the fair

The North GA State Fair is in town. We went last year and had a great time, even though Tate was too small to ride any of the rides. I mentioned it to him...asked if he remembered going ("yes")and told him he'd probably be big enough to ride some of the rides this year. He said some stuff and then I said some stuff, which eventually led to me telling him that he was going to grow up to be big, just like his Daddy. His excited response:

"I know!! And, then I can dress up just like Mommy!!"

And that's how I knew we weren't talking about roller coasters anymore.



In unrelated news, I found an iPhone app that puts mustaches on people when you take their picture. Two-year-olds (and their mother) find this to be hysterical.

lately

Two cute videos of my boys captured over the past few days. Tate has finally mastered "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and Brady is very close to crawling...

five months

Five months ago I couldn't imagine loving another child as much as Tate, but this little person has claimed our hearts and it feels like he's always been a part of our family. He's growing and changing by the day...

Latest Milestones:
- Holds his own bottle (YAY!!!!)
- We started real foods this month. So far, he's tried bananas and pears and loves them.
- Not crawling yet like Tate was at this age, but he's found a way to inch around by pulling himself with his head. As far as actually crawling, he gets his legs underneath him and pushes himself up, but then collapses under his own weight. I have a feeling he'll figure it out and be on the move very soon.
- We pulled out the doorway bouncer recently and he will stay content in that thing forever.
- Wears size 4 diapers. Size 3 fit him, but are just a tad snug so I moved to the bigger size.
- Wears Tate's 18 month clothes. I've already packed all of the "baby" clothes away - even the 12 month stuff is too small!
- He may also have his first ear infection. We are headed to the doctor right now - wish us luck.

Here are some recent pictures of our sweet second child...

guitar lessons

Tate had his first guitar lesson with Uncle Dan last night where he learned how to strum the strings with a pick, and then fetch a dropped pick from the middle hole-thingy.

A quick Google search reveals that the middle hole-thingy is actually called a sound hole. So there's your guitar lesson. (you're welcome!)

the lake

We had a great time at lake Oconee with our friends Allison/Torsten and Jin/Jason this past weekend. Tate and BeBe (10 months apart) are now old enough to play together, and had the best time riding in boat, running around the house, bouncing in the blow-up water park, driving their electric cars, etc. Allison's twins, James and Isabella, and Brady (6 weeks apart) enjoyed sleeping and looking at each other.

I took a lot of pictures - hopefully, I'll get motivated to upload all of them soon. Until then, here's a few highlights...

good jeans

In 2003, I bought my first pair of Seven jeans. Going into Neiman Marcus, spending $150 and having my jeans hemmed for the first time ever was a life-altering (and butt-altering) experience.

Not only were they the best-fitting jeans I had ever owned, they signified (in a small way) that I had made it, and that I somehow fit into the Buckhead lifestyle I adopted early in my professional career.

Those jeans and I were inseparable. They accompanied me on my bachelorette weekend in Hilton Head, my honeymoon in St. Lucia, a cruise to the Bahamas... and they made thousands of pilgrimages to much more mundane locations over the years.

Eventually, the style changed. Light-washed jeans were replaced by darker, more sophisticated shades of denim, and my favorite, go-to article of clothing was folded neatly and placed at the top of my closet.

Occasionally - during a random spring cleaning - I would pull them down and try them on. You know, just to see how they (we) were holding up. Over the years, they became tighter and tighter during those brief fittings, and they stopped fitting altogether in 2008 - the beginning of my child-bearing years.

Despite their now tattered hem and the small hole in the right inner thigh that was acquired during their heyday, I still couldn't bear to part with them, and back to the top of the closet they would go.

Last night, I tried them on for the first time in ages - ready (and expecting) to reluctantly toss them into the Goodwill bag and finally say goodbye after all these years of being unable to wear them.

Instead, I can now add "dropping my kids off at school" as the latest adventure my favorite jeans and I have shared.

A tad overly sentimental? Yes. But, what better way to celebrate a milestone in post-baby weight loss than with a cherished old friend. :)

mommy confession

So, I forgot to pick up the kids from school yesterday. Completely. Forgot. I'm still a little in shock over it myself.

I worked from home like usual. Keith came home around 4:30pm and went upstairs to take a nap, and I jumped in the shower around 5:15pm so that we could meet friends in downtown Roswell at 6:30pm for the monthly Alive After Five event.

After my shower, I remembered that I needed to send one "quick" email. The "quick" email involved a complicated subject and I totally lost track of time.

I remember looking down at the time on my computer. And I remember thinking... "oh wow, it's 6:20pm. Let me run back upstairs and change clothes so that we can go."

I went upstairs, Keith was still laying in bed... and that's when it hit me: HOLY @%^#!! I FORGOT ABOUT THE BOYS!!! (Keith thought I had already gone to get them - didn't realize I was still downstairs. He was lying there waiting for me to get home.)

Keith dashed out the door like a madman and I called the school to let them know that we were, um, running a little late. He got there at 6:40pm (10 minutes after they closed) and retrieved our poor, forgotten babies who were standing by the front door with the teacher who was ready to lock the building and turn out the lights.


My guilt and self-loathing were somewhat eased when two little happy faces came through our front door. Tate ran and gave me a big hug, and Brady was all smiles, so I suppose all was forgiven.

But, seriously, what kind of mother forgets about these two?? A tired one, is my only explanation. I think the weeks of sleep deprivation are finally getting to me!!!!!!