Thursday, December 30, 2010

all cozy

in her new big girl bed...the hot pink headboard really makes it. Wow!

Saturday, December 25, 2010

the preferred mode of transportation

for Barbies is obviously a unicorn

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

the end result

...of, "Get dressed, we're going to Target."

the power of advertising

(While watching a ProFlowers.com commercial on TV)

Sadie:  "Mommy, those flowers stay fresh and beautiful longer!"
Me:  "Oh really?  Why is that?"
Sadie:  "Because the commercial said so."

I'm pretty sure this is the same reason she MUST have a unicorn pillow pet from Santa...

Thursday, December 09, 2010

letter to santa

Gets right to the point, huh?

flower

A recent favorite by my budding artist.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

less than two months ago...

So yeah, I seem to have a hard time getting pictures off my camera and into cyberspace--it's part of the burden that comes with having a 'nice' camera now:  I take way too many pics, half of them practice ones, and each is over 4 MB in size.  Everytime I download them there are 300+ to weed through and resize/resample before I can upload them to Flickr or Facebook or here.  Long story short, you get a lot of crappy cell phone pics, faithful readers, but not much else.

Well, I'm working on the October pictures as we speak.  Today's feature:  Reid's birthday.  I'm not much of a baker but I did make these cupcakes (from a box mix) and they were damn good.  I also made pulled pork which is not shown here because quite honestly, photos of stringy meat are not appetizing.

Coming soon--Halloween!  Maybe before 2011 if you're lucky!



girls' day out

When asked where she wanted to go for lunch:
"Either for mac & cheese or sushi."

Monday, November 22, 2010

kitty cat fairy princess








Photos courtesy of Shawn Linehan

Thursday, November 18, 2010

mommy and the incredible vanishing gag reflex

Let me be the first to say: I have a weak stomach. Not for raw food or strong booze or gory hacker flicks.  Nope--for vomit, the sight, sound, and smell of it.  

One would be amazed, if in my position, how many movies actually include scenes of people throwing up.  Go ahead and start paying attention--it's seriously like 1 in 5, and if not with accompanying visuals then at the very least graphic retching noises.  It's gotten to the point where if someone leans over a toilet or behind a dumpster, Reid will reach for the remote to mute the volume because otherwise I'm quaking with nausea.  God forbid I'm at your house when your cat forces up a hairball, I'll probably have to leave before the appetizer is served.

Refer now to previous post on darling daughter's Rough Day.  Rough Day involved not one, but two, scenes of technicolor bile being sprayed about the house and public places, all whilst I stood steadfastly by catching what I could in various cups and vessels to ensure minimum cleanup.  Yet never once did I become the least bit squeamish.  It was business as usual.

The first time I experienced this phenomenon was in a security line at Ixtapa International Aiport in Mexico.  Ninety-odd degrees, no air conditioning, a hangover, a 2-year old ridden with sand flea bites and a fever---AHHHH...vacation!  About 10 people from the front of the line Sadie, who I'm holding, looks at me questioningly before proceeding to barf all over me.  I won't go into details about what ensued with the non-English-speaking doctor over the next half hour, but let's just say we luckily all had a change of clothes.  Still, despite the heat and tequila fuzz, I barely batted an eye.

I can recount every instance (only 4) this has happened to me, but it amazes me every time.  How can I not watch this on TV but it's utterly okay if my offspring spews all over me?  I have to think this must be one of the oldest survival instincts known to woman.  It's the only explanation.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

rough day

Poor kid has a shiner from getting hit by a swing, and then wakes up with a sore throat before throwing up smoothie at The Crepe Place. No fair.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

holy veggies batman

By request: red peppers, cheesy broccoli, salad, and spaghetti squash. I had to throw in some fish nuggets for protein. Seriously, this kid amazes me sometimes!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

still life with undies

Me: "Sadie, why are you taking your pants off??"
Sadie:"Because I'm drawing underwear and I need to see what they look like."

Friday, October 15, 2010

first tattoo

I've never seen a 3-year-old look so serious or hold so still for SO long as when Sadie got her henna. At the time I couldn't decide whether temporary body art was acceptable for a girl her age. In retrospect, it was awesome--and lasted a full two weeks!


Saturday, October 02, 2010

family portrait

This cracks me up for a few reasons: Daddy has one leg and no features, Sadie has a piggie nose, and oh yeah...Sophie and Avery are part of the family, of course!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

the accidental activist

I like animals as much as the next person, but I've never fancied myself a save-the-whales kinda girl.  My complacency probably had to do something with either not feeling I could make a difference, or the fact that no whales actually wash up beached in my backyard.  But when something hits close to home, it makes all the difference.

