This sh**t's bananas!

Luke has a funny way of eating bananas. They must not be removed from the skin. They must not be sliced. Each banana must be handed to my silly boy peeled half-way down where he will eat it carefully and then peel the rest down by himself. If said banana is totally removed from peel and then served, it will be tossed on the floor and a tantrum will ensue. If it is sliced, it will be thrown at his unsuspecting sister. Yes. Luke has banana requirements. As long as they are followed, the banana will be ingested and enjoyed. (pictures coming!)

It only took me about a month to figure out all of his preferences. I'm a bit slow on the uptake, obviously. What other finicky things does my boy have for me to decode? Inquiring minds want to know!

3 cheers for chocolate!

Love the way this turned out. I left my chipboard nekkid and used an adorable handmade flower (found at etsy.com) as an "o". This is little Lucy and my dad. Such a cute shot with hard to work with colors. I'm happy with the results and love a good challenge!

And so my favorite time of year is upon us. I hesitate to mention how many times I've refilled the candy bowl that's supposed to be for trick-or-treaters. Mark helped clear it out. So did Jack. Lucy discovered it today and screamed, "Halloween! I want Halloween! Chocolate mommy!" Girl knows her chocolate. I don't buy crap. No mystery candy in my bowl. Nuh-uh. So cheers! Enjoy your Hershey bars without guilt. After all, they're miniature!

very very interesting...

This evening one of the neighborhood boys rode his scooter down our street chanting "Down Obama! Go McCain!" at the top of his lungs. This probably was the result of the fact that the kids at the local elementary school had a mock election at lunchtime. What was interesting to me wasn't the fact that he was saying "Go McCain" or even that he seemed to exhibit such political fervor. What was interesting was the fact that, when questioned why he voted for McCain at school, he began his line of reasoning with "My parents said..." 

Reaching

I totally modeled this layout off of an advertisement I saw in Cooking Light magazine. There were 3 circles at the bottom combined a large title and a few lines of journaling. I actually hauled out the sewing machine and stitched along the borders and in the yellow circle with the heart.

On a crafty note, I sewed Luke and Lucy's Halloween costumes on Tuesday. Look for pictures of my super cute version of Pebbles and Bam Bam soon!

Proud momma

Do you hear anything? No?! Ahhh... Good. That's very good. That means that Luke and Lucy are still sleeping peacefully. With any luck they'll hold out until I finish this post! Oh - and while we're on the topic of sleeping, it seems that Lucy truly had a reason for distress. She cut 2 of her sharp incisors at the same time. Once they broke through (after a miserable 2+ weeks of no naps and horrid evenings), she decided to sleep again. Just like that. Nature's cruel.

And since we've been sleeping more or less peacefully lately, we decided to load up the family truckster and head to the Texas Renaissance Festival on Saturday. How I love the Renaissance Festival! I love the people in funky costumes, the silly shows, the fairies, the "rides", and oh - I love the junk food! The junk food is the best around! I could go and feast on apple dumplings with caramel sauce, sausage on a stick, turkey legs, funnel cakes, and orange italian ice all day long and die happy. Seriously.

With Luke and Lucy being a mere 23 months old, we decided to skip the shows and focus on ingesting the delicious junk food, playing a few games, watching the silly people and site seeing. Lucy loved the gardens and the outdoor wedding chapels. Here she is just after giving this statue a hug. She's holding her cheek because she accidentally bumped it too hard during her hug. But that's not what this pic is truly about. Look closer. (Hint: Follow the arrow.) See my 2nd son?  See what he's doing? He's trying to crawl through the trellis! I have a whole series of pics where he's actually trying to push through the foliage. I have no idea what caught his eye. Silly boy.

 

And this picture simply melts my heart to itty-bittty pieces. Jack, playing the role of dutiful big brother, reluctantly shares his orange italian ice with his little, sweet, fairy sister. After clasping her hands together and saying "Pweeeeze?!" before each bite, Jack would hold it up for her to enjoy.

