Wednesday: No Thanks

I need a date night or a getaway with my hunk. Aspen, anyone?! That was one relaxing trip. Sometimes I harness that moment.


Also, some days I think my Cassidy is so grown-up. She's Daddy's special angel, a real helper, a good hugger, and so smart. And then some days she whines all morning, hits people, yells at them and is bossy, demanding a new snack every five minutes and I'm reminded of this wee dumpling she used to be (approx. 18 months). . .

She's always had a 'passionate' side. I love you, Dear Cass.

p.s. This morning she said, "Mom, if you stick your finger in your mouth and inside your cheek, then smell it, it smells like pistachios." (typically, she calls these her 'favorite nuts' or mustachios.

p.p.s. It'd be sweet if Beckett's teeth could pop through. This teething thing is really dragging on, and as bad as I feel for him, I'm feeling bad for myself as well lol.

Dad Day

Charlotte posted a cute card she made for her dad for Father's Day, so, though I hesitated yesterday, I'll post this little poem I scripted for my daddy-o. It seems I was fairly organized this Father's Day, though that's not typical. And Mother's Day, well, forgetaboutit. Mom poem or song (sung grossly off-key) coming in 2012!

Unlimited Dadda-Plan
I sure love that Dadda of mine,
Vocab king and writer divine,
From breakfasts at Foxy’s, Griffith’s ponies, and feeding the ducks,
To pj dates, pop moves, and pool party potlucks,
I knew this guy cared about my tiny heart and soul,
With each hug, kiss, and somersault roll.

Yeah we’d Doug and Wendy whine as all kids tend to do,
But there were certain things we kiddos always knew,
That Dad would listen whenever we spoke,
And he’d feel deeply our joy or if our hearts broke.

But it’s not always what he said that meant the most to me,
It was watching him live and learning to be:
Silly with Bonnie and a wheelchair church race,
Saying you’re sorry, not trying to save face,
Looking people in the eyes and giving a smile,
Service and patriotism more than once in a while.

I see more of Dad even now that I’m grown,
When making a lunch, a mudslide that’s blown,
Reading to the kids, teaching them to write notes,
Tying their shoes and buttoning coats.

Harnessing navy language if someone does them wrong,
Off for a date, saying I won’t be gone long.
A-frame eyebrows and steering wheel drums,
Bored people are boring, stop twiddling your thumbs.
Be considerate, gracious and show that you care,
If you need a good vomit, I’ll hold back your hair.

The generations to come will surely follow suit,
Less tech-challenged and taller to boot,
They’ll learn to find love and have a family,
All from this little branch on the tree.
So when you think your gray days will leave you dust in the wind,
Remember that eternity is only about to begin.

Beck-aroo

Right now, my surfer boy:
Loves watching Signing Time and after a nap will grunt for his blankets, march into my room, and plop himself on a chair demanding that the show begin.
Sneaks into the bathroom for my makeup brush or a toilet brush/plunger to walk around with.
Still has only 2 teeth but has been grumpy because it appears about 9 are on their way.
Has an intensity in his personality and is pretty demanding, which wears him out because he has been taking glorious naps and wakes up and occasionally stays in bed until 10 am!
Enjoys carrying objects larger than himself (ie, empty laundry baskets, boxes, plastic chairs, toys).
Gets jealous when I love or snuggle the other kids, and goes in for big mouth kisses if I'm holding him when T kisses me goodbye.
Says mom, dad, dog, whoa, ball, woof (as well as 'whistles' for the dog--woo woo), and shoe).
Eats like a little garbage disposal (an Otter Pop, ham/cheese sandwich with mustard, meat, fruit).
Demonstrates fearless persistence at the park and will climb anywhere he can and tackle slides alone and with such excitement.
Is finally not swaddled at bedtime and signs milk when he's ready to snooze.

Love him!

Hey Ladies!

I have some obligatory posts to catch up, but out of order is what I do best. Went on a fabulous girls' weekend with my sister, Bridget, and pseudo-sister, Jenny, mid-May. Jenny's a bit of a hotel snob (well, you are--and that's ok!). We stayed one night at the Sheraton downtown and then one night at the luxurious St. Regis in Park City. We munched at some fun places and hit up a bakery or two, as well as some casual snacking at the new Whole Foods downtown (love love it!). Of course I love that wherever we go, Jenny addresses waitresses, store attendants, our BUTLER, all by their first names. I love this about her. I also love when she talks sports because somehow, though Trav is a sport fiend, I must somehow tune out because it's all foreign most of the time.

