New Haircut

Before:

After:
I got a new haircut for my birthday.  Not too different, just a little shorter and with long bangs.  I wanted short bangs but wimped out at the last minute.  I may go back and have her shorten the bangs after all.  If I have time.

Baby and Daddy

Jimmy is such a good daddy to our children.  Julia was so comfortable in his arms here that she fell asleep.

More Happy Steve

I can't tell you how relieved I am to finally have Stephen happy again.  The last month was very difficult.  Here he is singing in his "microphone."  It is the bracket for the hand rail that fell off on the stairs.  He spends a lot of time singing enthusiastically into this microphone.

Here is his dinosaur tattoo.  It's funny that Stephen loves dinosaurs so much because he is so cuddly.  He has a stuffed dinosaur that he sleeps with.  When he sees it he will roar and then hug it.  Sometimes he'll say, "Mommy, I see his scary eyes," in a cute little voice.

Almost Crawling

Julia sat up at 4 1/2 months and lately has been trying her best to crawl.  She has been able to get into the crawl position for about two weeks now.  She can jump her little knees forward from there but hasn't figured out yet how to move her hands.  Mostly she just moves backwards.  I often find her backed into the corner of a room unable to get out.

The boys enjoy demonstrating how to crawl.  They also like lying next to her and pretending to be big babies!

Julia doesn't look too enthusiastic about it.

Sick in the Spring

This spring has brought us our share of illness.  I have had mastitis, a stomach virus, and at least two colds.  The kids have had two or three colds each, Stephen had the stomach virus, Julia had an ear infection, and just today Andrew woke up with a fever.  Let's hope it's not the swine flu.

On top of all that, Stephen has been teething.  He is getting all four two-year molars at once and has not been the happiest boy.  We were getting numerous tantrums, especially around mealtime.  It has been a tough month or so with him.  The past few days, however, he has been getting much better.  He is smiling and laughing again, hugging and kissing me like he used to.  Here is a picture of my happy google today.

It really makes me feel better to see him happy again.  He is such a sweet boy when he's in a good mood.  He loves to cuddle and looks up at me with those big blue eyes.  We are glad to have you back, happy Steve!

$$$

The only good thing about the much-hyped recession is that now it's cool to save money.  Our simple-living lifestyle is finally in vogue.  I think that's a good attitude for most people to take.

Birthday

Do you know whose birthday cake this is?  Mine!  I am 27 today.  This is a Scandinavian almond cake.  It is a very simple recipe: 

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 t almond extract

2/3 cup milk

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 cup melted butter

Beat wet ingredients, add dry, and stir in butter.  Pour into greased pan into which toasted almonds have been sprinkled.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

The recipe is from Jimmy's grandfather's second wife.  It came with the house.  I've made it many times because it is so good!

Jimmy is treating me extremely well today.  He got the kids up and fed and allowed me to sleep in.  In a few minutes I am headed to the spa for a massage and haircut.  I am treating myself well too.  I bought all my favorite foods: organic dark chocolate, pure black licorice, blueberries and strawberries.  I am really enjoying my day.

Score

One of the perks of being a mover is the scores.  These are the pieces of furniture or other household items that people get rid of when moving.  Most of our house is furnished with scores.  Since Jimmy's company is the highest-end mover in the area, we've gotten some pretty nice stuff.

He recently scored this rug that we put in the boys' room.  I think it makes the room feel more comfortable and inviting.  We spend more time playing in there and less in the living room now, which helps keep the house picked up.

We also got a kids' map of the country.  The boys love hearing about different states and what they're like.  Almost every night we look at the map before bed.

Under Andrew's bed is the "garage."  Every night the boys enjoy parking their trucks, then getting them out first thing in the morning.

Uh oh!

Jimmy sent me this picture of a truck he saw on the highway.  The boys call this an "uh-oh truck."

White Teeth

"Stephen, what color is my hair?"

"Brown."

"Good!  What color are my lips?"

"Red."

"That's right.  What color are my teeth?"

"Yellow!"

This conversation clinched it: it's time to whiten my teeth.  Since I have been pregnant and/or breastfeeding since 2004, I haven't had much opportunity.  I am still nursing, but I've read about it and am convinced it's as safe for Julia as it is for me.

Last week I bought the Target brand whitening wraps.  You use them twice a day for 30 minutes for 7 days.  I'm on day 4 and have even missed a few "doses" but have already noticed great results.  What do you think?

Tree Climber

For the past few months, Andrew has been asking me to teach him how to climb trees.  I think Jimmy mentioned to him that you can climb them, and Andrew has had his heart set on it since.  He finally found a tree the right size.  It is at the park closest to our house but is so small that I never really noticed it.  Andrew was determined to get up in that tree.  That's about as high as he got, but it was a good start.  I'm sure there will be many more tree climbing episodes in his future.