I know, I know. The picture below isn't the most amazing picture of my 3 minions, but *gasp* it's a real-life picture of the three of them. Together. In one place. Actually sitting. And just in case you're wondering, they're enjoying a most-delicious cinnamon pretzel.

My little creatures are growing into big creatures right before my eyes. Luke and Lucy are little kids now that play peek-a-boo with each other and chase each other in circles around the island in the kitchen while I clean up before nap time. Jack sleeps in his own bed in his own room (HALLELUJAH! Praise be to all that is good and descent in the world!), and exercises more patience and self-control than I ever did at his age (or even now - shamefully enough.) He's a fantastic older brother, and Luke and Lucy are incredibly lucky to have him.

Wow... I made it through the entire post and the wee minions are still exploring their dream worlds! Off to do chores before I pick up Jack at the bus stop. Enjoy your week!

To My Daughter - Who Has Decided Not to Sleep

An Ode to Lucy (who will not sleep):

Miss Lucy - 

with the cute fountain spout hair, sweet blue/green eyes and tiny hands

who is constantly wa-hooing my ipod;

I love you dearly, I do.

But why the sudden nix on sweet slumber?

Why the alligator tears, the chunking of your beloved animals over the crib rails and the high-pitched voice that could crack paint off the walls?

Perhaps your bed is too soft? Too hard? Too lonely?

I've yet to discover the source for your nixing of slumber.

Your lovely whine is engraved into the deepest etches of my gray matter.

And your ability to awaken at the ass-crack of dawn makes my sleepy eyes water.

What happened to the little one who would simply curl up at 8pm and awaken at 8am?

She's gone and so deeply missed!

I promise to await patiently

for sweet slumber to once again graces your adorable self,

But if this current scene remains,

don't be surprised if momma falls asleep

standing up in line at the grocery store

because the stacks of gum next to the register make for a superb pillow.

I feel like I'm on my way

Just like Mr. King, I have a dream. In that dream, magazines like Creating Keepsakes, Memory Makers and Scrapbook Trends regularly publish my work and have me on the editorial staff. I travel. I teach classes around the world. Moms, the daring Dads, Grannies and kids breaking into the arts-y, fun world of recording memories write me adoring emails while they worship every layout I create. Okay. Maybe worship is too strong a word... How about... deeply admire?  Knowing full well this dream won't come to pass without hard work and dedication, I spend the time the twins are at school working towards fulfilling this dream, and little by little, I think I'm making progress because... 

Scrapbook Trends has requested another layout! I'll have a layout featuring young Lucy and Luke in Scrapbook Trends special Baby edition entitled "2 New to Play." Yay! I may not be traveling the world quite yet, but I feel like I'm taking baby steps in the write direction!

Ahh... the splendor

One day, I'll scrap current photos of my tykes. Until then, enjoy this sweet ditty. I stood over my wee twins one morning and snapped pics as they gazed at the toys hanging down from their play mat. Lucy looks confused. Luke was flapping his arms - probably wanting me to pick him up.

Big J is home sick today with the stomach flu. He's sleeping now, but has been dry-heaving/barfing since he woke me up in puke-filled splendor at 6:10am. Keep your fingers crossed that I can get some Pedialyte into his system when he wakes up. Dehydration makes me nervous. Big J asked in one of his dry-heaving moments, "Am I going to die!?" oh my gosh. Poor little dude. I responded with, "No, Jack. But I bet you feel like it!" He nodded his head 'yes.' as his body broke out in the shakes. Ugh. I sent the little ones to school so that they weren't exposed (and didn't spend the day bothering him.)

My next project: A mini-album of an interview I conducted with Jack in July. I asked him all sorts of questions - from his favorite food to what he likes to do on the weekends. It should turn into a fun project. It's my "final exam" for the Back to School crop I'm participating in at Simply Obsessed. Wish me luck that I get it completed by Wednesday!