like she does) knocked various items off until she found the glasses, and; attempted to put them on all by herself. Granted, she almost stabbed herself in the eye and was slightly distracted by chewing on the ends, but she was really trying to put them on. Plus those silicone end tips are squishy. I'd chew on them if I was teething and had an unsanitary mother too! When all was said and done we showed her how to put them on. One example and she had it. Then, this morning, she tried putting them on Santa bear. Too. Cute. :)

Also I caught her doing this with Daddy this weekend:

Yes, that's husband (in our dirty house) playing arcade games on the X box. And, yes, that's Nells Bells laying on the floor, on her back, watching him play games. Just like a real live person. She even has her little arm above her head in that casual "I've had suuuuuuuuuch a long day" way.

To zoom in here you'll see she does get a little distracted some times. :) And I promise I didn't put her hair in a forward facing ponytail. It was just squished at the moment from her chosen relaxation pose. :)

How!?

How can this be comfortable?! I mean...really!? However it works - it's still ADORABLE! :)

The Dress.

Okay. I promised and here it is. That adorable, crazy corduroy dress you see. I made it. :) It's true, I did. AND I didn't have a pattern. AND because it was a jumper I didn't sew the arm holes shut. AND I fixed my two mistakes rather well...at least I think. I EVEN lined it. :)

Mistakes of note in dress: The pretty little flower/white button -- is totally covering up a debauchle of magnanimous proportions. The gathering went a little haywire there. I just learned how to do it and I think I got a wee bit excited. :) Oh well...

The shoulder straps. I didn't cut them long enough. Enter cute ribbon extensions with lining fabric over end. I think it worked out rather well. :)

All said and done I used remnant fabric, spent 4 hours (on a project that could have taken MUCH less), learned how to ruffle/gather. It all cost $1.20. Happiness. :) Okay I'm done now.

OH and the personalized step stool ROCKS (Thank you Miss. Carole) and came from a FABULOUS online store withe ADORABLE items. Nells LOVES her stool :)

Guest Post from Husband:

Recently as we travel home at night with the Midget Lady in the back seat, I noticed that I started getting extremely focused about my driving in the last mile or two before home. At first, it just seemed like an odd tenseness, but once I realized I was doing it, I understood that I had unconsciously begun the sacred quest for "Dad Speed".

For those of you who think I'm insane, read on before judging. I remember when I was a little kid always being amazed that I'd go from being in the car on the way home, happily looking forward to something-or-other before bed, and then suddenly it was morning, I was in my bed, and dressed in my jammies (yep, I still call 'em that). Somehow, my Dad had knocked me unconscious with some mysterious force, thrown me over his shoulder, carried me inside, dressed me for bed, and tucked me in. Amazing.

As I now come to realize, that mysterious force is none other than "Dad Speed". Somewhere between too fast and too slow is the perfect speed at which to drive, turn, and stop over the neighborhood streets that will lull kids into a sleep so deep that they become rag dolls. I've seen it, I did it by accident once, and now I'm constantly trying to perfect Dad Speed on the way home.

I'm sure cars have evolved much better suspension systems in the last 26 years, but even still the car will bounce wildly if you drive too slow, and driving too fast makes heads sway on turns. Somewhere in between is Dad Speed.

I know, I know. It's a geek/OCD thing. But all I can say is that the benefits of a rag doll kid are totally worth the fact that I'm neurotic. Judge yourself: Is Dad Speed real?

-C-

Story to come...

There is a story behind this fantastical dress! But Nells is awake nd sitting on my lap staring at the keyboard like a fat kid at a twinkie. :)

Pray.

Please pray for Sharon.

Pray for her battle with cancer. For her daughters Jaime, Jackie and Lindsay. For her husband Jerry. For their whole family. Her walk with the Lord is strong. Pray for strength for everyone. For His peace. For His timing. For His understanding.

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24