Hiking

Shortly after Julia was born, the kids and I went on an impromptu hike behind one of the playgrounds we frequent.  I had Julia in the car seat and ended up carrying it throughout the hike.  I looked ridiculous, but the boys had so much fun that I couldn't deny them.  That day, I promised to come back for a better hike.

Well, the time finally came today.  We had beautiful 70 degree, sunny weather.  I brought the back pack to carry Julia (a much better option!), and a picnic lunch for afterwards.  Things went pretty well.  Thankfully Stephen had a nearly tantrum-free day, and Andrew was fairly obedient.  Julia was her usual cheerful self.

So overall we had a lot of fun, and it was a great outing.

Another Easter Photo

I love this picture of Julia.  She looked beautiful in her Easter dress.  She plans on wearing it many more times this summer.

Pear and Feta Salad

Inspired by a Boston Globe Magazine article, I created this delicious salad.  This is probably the fourth time I've made it in the last two weeks.

It consists of: romaine lettuce; chopped fresh scallions, chives, and parsley; chopped pears and grape tomatoes; and feta cheese.  I top it with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette that includes fresh squeezed lemon juice and minced garlic.

Together with whole wheat bread hot out of the oven, it constituted today's delicious and satisfying lunch!

Easter Baby

Julia is wearing her beautiful new Easter dress, hand-smocked and sewn by her Mummu (grandmother).  As soon as I put the dress on, the boys said, "She looks like a princess!"  I agree.  I love how the dress spreads out to cover her feet when sitting.  I will take more pictures tomorrow when she is in her full finery.

Boys

Here are the boys today.  Playing legos and happy!  We are headed to the park today to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Weight Loss Update

While pregnant with Julia I gained 65 pounds.  Of that, I have lost 59.  Six pounds to go, but I am fitting in most clothes.  I was happy this morning to find that I am back in my skinny jeans.  Fitting into these jeans has been my goal after every pregnancy.

Lately I have been working out with a new video from the Dance Off the Inches series.  It is the hip-hop party one with Jennifer Galardi.  It is a great cardio workout, really getting my heartrate up and challenging enough to be fun.  I look forward to doing this video every day.  With Jimmy out of town, I can work out at night as well as during nap time.  Hopefully by the time he gets back, I will be back to my pre-pregnancy weight!

Budding Artist?

This is Andrew's first drawing that actually looks like something.  I'm not sure if he set out intending to draw a helicopter, or if he drew some lines and then realized that they resembled a helicopter.  Either way, I think it's decent for a 3.5 year old.

Hot Cross Buns

The boys helped make traditional Easter hot cross buns.  I mixed a toddler-sized batch for them to knead.  They were even singing the song while kneading.  Aren't we a tranquil picture of domesticity?

I find kneading to be a good activity for kids.  It's satisfying to manipulate the dough, and it's a constructive way to get their hands dirty.  Having a planned activity like this also helps give structure to our day.  The boys seem to be slightly better-behaved when we have something concrete to prepare for and do.  And it's fun cooking together!

Little Bud

This is my little buddy Andrew.  He loves to play Legos.  Here he has made a double-wide dump truck, of which he is extremely proud.  I am very proud of him too.

Oboe

Driving in the car tonight, I listened to an oboe concerto on WHRB.  I love the oboe.  It has an unusual sound; it makes me think of lonely swamp reeds blowing in the wind.  The concerto was from the Classical period, probably Mozart.  Listening to the oboe was such a relaxing way to end a hectic day of apartment viewing.

And when I came inside, Jimmy had the same piece playing loudly on every radio in the house.  We enjoy a high degree of comaptability in this house.

The reedy sounds were followed by the dissonance of Schoenberg: quite a jump of centuries and styles.  A few people (mostly my parents) may remember that I played some Schoenberg piano pieces in high school.  I enjoyed them, but I'm not sure the audience did.  But tonight on the radio was a soprano singing atonally.  I don't think even I'd listen to that one again.

The Girls

I really enjoy having another girl in the house.  She is a like a little doll.  Julia is very sweet.

Apartment Found!

Frustrated with the arduous housing search, the boys and I simply decided to construct our own apartment building.  Here is a three-tiered structure, with a helicopter landing pad on top.

Crazy Hair

The comment I most frequently receive about Julia is how much hair she has.  It is getting very long and requires daily styling.  Is she taking after her grandmother?

Hey Julia, that's not a toothbrush!

This is funny.  Perhaps I will need one in my house in ten years.

Little Movers

The boys want to be just like daddy.  Andrew loaded Bumberton Bear into a box and then "moved" him.  Stephen was there to help.  Do you see a future in the moving industry?