Fuzzy Love

Happy Birthday Honey

....bunny?

Gotta love a man who will happily wear pink bunny ears because his kids ask him to. Happy birthday babe. Forty-two looks good on you.

Raccoons, Cowboys, and Cake

I forgot to mention that Mark turned forty-one this week. He pointed it out. I certainly didn't forget the day (he had a nice day: jumped on first thing by kids with presents, breakfast and coffee made by me, a trip to the zoo, pizza and cake for dinner), but I somehow forgot to post about it. Sorry honey; here's your due.

Friends Allison and Eric came over to help us celebrate. Mark had a golf ball cake (Liam's idea) because Mark used to enjoy golf. He still likes golf, but doesn't get to enjoy it. Ever.

So, in honor of Mark's birthday, I present you with a photo entitled Mark in Tank Top. Happy birthday, honey.

Besides the trip to the zoo last weekend, we also were able to spend some time on a pint-sized hike (and I use the term loosely). Honestly, it's tough to enjoy the peak of a Denver summer, but lately there has been a break in the heat and outdoor activities have been fun again. So we took a walk on the High Line Canal Trail, a greenway that runs for miles right through the heart of Denver.

It's a beautiful walk, at least on the small bits of the trail that I've been on, with huge shady trees that are rare in this part of the country. And we saw lots of little animals, including a raccoon, which was cause for much excitement. We stood and watched the little guy for quite a while, both on the way out and back, and talked about all the things we knew about raccoons (more than you'd think, actually; it's amazing what you pick up).

At one point, as we were all standing and staring upwards, a mother hustled her two pre-teens (with an arm around each) past our raccoon warning them not to get too close. Too close to a sleepy raccoon twelve feet up in a tree. Now I know that raccoons can carry disease, but standing and looking is not quite the same as cuddling and petting, is it? But then we're going for a healthy respect for nature, rather than outright fear.

Anyway, note the cowboy hat. Mark told Liam that cowboy hats "Keep the sun out of your eyes and the rain off your face," so Liam has decided that his hat is appropriate for all occasions, rain or shine. Which, of course, it is (especially when you are four).

Blah blah blah

I don't post for almost a month, and look at what's gotten pent up in here. I have so many things to show you.

First of all, happy anniversary to us!

That's the beautiful shot. Here's another nice one, posted last year. And then here's a candid. Can't you just hear it? My brother: bride's guy and chief tissue dispenser.

Nine flippin' years. Wow. We celebrated by going out last week to dinner at The 9th Door (Tapas: oh-my-god yum) and the Cirque du Soleil show Corteo, which was, of course, fabulous, despite being about a man on his deathbed who ultimately dies. Nice way to escape, that was. (Well, actually, it was).

(The kids did not go with us; they just wouldn't stay out of the picture.)

Then here's Liam with a Deputy Sheriff tattoo. Now, every single person I've told about this already knew it could happen on a locked phone, so apparently I was the last one in creation to find out about it, but Olivia dialed 911 the other day. She was wandering around the house babbling into the phone, and I was doing other things and not really listening, when suddenly I heard, "This is 911; how can we help you?" (thank god she had it on speaker phone). Of course I immediately snatched it away and - somewhat stammering but trying to sound sincere - explained that my toddler was playing with the phone and really everything was okay and I was very very sorry.

That didn't stop the police from showing up on our doorstep a few minutes later.

Now, I am really pleased that our big ol' help system works so well, and of course if I or a member of my family had been held hostage or whatever it is reassuring that help will arrive even when told not too. But on that afternoon I felt like I was trying my hardest to act normal and was failing miserably. It didn't help that Olivia was having a small melt-down when the doorbell rang. The officer didn't really talk to me, but focused in on Liam, asking him his name and age and all sorts of other things. And then, because these things always happen on a perfect day, the officer asked Liam about the stains on the front of his t-shirt: "What happened to your shirt there, buddy? Did you have a nose bleed?" Well, of course it was chocolate milk, and I said so, but it sure sounded like a lie to me.

Anyway, Liam got to sit in the police car and turn on the lights and wear a cool tattoo. And I'm pretty sure a file has just been opened on us somewhere.

And then this is the first knitting project I've worked on in weeks (poor Monkey socks).

It's going to be the Dougie Dog sweater from Lucinda Guy's Handknits for Kids. It is the ONLY sweater Liam has ever asked me to knit for him, despite many attempts on my part to interest him in anything. So of course it has to be made, even though it's on size 3 needles. I think he likes the fact that, since I spend sooo much time knitting, these sweaters must be important (I notion I'm sure he'll outgrown soon).

