Archive for July 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Currently, this is how I've been spending a lot of time.

Vaughn is deep into her separation anxiety phase.

And, boy!, are we having a good time!

Who wouldn't want a 30 pound wiggly baby attached to them all day long? Sounds like fun to me?!?

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She totally cried when I left to grab the camera for these pictures. Really, who wouldn't? I'm THAT much fun to be around. Instant party where ever I may go...

Here she is rockin' her Bob the Builder tool belt. She loves having this on and Vance loves filling it with tools for her. She likes to push the button on the top to hear Bob talk. However, every once in a while it scares her. No idea why she's not scared of it all the time. (We're quickly learning that Vaughn lives by no rhyme or reason. She's a little box of mystery.)

She added another word to her vocabulary yesterday. Glasses. She says about a dozen words now. Why can't she learn the word 'hungry'? Or 'tired'? Words that would make communicating easier. We did simple sign language with Vance that made this easier. Vaughn knows the signs for 'more' and 'all done', but doesn't use them in the correct context. She also knows how to do the "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". Maybe she's just a show off or maybe she's just indecisive.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Holy Plaid Curtains!



Going back through pictures, I forgot that I've never talked about these beauties.

You can see I was starting to take them down and remembered that I hadn't taken a picture yet.

Wow. What these do (or don't do) for the room.

For some reason we kept the plaid curtains. I found them folded up in guest room closet the other day. If anyone needs 4 plaid panels, I'd be more than happy to share.

We attempted to save the cornices. We cut the bottom, curvy line off to make it straight, but never used them. We still have those too, just in case you're wondering.

We've got a lot of stuff around here. Too much stuff. We're in need of a major garage sale.

We also need one of those days where you can take latex paint to be recycled. I've done some looking online and no recycling place around is doing anything for latex paint. They have tips on how to dry up paint and say that cans with said dry paint can be thrown in normal garbage. (They even suggest using the paint up, even rolling on coat after coat to use it all. Ha!) We have too much paint and a lot of the cans are super full, so drying it out would take forever.

Sidebar: In an attempt to stack the paint cans neatly I came across one that had "Garden Room" written on it. I had to open it and it was a sunny yellow color. Part of me is sad that I didn't get to ever see the Garden Room. Nothing was that color when we moved in, so I guess it was painted over. With seeing how over the top the previous owners decorated, I have to believe that the Garden Room had one of those white picket fence pieces nailed to the walls and fake ivy wound around it.

One day I'll share pictures of the Muppet-esque chandelier shade covers.



One year ago





Tuesday, July 28, 2009

I don't know what to write about today. I'm all out of good ideas.


I won't write about how early Vance wakes up and expects that we have a full day planned.

I won't write about the cold that Vaughn has mysteriously come down with, all out of the blue.

I won't write about how low our moral has been around here lately.

I will write about the great day we had on Sunday. Perfect weather, pool, meals outside, guacamole from Chipotle, and even scored some good deals at the mall.

Friday, July 24, 2009




Vance's drawings have taken new form over the past two months. Less scribbling and people and things are looking more recognizable. The picture on the top is of Hook and Peter Pan. Notice Hook's eye patch, the jagged lines of the water, and the goofy looking thing on top of the waves is the crocodile. The bottom picture features many family members. I'm on the top left, with my eyes scribbled out. According to Vance, that's how you draw glasses.

He's familiarized himself with where we keep the tape and has been taping his drawings all over the house, on his bike, and on Vaughn's princess mobile. He's all about the flair.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Quick Announcement

Vaughn's third canine (top, left) poked through last week. Her forth canine (top, right) poked through today.


This may explain the constant crying and bitchiness on her behalf for the last two weeks.

I should rephrase that. It BETTER be the reason for the crying and bitchiness on her behalf.

These two teeth are her 15th and 16th and by my books means that she should be done with teething until it's time for her two year molars.

Thank you big baby Jesus for that.


Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Master Bathroom

Dear Internet, here's my bathroom.

Actually, this was how it looked when we moved in. It's all wrong. I think I'd rather have the old school one large sheet of mirror than two way too small sized mirrors. Could have ordered a Mirror Mate and would have been done with it. The finish on the cabinets is not our taste, nor the vanity top, but we didn't want to replace them. We were going for a quick update. I think we achieved it.

Before:

After:

Monday, July 20, 2009

Good Morning

It's 6:40 AM and Vance has already been up long enough to help make beds, make Justin's lunch, and take out the recycling. What's wrong with this picture???

