Toddler-hood

A One Act Play

Characters:

Landon - age 1

Mama - age 27

Butter - a 3 month old puppy

Setting:

A newly remodeled blue and white kitchen in Southern California.

Act 1, Scene 1

Mama is making lunch while Landon and Butter play on the floor. A newly purchased dog crate, feeding bowl, and water bowl sit a few feet off. Mama puts her head into the refrigerator to grab something and when she turns around:

Mama: Landon, please don't touch the dog bowls. You know better.

Landon removes his hands, smiles at Mama, and the mischievously grabs a huge handful of dog food and stuffs it in his mouth.

Mama: No Landon! That is a "no touch".

Mama sweeps all the dog food out of Landon's mouth, sits on the floor next to him and grabs his hands.

Mama: Son, if you touch the dog bowls again you will get a consequence. Now please don't touch. Lifting Landon and leading him to the other side of the kitchen. Why don't you play over here for awhile.

Mama goes back to making lunch and Landon scurries back to the dog food bowls. Glancing over his shoulder to see if Mama is watching his allows his hand to hover over the water and food bowls. This goes on for several minutes, hovering but never touching.

Mama decides it's safe to peek back into the refrigerator. But she wisely wonders what her toddler does when she isn't watching. So, unbeknownst to Landon, she peeks around the door to spy on him.

For awhile Landon is contented to let his hand hover over the water bowl. But, suddenly he has an inspirational thought. A sly smile spreads across his face.

Landon: thinking aloud: Mama took my hand and said "No Touch" but she never specified if I could touch with any of my other body parts.

With much gusto and enthusiasm Landon pulls himself up to standing, lifts his chubby little leg, and begins splashing merrily in the water bowl.

End Scene.

Scene 2: When Mama Turned Her Back While Loading

The Dishwasher

A Poop Story

I must insist that you visit Holly's blog today. IT IS ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL. And you must read the comments too.

Here's my comment to her to entice you to visit (or really freak you out).

I haven't laughed so hard in ages! Poop and farts stories kill me everytime. Growing up BMs were a regular topic of discussion, a conversation piece I've brought into my marriage. I've even convinced RJ to keep a poop log (from Urban Outfitters) on our toilet in case anyone ever feels the need to share their "success." Anyhoo, my downstairs problems are usually related to constipation rather than explosions. I can't poop in an new environment and it gets particularly bad when traveling. I have many vacation stories of romantic evenings spent alternating between warm baths, plates of prunes, enormous cups of coffee, and just reading on the john praying for some action. SO, as usual, while vacationing in Cabo San Lucas to visit the Blackwell family I didn't poop for more than three days. By day four I felt gross and irritable. Everyone wanted to see me pass something. We spent the afternoon at popular beach swimming and surfing in the warm water. Suddenly while doing casual laps in the ocean, maybe it was the exercise, I looked at RJ and said, "I can poop in here." I knew getting out of the water wouldn't work, so my unbelievably supportive husband swam with me a far distance from the general public (am I a bad person for doing this?). I shimmied out of my bikini bottoms, tossed them to him, allowed him to swim a few yards off, and successfully pooped in the warm Mexican water. Relief!

Let Them Eat Cake!

I couldn't chose my favorite so here are a kajillion.

It's hysterical to me that although Landon seems to be enjoying his cake he won't crack a smile.

And thanks to Chet of Hervey Photography for the pics!

Hair Care

The other day I realized that I haven't sat in a salon chair in nearly 18 months!

I have had some professional treatment. About 7 months ago my friend Heather did a cut and color in my living room. She's the best stylist in California (in my humble opinion), and as always, I was so impressed with the work she did in under an hour.

And another friend gave me a living room trim about 5 months previous to Heather's work. So, it hasn't been 100% neglected...but pretty close.

Not only am I not following the recommended 6 week maintenance schedule (what a laugh!) but my at-home care has been lacking too. My sister took one look at my hairbrush and practically ran out the door to get me a new one.

I had no idea that a brush with all the bristles could comb through my hair so well!

My hair is a disaster.

And, after two solid weeks of hiding under a baseball hat I've decided it's time to take care of my locks. I asked a friend for a local stylist recommendation, I'm calling tomorrow for my appointment, and it's beautify time! It's difficult for me to hand over more than $150 on my hair, but considering I "wear" it everyday I've been convincing myself it's a worthwhile investment.

So the big question is: What shall I do? Short, medium, bangs, no bangs, bleach, color? Help please!

Best Friends Forever

The dog and baby combination is SO much fun. And so much work.

Landon loves his Butter dog. And I'm fairly certain Butter is keen on Landon too - particularly when Landon's eating, and dropping, soy hot dogs and cheese.

But RJ is a little less excited about our adorable bundle of fluff. She's having a tough time with house training. Any tips?