I had to cast on for something (the many WIPs hold no interest for me right now) because I went to a knitting event over the weekend. Stitch 'N' Pitch! Now, I'm sure my husband is rolling his eyes at this (uh, because he did when I told him about it), and I know it seems a bit dorky to many of you (uh, a bit?), but I went to a baseball game just because I could sit with other knitters and knit in the stands. Honestly.

The lovely Cathi of In the Pink arranged tickets for a few local bloggers/friends, so I got to meet her for the first time, along with Jenifer of Cast On, Cast Off, Sam of Diary of a Mad Fabri-Holic, and Amy, who just seems to be a normal sort of person (that is: blogless). Sam took some great pictures and I did not, so check them out over at her place. I really enjoyed meeting them (my first bloggers!). We knitted and drank through the whole game and were even visited by the Rockies' mascot, and I got to hold his ball.

Ahem.

That's really enough for one day, but, as always happens when I've gone a while without blogging, I then feel the need to gush. Soooo, just one more thing (and is anyone at all surprised?):

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Lots to Report; Lots of Pictures

The last week has been quite event-filled around here. First, Connor arrived last Wednesday night. He's eleven, and not really into the same toddler/preschooler activities that we are so accustomed to, so it was a bit of a challenge (and a compromise) to keep everyone entertained. I hope he had as good a time as he tells me he did.

Note: the kid's from Florida and wore a coat the whole time.

Connor is really in to magic, and not simple little coins-from-behind-ears tricks either. He loves Criss Angel-type stuff and repeatedly confounded us with things like putting a nickel into a closed soda can and moving around the images on a real dollar bill (he proudly told anyone that would listen that he was committing fraud). So we made sure to pay a visit to the Wizard's Chest, a toy store with a serious magic section.

We also took a tour of a real-life candy factory. Now Willie Wonka's it ain't, but candy is candy and it was interesting to watch how it is made by hand.

We went to Hammond's Candy Factory in the north part of Denver, where we met up with a group of friends, watched a video, took the rather short tour, and were deposited in the gift shop.

It was a great gift shop.

[Connor's parents: if you are wondering how your child managed to blow all his spending money and have virtually nothing to show for it, now you know. I'm sorry. But it was damn good candy. I hope at least a little of it makes it home to you.]

Anyway, the time flew and soon it was Connor's grandmother's turn to have him, so we dropped him off on Saturday night.

Then we missed him.

And then it was Father's Day. Now, Mark didn't end up with his very own gnome (isn't one enough for any household?), but he did get this:

His very own giant mug from the pottery place (the blue one). It has Olivia's print on one side and Liam's on the other. By the way, that beautiful blue paint job was NOT cleverly designed to look like it was done by a little kid; apparently there is some technique to all this that I do not yet understand.

The yellow mug in the background was my gift from Liam two years ago (while midly-pregnant with Olivia). Let me tell you, knowing that Mark spent a long time in a highly breakable place just to capture a two-year-old's hand print on a mug for me...well, it has to be one of my favorite gifts of all time. And so Mark deserved one of his own.

He also got some other treats as well, of course, including little notes from Liam on what he loves best about Daddy like "When he puts me up side down." And then we spent the morning at a farmer's market/street fair, had a somewhat peaceful lunch at a little cafe (as peaceful as it gets with the kiddos), and he got lots of meat and a beer for dinner. What more could he want? You know, since he has us, of course.

So Happy Father's Day again honey. Life is so good with you in it.

It Has Come to This

Instant coffee from the back of the pantry.

Zoolights and Breaking News

Just before ten this morning, Mark popped down to the lobby of his building for a Starbucks and a trip to the bank  and found it chock full of police officers, HAZMAT teams, and television reporters. He wanted to leave the building to run the bank errand, but he asked one person, half joking, "If I leave the building, will I be able to get back in?" and got a stern, "I don't know." as a reply. Apparently he did get back in, since I didn't get any more phone calls from him, although one of the local news stations is reporting that the building was evacuated (but only one station).

Okay, there's an update before I can even post this. It was nothing (of course). Mark's back, hard at work.

Anyway, last night we all went to the Denver zoo to see the Zoolights. It was beautiful. We didn't go last year (since Olivia was so small), and they've really expanded since then. The trees are completely covered and animals made from lights are all over the place.