Now, Bridget is awesome because she's go-with-the-flow and super hilarious when tired. She's so excited about organic foods and muscle-testing products right there in the store (ask me about this if you're going, 'huh?'). She's a super sleuth when it comes to figuring out allergies and bodily randomness.

What's amazing about the St. Regis is that every detail of the facility was so well-planned. The treadmills in the gym were equipped with little water bottles, as well as a mini-fridge in the gym containing chilled towels. There's a yoga room (I directed some sun salutations. Okay, one sun salutation) and a swimming pool with speakers underwater. Even the heater vents are monogrammed. And did I mention the television inside the bathroom mirror?! Super cool. The most memorable feature must have been the funicular we had to ride up the mountain to the ski-in/ski-out resort. We enjoyed discussing the definition of a funicular. Vehicular fun, but, more accurately, a mountainside railway operated with cables. You gotta feel bad for whomever was stuck in this enclosed funicular adventure with the 3 of us wild chickadees. There's not much we won't discuss despite our captive audience.

Even though we lived it up lounging, eating, shopping, and getting massages, we found it most necessary to catch a showing of Fast 5 before dropping Jenny off at the SL airport. At one point during an on-screen fight, Jenny leaned over and asked if I was rooting for The Rock or Vin Diesel. My immediate response was, "I'm rooting for fewer shirts." The musles made the movie.

After dropping Jenny off, Bridget and I were still not ready to call it quits on our weekend away. We went out for more shopping and then some In-n-Out.

Sweet Travis had done all the laundry and cleaned the house while I was away. He said he would have done more cleaning, but was exhausted. It's always nice to feel validated in the crazy clown show that motherhood sometimes is.

Adora-Dad

Patrick really is so cute with the kiddos. He gets off work early on Fridays and (weather-permitting) Bridget often comes up and we sit in the yard while the kids play the afternoon away.

On the Brag

Lol. I'm laughing at myself. And glad I'm going to see Harmony and Michelle tonight because it's fun to be giddy with those hotties. Travis is on his way home from his boys' baseball weekend in Texas. It's always easy to let him go on these mini getaways because I know it means so much to him. He always has so much fun seeing baseball games, eating adventurous food (this trip it was fried frog leg salad), and relaxing boy-style. It's different than traveling with me. For instance, he wouldn't dare ask me to ride the bus across town to a different car rental place to save 100 bucks; but Ben had no problem with such a journey! I'm glad that Trav goes because I know that he'll also make it a priority for me to have some time away. Some people don't travel without their spouses, but I'm grateful we have learned that this is one of the best things we can do to strengthen our relationship.

This was a very typical Sunday morning at Casa Verde. Cassidy obviously didn't appreciate me trying to interrupt her boogie excavation. I'll save this to show her future boyfriend (if her Dad allows that...ever).

What's In Your Waffle?

I'm not perfect in nutrition with my kids, but I love me a good trick! I enjoy sneaking healthy stuff into their food. When Patrick lived here I'd offer him baked treats and he'd immediately ask, "Do I want to know what's in this?" I will never tell him unless he's already given it a try first, and he's usually splendidly surprised that I sneaked spinach in brownies or butternut squash in his cupcakes.

Shannon has been making sneaky substitutions for Cohen for awhile, as he's on a gluten-free diet and is pretty particular about what he'll eat. She uses applesauce and white beans often to avoid using oil or eggs.

My recent faves have been waffles and muffins. I figure waffles are often eaten with syrup, so how hard would it be to mask veggies inside?! Sometimes I make a base for a smoothie (frozen strawberries/blueberries etc.) in my Vitamix blender (love love this, but a Magic Bullet will also do fine) and then just add some pancake mix like Bisquick or Krusteaz.

Today I'm making banana muffins with pureed zucchini, bananas, great northern beans, and acorn squash. Some mini choco chips make them divine!

We've got a blending/juicing party in the works, so let me know if you want to come, or, if you're far away, I'd love to share some ideas we receive!