Inappropriate?

I've been stewing for nearly four days. I believe my anger is justified but I thought I would throw it up on this blog so you could leave outraged comments and continue to fuel the fire. 

Last weekend we headed to SLO for April & Landon's birthday celebration. Saturday afternoon, as any good returning San Luis Obispo visitor would do, we headed to Firestone for lunch (tri-tip sandwich and basket of fries). Walking down Higuera Street I noticed a fancy SUV parked on the side of the road  with an adorable little boy inside. He couldn't have been more than two, blond hair, stylish outfit, and strapped inside his car seat. There was no adult present.

I lingered for a moment hoping to see Mom, Dad, or Grandma nearby on the their phone waiting to collect him from his seat, or feeding the parking meter, but I couldn't see a single responsible adult. Not wanting to look like the creepy person who lingers near abandoned children (Is that really creepy or responsible, anyway?) I walked a few feet to the corner while keeping my eyes on the vehicle. 

By this point I had nudged my sister and filled her in on the situation. She too looked around and confirmed that there was no adult nearby to claim the child. We continued to wait on the sidewalk, unable to leave until we knew this little guy wasn't going to suffocate in the car (it was a fairly warm day). 

After nearly five minutes I see a petite blonde in heels leisurely crossing the street gaily swinging a black and white Sephora bag. She reached into her designer handbag, pulled out her keys, and "beep beeped" the locks on her SUV, depositing her new purchases and reunited with the child. Sephora was not only on the other side of a busy street from the car, but up a flight of stairs and in an outdoor shopping mall. 

You might disagree, but in my opinion that is completely irresponsible behavior.

Unlatching and removing a child from their car seat is an annoyance. It makes every outing take longer. There have been numerous times in the last year that I have forgone a Starbucks coffee just because I don't want to deal with taking Landon out of the car. And, at a certain age, children are old enough to spend 5-10 minutes alone while you run in for milk. But, in my opinion, a toddle is much too young. 

What are your thoughts?

New York! New York!

i've been dreaming about New York City lately. It starts with a little pinprick - the craving for a real ny bagel with lox - and starts growing into full fledged yearning: times square, amazing food, broadway, coney island, hot dogs, street vendors, tiffany's, subway news stands, people watching, the park, moma, fashion, walking, little italy, taxis, the bridge, brownstones, 5th avenue, carriages...

i've been to quite a few big cities: san francisco, la, seattle, rome, prague, paris, amsterdam, panama city, barcelona, madrid, london, d.c., vienna, but new york city is my all-time favorite. i think i fell in love with the city in junior high. it didn't matter that i had never been the pictures, stories, and movies were enough to show me that i a sliver of my heart was devoted to this metropolitan mecca. when we were dating rj surprised me with a ticket across the u.s. and an 87th street apartment for four days. as i journeyed to my long anticipated destination i wondered if it would live up to all i dreamed. so often when we build something up in our minds the reality falls a bit short - particularly if your an idealistic dreamer such as myself. but the city proved true. and while i've only been back twice it continues to hold rank as my favorite urban landscape.

so, with the possibility of a state-based trip in the next year or so i find myself in a pickle. should i return to the big apple - where i know i'll enjoy myself immensely and fulfill the new york tickle that will soon be a persistent itch?  OR satisfy that other chunk of my heart - the one devoted to wanderlust and exploration - and see something new? Chicago perhaps?

What do you think? Do you like to return to an old favorite or explore something new?

And, while we're at it, what is your favorite city?

Operation Living Room Makeover

Thrift store finds are finally up over here.

ONE.

Day Of Birth.

One Month.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

Eleven.

Twelve.

Happy Birthday to my firstborn son.

I love you more than you know.

A Busy Day

RJ is home sick with a nasty bug. He's been napping, reading, watching surf movies, drinking oj, the usual sick-day routine. I'm not going to lie - I'm a bit jealous. I could pass on the sick part but a nap and a movie sounds pretty dang nice. 

While he's been recuperating I've been busy. 

Busy isn't the right word. Rather than tell you what I've been doing let me sketch out Landon's day:

- Woke three time during the night. 12:00 am, 2:00 am, 4:00 am. Screaming bloody murder because he had to pass gas. 

- Was entirely certain it was morning and time to play at 2:00 am. Had a hissy fit when Mom insisted that it was still "nigh-night time."

- Woke up bright and shiny at 6:45 am on the dot.

- Excitedly greeted best pal Butter dog. 

- Grinned mischievously when Butter got in trouble for gnawing on his foot. 

- Was caught red-handed (footed?) for antagonizing Butter by putting foot directly in dog's mouth.

- Nearly ate Butter's accident.

- Enjoyed a fantastic breakfast of yogurt with blueberries and almond butter toast. Gleefully discovered that he is now big enough to reach the bookcase from his highchair. Smeared almond butter all over bookcase. 