Liam raced around and I was sure we'd loose him in the dark. Fortunately we were there with friends Hadar and Liza and their kids Isaac and Lia, so Liam didn't really venture far from us (most of the time). Olivia, on the other hand, either rode in our wagon (covered with blankets and tended-to by Isaac, who is a born care-giver) or toddled around saying, "Oooooooo!"

We didn't see many real animals, but those we did see were quality. Light elephant:

Real elephant:

Oh, and you know that song that has dogs barking Jingle Bells? The zoo was playing Christmas carols (say, I Saw Three Ships) screeched by monkeys. It was lovely.

The Pumpkin Festival

While Olivia and I were away, Mark and Liam, along with Mark's parents, went to a nearby Pumpkin Festival. I'm sorry we missed it, not only because it would have been another opportunity to put Olivia in her duckling costume, which she is bloody adorable in. And they didn't even carve the pumpkins, which I would have been thrilled to have missed. But they did pick out a couple of big orange beauts, right off the ground, which are still sitting uncarved on the kitchen counter (where they are likely to remain, unless we get a burst of creativity and energy next weekend). Liam also chose a bunch of those funky green and yellow gourds, which add to our ambiance of thanksgiving.

Mark and Liam partook of the hayride (I'm guessing there were a lot of hayrides scheduled, since Mark and Liam had the hay to themselves) and Liam was thrilled to ride a donkey led by a  local prospector.

Until he fell off.

 

My Baby Takes the Morning Train

Nothing much going on, really. Mark is enjoying his new job; we are enjoying the return to our old routine. Of course we miss having Mark around, but, quite frankly, we are also enjoying having the chance to miss him. And, come to think of it, we haven't returned to the old routine, really. Mark is now working downtown, which means he takes the train. The train is good: it's usually relaxing, since there is no traffic to deal with and you can read a book or listen to music or whatever. It gives you a chance to let go of work thoughts and transition back to the home world. But the train takes an hour door to door what with driving to the station, walking, waiting, and riding. That means Mark will leave the house at 6:45am (parking at the station fills up fast) and not get home until 6:00pm (on a good day), which is exactly one hour before Olivia goes to bed. That makes for busy evenings.

But the job is going well and it promises to be exciting. Plus he has a blackberry, and new toys are always good (add "surfing the web" to the list of train activities).

In other news, Olivia has learned how to give kisses (big wet ones) and Liam has learned to stick out his tongue when displeased.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Eight looooong years, baby. (Just kidding).

James and Sam were nice enough to babysit for us so we could go out to dinner (note: Sam also straightened my hair. My next extra $150 is going to one of those straightener thingys).

Cheers!

So I used the exact same embarrassing picture of Mark last year on his birthday. Funny: I went back through his baby pictures and liked this one the best again, completely forgetting I even did that to him before. Oh well. And here are some of the almost exact post-birthday pictures of the cake (it's even the same type of cake, complete with candles left over from Liam's birthday party). I'm amazed we have become so predictable. Sigh.

But Mark had a great day, and that's what's important. Liam likes to toast, especially the part where you say, "Cheers!" and clink the glasses together, so we toasted Mark about twelve times during dinner. Unlike last year, dinner turned out perfectly, which always surprises the heck out of me when I'm the one cooking. I even timed it properly. The cake was another story - this is the second cake in a row that has fallen, and I have no idea why. At least the taste is still passable; I just filled the empty middle with extra icing and we ate it anyway. But you can still kind of tell in the picture.

(Liam took a bath break between dinner and cake, which is why he's suddenly topless.) Anyway, Liam surprised both of us with a spontaneous rendition of the Happy Birthday song, which we didn't know he knew. Honestly, it just went like this: "happy birthday too you, happy birthday too you, happy birthday too you," and it sounded more like, "pee iray yoo yoo," but the tune was unmistakable. And it was a great surprise for Mark.

That kid is full of surprises. Yesterday he did something else new: he's been fascinated with letters lately and probably can point out about half (or maybe a third) of the capitals when he sees them. Well yesterday he tried drawing them! I know I'm his mom, but I think that's amazing. So what if only the O was recognizable? He's trying! He's also trying to draw fish, Fuzz, and SpongeBob SquarePants, but the O has been his biggest success so far.

We had lots of excitement yesterday, and Liam slept soundly, but woke up super-early this morning and is tired. I'm letting him watch Charlie and Lola (I did say 'no' to cake for breakfast) and so this is what he looks like right now:

Well, time to get the little potato moving. Have a great day.