Friday, July 17, 2009

Dyno-Mite!



Apparently, wooden dinosaurs eat cans of soup for breakfast around here.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere, but not a drop to drink

Bubble Thing. That's the name, seriously. I had a red one when I was little and was super-excited when I saw them for sale again. The humidity was perfect for making bubbles, but the wind was not. We still managed to get some really big ones.





What else is new? Vance has been channeling Dr. Seuss and Ray Charles lately. Rhyming up a storm and singing, "Hit the road Jack". When he's not scatting, he's asking us to pitch the baseball to him in the backyard. He usually makes a point to put on his baseball hat on before we head outside. We made a lemonade stand the other day and Vance decided to charge $6.00 per glass. Justin said he'd pay us back, but we've never seen the $12.oo. He bought a cup for Vaughnie too.

Vaughn somehow chipped a tooth. Her front right one to be exact. Will call the dentist tomorrow to see if it can be filed so it's not so rough and jagged. She's learned how to walk up the slide and gets to the top of the platform pretty quickly, so I guess one could say she's been channeling a cat.

So, there you go. Bubbles, cats in hats, Ray Charles, and lemonade. It's all good.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bespectacled Bunny

For the past two nights we've noticed a bunny in our backyard having a snack. Vance loves this (as do I) and we sit and watch the bunny and talk about what he's up to.


Last night the commentary was about the cardinal, who was also in the backyard, if he was going to eat the bunny. I told Vance that birds don't eat bunnies and he replied, "Yeah, 'cause they're friends".

Two nights ago I asked Vance if he thought the bunny in our yard was the Easter Bunny. He laughed and told me, "No way! That bunny isn't wearing glasses!" I should have known.

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School day today for Vance. Studying the South Pole this week and the Ice Cream Man is supposed to bring snacks today. Grocery shopping for Vaughnie and I. Fun, fun.


Monday, July 13, 2009

Cooking Slump

It's been one of those days (weeks, really) (ok. months) that I pretend that dinner won't be happening tonight.


You know, it's 5:00 and I haven't given any thought to what we'll be eating for dinner.

It's summer and hot out, we'd rather be out playing than inside cooking dinner.

Cooking dinner that Vance probably won't eat because he's too picky and too stubborn to try.

Vaughn is easy, for the most part will eat anything. But when she's done she throws leftovers on the floor and rubs the remainders in her hair.

Justin and I, pleading with Vance to eat and fielding flying food, inhale what's on our plates.

Clean-up takes twice as long as it takes to make everything.

What I'm trying to say is that it seems silly to really spend time cooking at this stage.

And with limited free time, I'd rather not spend it in the kitchen.

I'm sure I've mentioned it all before.

Got any good summer crock pot recipes? Or just fast recipes in general? I'm in a cooking slump.....

Friday, July 10, 2009

Here's to thinking you have it rough, then you see the poor lady at the grocery store pushing one cart filled with food, the older child hanging on to the end of the cart and then pulling another cart from behind with two infants in car seats. That's a feat.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Buy Me! Playset



Hey there! Mad Town Macs are cleaning house! Anyone interested in the above playset?

Click here for better pictures, dimensions, etc. There's a cargo net climbing area on the other side that my picture doesn't show. Vance only used it for 2 seasons. We took it apart and stored it inside during the winter months, so it's in pretty good condition. The major flaw is that the movers broke the telescope off during the move last summer and we forgot to include it in our list of damaged articles. I just checked and you can order a replacement telescope and bolt for $5.45.

It retails for $259.00, we'll take $75.oo. Anyone interested???


Monday, July 06, 2009

Flag Cake



Here's the cake we made for July 4th. It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe, but I first found it from The Pioneer Woman. I first mentioned The Pioneer Woman back in May about her (and Bakerella's) cake pops. She has a great blog, takes great pictures, and makes great food. I've been cooking my way through her recipes lately.

This cake and icing has an embarrassing amount of butter and cream cheese. It's extremely rich and I should have halved the recipe. All you need is a piece the size of a postage stamp. (This means I have half the cake in my freezer.) The icing is too sweet for me, but perfect for Justin. Everyone else seemed to really like it too, so I guess it was a hit.

Will I make it again? Maybe. In full-flag-form? Probably not. I can see using the cake recipe for cupcakes or something like that. Or even using the icing recipe again on another cake because Justin loved it so much. I'm a chocolate fan. Desert, for me, isn't complete until there's chocolate. That's what's wrong with this cake - no chocolate.

Hope everyone had a great Fourth.

