summer flashbacks

Since Ryan is all about film now... it takes longer to get prints back then the quick download of a digital camera. But I don't mind so much. It's always a happy surprise when he gets around to it. I love having that sudden moment, remembering back.

Me and my loverboy Max on the Fourth of July. And the boys in St. George. 

What a great summer it was.

my ears are happy

I couldn't be happier about the release of this new Wilco album, The Whole Love and the soon to be released Ryan Adam's record, Ashes and Fire. You can listen here to each of the albums if you'd like. Boohyeah!

 

 

cashman

 Cash, St.George, July, 2011

i heart peaches

This weekend I made two peach pies and two big dishes of peach cobbler. I am trying to eat as much peaches as possible before they go out of season. We had to wait over a whole month later then usual to get these guys into the framer's markets around town... and now it's already time for them to go. A very sad moment for me. I love me some peaches.

why i love my city mini double

I was recently telling a girl friend of mine just how much I love my double stroller - so I thought I would share the love with anyone else who may be looking to invest in such a product.

Here is why I love my Baby Jogger City Mini Double:

1. It fits through a standard door frame. THIS is an amazing feature. I take this puppy with me everywhere and have no problem getting in and out of stores and school doors and where ever else I need to be. I love it.

2. The thing is amazingly light weight. It mostly totes around Max and Cash, but ever so often I wear Max in the backpack and Jack and Cash can still ride and be pushed without effort.


3. Jack can still fit and have a cover over him, without bumping his head. This was a big deal - I have really tall kids.

4. Plenty storage underneath. A section up top for water bottle (or the occasional diet coke), and other accessories

5. Folds in one quick motion (see single shot... double is the same, you just need two hand to grab each seat pull).


6. The head covers come down in 3 sections - so depending on what angle the sun is shinning - your kids are not getting blasted by light. It has little windows you can pull back on the top so you can still see in.


7. There are a ton of accessories - including a little glider that I want for Christmas. This allows an older kid to ride on the back if needed. There are is also this great little baby muff that keep Max toasty in the winter.


I love this city mini series. In the double form and the single. You won't be sorry you got this.

beards are weird

Not that Ryan needed any more encouragement about growing a beard, but these are pretty awesome. He loves himself that beard. I just think it's really scratchy. Happy Weekend everyone!

 

overheard

It is not just the cheap prices that keep me coming back to WINCO, but also the amazing conversations that I often get to overhear. WINCO has some crazy shoppers. Today's was awesome. I wish I could have stayed around to hear how this woman achieved such a miracle, but I had to be on my way to get the groceries back home in time before Cash was done with preschool:

jack's sad brain

Today when Jack got off the bus, he told me one of his friends got mad at him for not sitting by him (he wanted to sit by the cute girl on our street - looks like we are teaching him right). Then his friend told him they couldn't be friends anymore - which is pretty awesome since I heard the boy ask Jack as soon as they got off the bus, if he could come play. 

As we were walking back home, Jack then told me what happened and how sad he was. He said, "My brain cried a little." I don't know if that is possible little man, but it sounded heartbreaking all the same.

 

i heart these

 I'm really happy about the recent appearance of these sandwich shape makers. We have always made shapes out of our PBJs with cookie cutters - but they always waste so much on the side. I love how these take up the whole bread and knock out the crusts which the boys make me take of anyway. Plus - what makes eating a PBJ more exciting for a little boy more then when you can pretend you are eating the head off a dinosaur as you do it? Although after these are cut out, they look more like the loch ness monster. The boys didn't seem to care.

 

i love peaches

Jack is not really our most adventurous kid. It has taken us a solid week to convince him he would love peaches if he would just try them. I finally tried the "it's just like an orange" approach and he gave it a small nibble. Then with big eyes proclaimed, "Oh yeah! I love peaches!" After he devoured two or three, he then drew this picture and titled it "I love peaches". I want to make a shirt out of it.

 

thank you for being

This weekend we had a wonderful backyard party at my friend Nicole and Naomi's. After taking over the weeds and overgrown trees, they laid down some fresh sod and decided to christen their backyard facelift with some good food and good friends. 


