Let's talk feelings

This guy is finished with school. And barring any future itch to get a doctorate, he is finished forever. Friday night, when he came home from his last class, he was a changed man. His voice even sounded different.


I feel a little different too. I have been pretty burnt out lately. Yesterday morning I got up and realized that I might actually be able to make it through the day without a major breakdown because I had something to look forward to: Ryan would come home from work that night, the next night and, I guess, the rest of our nights and he would stay home. No more eating and running. No more night school! I feel like we have him all to ourselves now and that feels amazing.

In other news, a couple of these spies were arrested in a building about a block away and I would love to find out in which park these money exchanges took place. It's all very exciting ;-).

Update

This kid is currently obsessed with all things Toy Story. He is working toward getting life-sized Woody and Buzz, both of which are currently sitting on the top shelf in my closet. To get Woody down he must participate (don't bug mom) in quiet time for one hour each day for one month. For Buzz, he must sleep the entire night in his own bed for 30 nights. Ethan has a nasty little habit of sneeking into our room at night and climbing into bed with us. We don't seem to notice until I am awakened by Ethan's knobby knees jabbing into my back or by sore muscles which have been unconsiously flexing in order to stay on the bed since the 3-year-old is sprawled out in my spot. I usually wake up in the morning angry when this happens and the rest of the day my mood seems to follow suit. So I bought the toys with him in the cart, let him push the lazor on Buzz's arm all the way home for Target, and then stuck them up in the closet where he can see them (and he goes into my room at least 10 times a day to get a look).

I'm pretty sure I'm a genius because he has now slept in his bed all night for six nights in a row (and we won't mention everything else I have tried to keep him there for the last several months)!

Ethan has become quite the golfer, a product of Ryan's secret plan to have a golfing partner for the rest of his life. I think it's working since every day Ethan tells Ryan they need to "go hit balls at the ranger." This morning Ryan told him that if he took a nap today they could go tonight. He is fast asleep on the couch as I type.
This girl is crawling and we are so happy! For most moms I talk to, crawling is a trial. "That's when it really gets hard," they say, or "it's just so exhausting when they start to crawl." I don't get it. A mobile baby is a happy baby. She just crawls around and gets what she wants instead of whining and crying for something.

She is so happy and funny. Yesterday I let her drink water out of my cup. Of course it spilled all over her. To my surprise, she thought it was so funny and just giggled and giggled. She's kind of wild and loves be thrown up, bounced or hung upside down.

She thinks Ethan is the funniest kid until he gets within a foot of her and then she starts growling and batting her arms in self-defense. Ethan often comes out with scratches on his face but he doesn't complain because he knows he's not supposed to provoke her.

Unfortunately, she takes after me in the stuck-up baby department. She will not go to anyone but me, Ryan and her uncle Rob. She becomes unglued if we are around other people and I am out of her sight for even a second. Apparently I was glued to my mom's hip as a baby too. Sadly, my first word was "don't," and I used that word if people even dared to look at me. We're working on it and hoping to make her become a friendly baby. :-)

And now to work up the motivation...

I picked up the finished quilt squares yesterday. Aren't the colors and patterns beautiful?

Huge thanks to the woman who started it all, Aunt Spicy. She went above and beyond her role as organizer in so many ways and even made us all these cute hanging hearts out of some of the fabric. Unfortunately, she will no longer be sending out regularly scheduled reminder e-mails to finish quilting.

I don't know what I will do without a deadline. OK, really, I know exactly what I won't do.

The wrong time to visit our nation's capital

Temperatures are going to be well into the 90s (with smothering humidity mixed in here and there) every day this week.

My suggestion?

Find a fountain and stick your feet in.

Hairthings for the confident

So you probably won't ever catch me donning one of these... um... hairthings. But that doesn't mean that I don't think they are amazing. Because these pieces are playful and, in a weird way, fabulous. I would love to meet the girl who does have the guts (and bone structure) to wear them.

Zara Carpenter is Etsy's featured seller today and I love these images - especially the top one.

Six years ago we were doing this...

... walking across a street in wedding attire.

One of these things is not like the others

I am a textbook procrastinator participating in a quilt block exchange with a bunch of organized, high-functioning perfectionists. I know at least 19 of the 20 other women involved in this exchange are like this (maybe a little bit Type A? You know, they probably have designated spots in their homes for things like hair elastics and paperclips) because yesterday I received an e-mail listing each gal who was finished with her quilt squares. There were 19 who were done. And there were still two days left until the fabric squares are due!

Of course, I was one of the two dilly-dalliers who isn't quite done. Before reading through the list, I guessed the other person who was probably still sewing and I was right (you know who you are, and I love you). I can't speak for her, but I am maybe not the most motivated person, a fact that made me question why I joined this exchange in the first place. But I have definitely enjoyed piecing these squares together and working with (and smelling and feeling) the beautiful fabric. Also, it will be neat to have a quilt made by a group of such amazing friends - new and old. And - for anyone reading this post who is involved in the exchange - I am extremely close to the end and will finish before tomorrow's deadline ;-).

Found:

a pair of lightly worn black leather oxfords at a secret little thrift shop (shout out to Mystique). sort of wishing they were either patent leather or brown but can't complain because I paid $3. still working up the courage to wear them.

modeled on Ethan :-).

The Shirtain

shirt

+

curtain
=
The Shirtain

I have waaaaay too much time on my hands.

Swimming season begins

Other randoms:

If I could choose what my voice sounded like, I would make sure to sing like her.

I enjoyed reading this very short post on my cousin Nic's blog. He describes an ordinary dilemma beautifully.