- "Helped" load the dishwasher.

- Found a fun new drawer in the kitchen. Unraveled an entire roll of wax paper. 

- Nap.

- Refreshed and renewed he was eager to play with his walker. Cried with frustration every 10 seconds because the walker ran into something. 

- Played outside with Daddy. Took 4 steps all by himself! 

 

- Crawled on top of the raised beds and around the entire perimeter of the veggie garden. 

- Pulled up Mom's plants. 

- Nearly ate something mysterious. 

- Enjoyed a smoothie, rice cheese, and crackers for lunch. Faked choking to see what Mom would do. (I swear it was a fake-out.)

- Voluntarily gave Mom a hug. Melt. 

- Antagonized Butter a bit more. 

- Short nap.

- Went down the slide by himself a dozen times at the park. Huge light-up-my-life smile. 

- Was nearly killed trying to fling himself out of my arms and onto the floor at the bank. 

- Protested getting into the car seat by throwing out his pelvis and wiggling towards the floor. 

- Giggled loudly when Mom made funny faces in Target. 

- Discovered Mom's tampon box, pulled one out, and ate the paper wrapper. 

- Finally resting; just a bit. 

- But there are still 2 more awake hours in the day....

Due to all the excitement of our day I have yet to post my awesome weekend Thrift Store finds. But they will come soon!

Roy Joy

If you haven't been to my sister-in-law Jessica's blog you are missing out on all kinds of wonderful. Jess and her husband Matthew are two of our very favorites.

We were so blessed to have them for the weekend. 

The weekend was full of books (Matthew and I are what some may call "book whores". You should read his blog here.), swimming lessons, photographs, playing with Butter, Thrifting (discoveries to be posted on my other blog tomorrow), bikes, kissing on Landon, redecorating, family discussions, Smoores at the fire pit, crafting idea, German language discoveries, and so much more!

Landon and Uncle Matthew having a serious discussion about whether or not there will be string cheese in heaven.

Aunt Jessica making sure Landon will be the most stylish boy at the pool. 

Family bike ride to the ice cream parlor. 

Thanks to the Roys for a weekend full of Joys!

Birthday Month

We have had the most fantastic weekend and I can't wait to tell you about it.

But for now I would like to highlight the beginning of Birthday Month.

It started with an exciting package from Grandpa & Grandma Hosking.

We love you!

This big package is just for me?!

Why are we talking about college already?

I still can't use my own spoon.

This gift tastes promising.

Why is everyone staring at me?

Score!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Spring Cleaning Week

Sorry I haven't been posting the last few days. It's Spring Cleaning week at our house and I'm using all my spare minutes to clean mirrors, wipe baseboards and chase enormous dust bunnies.

But I did manage to squeeze out a tiny post over here. 

Cheers! 

Spring Fashion Week - The Last Day

I am sad to see the end of all the Spring Fashion fun.  Although, I have to say, I'll probably only think about what I'm wearing two of of seven days next week - which will be somewhat nice.

Thank you to Emery for hosting, all the other lovely ladies for participating (you better believe I'll be following your awesome blogs!), and thanks for the encouraging comments and style tips. You are all beautiful inside and out!

I had dreams of a lovely family portrait this Easter morning but the husband is currently surfing and baby napping (looking dapper in his sweater-vest), so it's another self-portrait. 

My plan was to wear my favorite all-time dress but it's white and summery and the sun has betrayed me, so I had to come up with another option. And if I couldn't wear my favorite dress I needed to whip out these colorful tights.  Easter calls for some pizzaz! 

Sweater: thrifted

Dress: thrifted

Tights: gift from Mom

Shoes: Target

Happy Easter!

The KING is RISEN!

And I LOVE Him So!

Only One More Day

You know it's going to be a good day when you wake up to puppy breath and baby kisses. My husband woke early, scooped up all the babies in the house, and plopped them into bed with us. Sometimes I feel like my life is like a movie (sometimes). 

Anyhoo, a day like that calls for a dress: 

Landon with the weirdest expression on his face.

And me with a bizarre look too.

Jacket: BGBG from Marshals a thousand years ago

Dress: unknown brand, thrifted

Boots: trusty Fryes 

Landon's Fashion:

Shirt and overalls: Osh Kosh, hand-me-downs

Cankles: his very own

And I was super bummed not to participate yesterday. I tried snapping a super fast pic on my way out of the house for DATE NIGHT, but it turned out really blurry. If you can see through the fuzz here's what I wore out to dinner with my love and good friends (sans baby!!).

Cardigan: H&M (same one as Monday)

Shirt: H&M - My man picked it out for me when he was on a business trip!

Jeans: Levi's

Boots: Fryes, once again!

I hope you're all having a fantastic saturday!