I love my friend Nicole. Everything she does is amazing. She has such attention to details. Every time I am around her, I am inspired. She is the master behind all my letterpressed baby announcements, and has her own company which she designs and illustrates everything to perfection. I am in constant awe of her and all her doings.


We had a lovely evening and walked away with some mini party favors that I couldn't adore more. I wish this weather and such nights would last for more then just the short month of September.


Sigh. Now the week begins again.

happy weekend

A better photo from our adventures last night.
Not sure why Ryan and I are dressed the same. Maybe we thought we could hit up a high school Sadies dance later on.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I have plans to make me some tasty peach pies.

 (Aunt Jennie with Maxamillion.)

 (Max demonstrating his new found talent of waving.)

the state fair

Tonight we took the boys to the State Fair. I LOVE the State Fair. All the smelly animals, cheap carnival rides, crazy dressed people who only come out of the wood work for such an occasion, and above all... the funnel cakes!

The boys had a blast. Cash felt pure terror when I made him ride the big sack slide with me. I would have given anything to see his face... the big crocodile tears were all I got after we got to the bottom. Jack was Mr. Adventure this year. Trying all sorts of rides. He's always been our softy, so it's nice to see him getting a little more brave this year. The boys both won stuffed animals at the dart booth, and we got to see a baby calf that was just one day old.

Word of advice... pass up the food booths at the front of the fair. Cheaper and yummier food is further back - including THE PIE pizza. I was so mad I ate some horrible tasteless $8 chicken BBQ sandwich because I thought I had no other options. Cash could have ridden the race car ride until he threw up for the same price.

The weather was perfect. The boys couldn't have had more fun. And I got to see some really fat pigs. 

A great night all around.

 

 

best line ever

"I love you with everything, all my weakness. All my strength. I can't promise anything except that my last breath will bear your name and when I'm gone they'll sing a song about a lonely fool wandering around the world and back again..."

Steve Earle

hey bro

This is in honor of Ryan.
There is nothing he hates more then people calling him "bro".

So watch out if you favor the phrase.

a new era

Jack started Kindergarton today. 

I will admit, there was a moment as he was getting on the bus, where he still hadn't let go of my hand, but I couldn't walk any farther because of the bus doors, that I thought I might lose my brave face, but I stayed strong, smiled and waved goodbye. Then I followed the bus like any other first time mom, just to make sure it actually took him to the right school. 

He had a blast - thought the riding the bus was "the coolest thing ever", and loved his new school altogether. I have to remind myself - it is just like preschool but with a bus... so why does it feel so different? 

I joined the PTA... signed up to volunteer in his class and feel we've officially started a new era. I will miss our carefree mornings a bit, but think I will love the alone time with Cashman (No, I didn't forget I have another kid, Max just takes a killer morning nap.) and now that I have to be up and ready much earlier then my slacker non-traditional school schedule allowed before, I think I might get more done in the day. We had the beds made, us all dressed, the laundry going and the kitchen cleaned and it wasn't even 9:15. 

Very strange indeed.

happy birthday jack-attack

Today we celebrated Jack's birthday. I can't believe he is 6. It is blowing my mind. Looking back at these pictures of him kill me. Where did these years go so fast? I miss those wicked blonde curls he used to have as a baby. Hints of them are still there... but nothing like it once was.

Today was a fabulous day filled with new Lego sets (don't worry "nicola"... I let Jack build most of them), eating pizza at the Pizza Factory followed by some mad bowling at FatCats. We partook in our very last sno-cone of the season at our absolute favorite joint, cup-o-sno, and had some of the grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles over for cake and ice cream. We had celebrated with Ryan's family the night before at Sunday dinner - then my family tonight and the upcoming "friends party" on Saturday... I guess Jack knows how to make his birthday last.

Oh how I love my little man. Happy Birthday... now stop growing up so fast.

(No, I do not like to dress my boys alike. But when one puts on their Lego Batman t-shirt... it doesn't matter what the other one was wearing - they will immediately change so they are also sporting the same shirt. It is quite the phenomenon.)

(Not sure what face Jack is making here... part pirate, part terrified of the bee that is flying next to mom as she takes my picture. Cash is doing his usual ham-it-up face.)