Those of you on Facebook have probably noticed and wondered about the justification behind my 'No Oregon DMV' profile picture.  Well, I didn't get my license revoked, fail a driving test, or have to wait three hours over my lunch break for a renewal sticker.  Nope, rather the state has decided they found the perfect new location for their city-wide field office--in our neighborhood.  I won't bore you with all the reasons this is a bad idea (but if you're interested you can find them online at change.org by searching 'bend dmv').  Suffice to say the reasons were near and dear enough to my heart to make me want to take a stand.

And take a stand I did:  I wrote a petition.  I circulated it.  I emailed state senators for support.  I attended city council meetings.  I created a Facebook group.  I gave radio and TV interviews.  I spent countless time and dollars making copies and burning through printer cartridges.  I posted flyers and signs only to have them torn down hours later by our opponents.  I met more neighbors in the past three weeks than I have in living 6 years in our neighborhood.  I had the privelege of working side-by-side with some incredibly talented, dedicated individuals who were just as devoted to the cause.  I spent hours composing a letter to the Governor and compiling an appeal packet, complete with maps, photos, and 765 signatures.  And this morning, I mailed it.

It was a little like giving birth, that feeling of being simultaneously relieved and overjoyed, yet knowing the most difficult part is still to come.  The burnout is starting to set in, and I hope I can make it to the finish line.  We will win or we will lose, that much is certain.  But damn if I don't go down in flames trying.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

from the cellphone archives

I have no words for this one.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

growth spurt

Yesterday morning I asked Sadie what she'd like for breakfast. 

"Oh mommy, I'm REALLY hungry today.  I want a blueberry waffle.  And cheesy eggs.  And toast and sausage.  And a smoothie."

So what's a mom to do?  I mean, if the kid's that hungry, fine--but I didn't want to prepare a bunch of food that would end up in the garbage disposal.  So I decided to phase her requests in, like a 4-course breakfast. 

Halfway through the waffle I started scrambling eggs and blending a smoothie.  Halfway through the eggs I microwaved the "sausage", but she's already asking for ANOTHER egg.  The final tally ended up at one frozen blueberry waffle, 2 eggs with cheese, a soy sausage patty, a glass of soy milk, and a strawberry-banana smoothie.  I had to draw the line at toast--there's just no way anyone needs 1000 calories at breakfast, growth spurt or not.  When I finally went over to collect her empty plate all I could say was, "Wow Sadie.  Wow."

"I thought you'd be impressed." was her reply.  Indeed!

Thursday, September 09, 2010

small talk

What do 3-year-olds talk about at preschool?   Princesses?  Ponies? 

Well, according to Sadie, "A friend of mine at Toddles, Kay, said it's going to rain today and tomorrow."

Funny thing is, I checked the weather, and Kay's right.  Whadda ya know.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

the post I didn't want to write

The five stages of grief are: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. 

Though weeks have passed since I first heard the news, and I've occasionally dealt with bouts of anger and depression, I keep coming back to stage one.  They're not REALLY leaving.  It's just temporary.  They'll be back.  But with just three days until the U-Haul shows up, I can't put off acceptance any longer:  Sibila, Brian, and Sophie are moving to Colorado.

I mean, it could be worse: they could move to Guam, which almost actually happened at one point.  At least we have plenty of family and friends in Colorado to warrant frequent plane trips, and they'll still have roots in Bend since they're keeping their house here.  We'll plan family vacations together, talk on the phone, and email, but it won't be the same--our best friends are leaving.  No more Wednesday just-the-girls play days, spur-of-the-moment happy hours, late nights crashing on their air mattress, all-day-Bloody-Mary-Sundays, weekend camping trips, floating the river, or any of the other spontaneous fun that the Lantzys could always be counted on for.  And that's what I'll miss most--having those people in our life that we can drop in on anytime, feel 100 percent welcome with, and turn no plans at all into something special.  But what Sadie will miss most...well, she doesn't even realize yet.

I had always imagined Sadie and Sophie growing up as sisters--two only-children who would enjoy the benefit of a constant companion without having to divide their parents' attention or share a bedroom.  Now I guess they'll grow up more as cousins, with distance between them but a family-like bond keeping them close.  At least I hope that's how it happens.  I'll do everything in my power to make it so. 

Lantzys, we will miss you so much. 

And now I'm signing off before my keyboard gets too wet.