Having consumed my weight in butter, cream cheese, and sour cream over the weekend, I'm feeling the need to detox and exercise.


Vance slept in this morning, which was nice. Our power went out around 3:45 AM here. I know this because everything started beeping when it happened. Baby monitor, phone, house alarm, Vance. Being the light sleeper that he is, he was concerned that his night light wasn't working anymore. I explained what was going on, made him go potty, then put him back in bed. Maybe I should get him up every morning at that time to go potty. Maybe he'd sleep in more often. Hmm....

In honor of Independence Day, we freed the deck balusters from their curly q attachments. We should have done this last summer, I just didn't realize how easy of a fix it was. We all breathed a sigh of relief when the last one was taken off. Looks so much better with them off.

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Happy Fourth of July



Here's Vance on his first Fourth of July, circa 2005. He was just over a month old and very happy to be wearing this get up.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Vaughn is 14 Months



Vaughn is 14 months old today. Here's a quick rundown of what she's up to:

  • Trying to talk more. Says "Sh, Sh" for shoes, "Dis" for this, "Dada", "Hewo", and "Hi", you know, that kind of stuff.
  • Points a lot. Especially when we're at stores and she sees new stuff all around.
  • Likes to do things by herself. Meal times are a struggle and messy.
  • Eats with her left hand, but does most other things with her right.
  • Weighing in at 28.5 lbs. Haven't measured her, but I think she's thinning out. Her size 6 diapers are beginning to get looser.
  • Still loves to do anything that Vance does.
  • When she gets up, before leaving her crib, she holds up each item in her bed and says something like, "aaahhhh". Look at my blanket! Aaahhhh. Look at my baby! Aaaaahhh.
  • Then we mosey on over to the window, open the blinds, look outside, and she makes the same "aaahhhh" sound.
  • Loves playing peekaboo.
  • Has a fascination with Vance's underwear. I'm guessing it's the characters on the buns.
  • We bought her a new dress and new shoes yesterday. She was so excited to put them on and show them off. Justin noticed this behavior and commented how cute it was. (He grew up with 3 brothers. I'm sure none of which ever got excited over clothing.) I see lots of new dresses in her future.
  • Vance took this picture of her. I think it's the best one I have of her.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Vaughn has Fast Feet

We taught Vance to do Fast Feet out of complete boredom. I'm not sure if we even have video of it. He was just a little guy, willing to do anything to please his parents, and we took advantage. (Fast Feet opened the door to so many silly baby-crowd-pleasing tricks. My favorite was Surprise!)

Turns out, Vaughn is self-taught and unleashed the fury of her own Fast Feet for the very first time tonight. We were upstairs playing and it was a good thing the camera was nearby.


I know I promised house pictures. I had planned to do Before and After master bathroom pics, but this seemed more important. And anyways, I need to take the After pics and I didn't want to disturb a jet-lagged Justin who went to bed very early tonight.

It's strange living somewhere that fireworks are legal. Striped tents serving as make-shift firework stores are everywhere around here.

Phew! Another India trip down for Justin. We pick him up this morning and couldn't be any more excited about it. Was another hard trip for everyone. This was the first time that Vaughn recognized Justin on Skype. Kind of like Pavlov, when she heard the computer "ring" she'd start saying, "Dada, Dada!" Was really cute, but kind of a pain because she just wanted to touch the computer screen when he was on. Yogurt fingerprints on my screen is not a good thing.


The house is stocked with all of Justin's favorite foods. On his next trip I'll have him weigh in before he leaves and again when he gets back to see how much weight he loses while away. Two people he traveled with got really sick this time. Everyone is always super careful about what they eat, but sometimes it can't be avoided. We're looking forward to eating and relaxing all weekend long!

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On top of that excitement, Vance has another playdate today. His little friend is coming over here this afternoon. This will be a lot for Vance in one day, he may blow a gasket by dinnertime.

Vaughn's 14th tooth poked through yesterday. Bottom, left side, canine. Despite the crankiness, We met Sarah and Samuel at the park while Vance was in school. We then went to the grocery store, ate lunch, picked Vance up, nap time for Vaughn, and Vance and I made cookies. After dinner I took two cranky kids to Super Wal-Mart. Holy smokes, it was a long day.

I think tomorrow is the anniversary of when we moved in to this house. Can't believe it's been one year and that we still have the old people's nasty curtains hanging in our bedroom. Fantastic. It's been awhile since I've shared before and after shots of improvements we've done around here. I'll try to do one today.

Make it a great day!

 

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