The Nines

I'm not super huge into numerology but I do like numbers. Yeah not counting them or anything mathlike, but patterns. Or something like that. I remember on my 9th birthday thinking it was cool that I was nine years old on the 9th day of the 9th month in 1979.
And now it is 30 years later (yeesh) and again it's the nines. Only it's 30+9 on the 9th day of the 9th month in 2009. I'm not really sure what all the nines mean, only that it's a freakish occurrence. Or maybe it's not. But I think it's cool. And it doesn't happen very often.

In numerology the number nine is often associated with humanitarianism. I'm not going to get all Jolie on you here but I thought we'd have some fun.

I've never done a giveaway before but let's have one!
There are nine of my favorite photos in this post. After nine days (ends midnight Sept 18th) I will pick (randomly) nine winners. Winners choose which image (of the nine) you'd like and I'll send you a 5X7 print. That is my gift to you.

Here's how to play along.
I've decided that my mantra for the year will be to 'enjoy more'. I'm going to take a little more time to savor the little things that make me happy.
So leave a comment with nine things (more or less) that is a simple (or grand) pleasure in your life. Be specific. Favorite songs, books, movies, treats, activities, bubble bath, smells, textures...something I might want to try.
And that is your gift to me. Because it's my birthday!

Here's my current list:
1. I joined the Lady Gym. It's amazing how just an hour or so to yourself can feel so good. Even if you're sweatin' to the the electronic version of Billy Joel songs.
2. Gelato. I have 4 tubs of it in my freezer right this minute. 4 TUBS. Heaven.
3. Micheal Jackson on the radio again. I know he was crazy and kind of creepy but in 1983 he was beautiful and amazing. I still love those songs. I'll even take the Rihanna mix...
4. I recently read all 4 Twilight books in a couple of weeks. That was just SO FUN! Getting lost in another world...
5. Driving husbands car (which is not a mini van) on the highway really fast (but not too fast) and listening to loud music. No children were involved in this incident.
6. Shopping at thrift stores. I can't help it. I call it the Grandma gene. I get a thrill from finding a treasure or from making something out of almost nothing. Just like my Grandma.
7. I'm not really super retro (except for MJ and some Prince maybe) but just try not to dance to this song!
8. The smell of the woods. You should seriously smell them.
9. Photography projects. And collaborations with friends. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Sun and Sand and Dozens of Cousins

Wow, it seems like I've been gone for ages...we've been having family reunions and eating corn and playing in lakes and hanging out with parents/grandparents/cousins/sisters etc etc. It's so nice to have time away to relax and unwind and then it's fun to get going again.

Here are a few shots of the cousins from our reunion. My kids don't really have any cousins their age, but MY cousins have little kids (second cousins or something or other removed...???).
Anyway, it was lots of fun.

Baby Girl 27 Months

Ah this mamma loves me some summer babes! I love the way their hair lightens and their little arms and legs get brown (yes, we do use sunscreen but we're outside a lot and even I am a darker shade of beige). I love the tiny shoulders on my uncooperative Baby Girl. She wasn't terribley cooperative in any of these photos, but I love her to bits even with pouty face.

And trust me this girl LOVES the tomatoes, so she is not the least bit unhappy, just not showing it. Our little tomato plants have a ton of tomatoes on them. The trouble is they barely get a chance to ripen before they are snapped off and gobbled up. I've given up trying to convince them to wait. The Babe is especially impatient as she picks anything the slightest shade off green. Who am I to argue?!

We're all trying to enjoy these last days of summer. The light and the sun and the color. Often we don't even try to get a nap in so we can just enjoy the afternoon outside. Not that she's been napping much even when we try. At least she goes to bed well. The funniest thing is in the morning when she calls to us, 'GET OUT. ALL DONE. GET OUT.' Meaning of course that she is all done sleeping now and would like to get out of her room. Thank you very much.

In her personal opinion she is way to big for her high chair and hates being strapped in it (although she has quite a tendency to wander if she is allowed to sit with the big kids).
She still likes to get dressed and lately has been asking to wear dresses. I'm happy to oblige. I made the yellow dress from this great tutorial. Even though summer is almost over I couldn't resist. We'll take all the sundresses and blueberries and tomatoes and sunshine and days outside we can get!

Berry Farm

The kids and I went berry picking with my family near Brooks last week. It was a blustery day and I wasn't sure what to expect but it was so much fun. Along with the fruit trees, there were crazy turkeys, and chicks and miniature horses, and regular horses, and chickens and dogs and a lama of course! The fruit trees and the flowers were beautiful. The kids ate as many berries as they could. It was a great day!

Summer Blue

I usually prefer warm tones in my photographs. But I absolutely love the cooler blue tones in these. I sharpened them just a touch in the eyes, but the rest is exactly as I shot it (sooc). Love those baby blues!!

Long Hot July

It may have been my imagination but I think EVERYONE was on vacation...so we made our own fun and tried to keep cool.

Baby Girl 26 Months

Little Miss Independent. Oh how she tries. Today at the grocery store she refused to hold my hand and shoved her hands in her hoodie pockets to make sure. But at the same time she will cry and make a fuss if I try to go anywhere without her or leave her at nursery (where she has always happily gone).
She stands on the edge of the tub (surrounding shelf) every day while I try to get ready and splashes water all over (she figured out the tap) while I try to wash my face and brush my teeth. She will stick her hand in anything she can reach and loves to find the lotion to smear all over. It's incredibly sweet yet aggravating at the same time. She is still in the land of extremes.
Extremely adorable and extremely fierce. Extremely playful and extremely willful. Wild and sweet. Sassy and loving. Teasing and laughing then crying and then laughing again. Such is the life of a two year old.
She tries so hard to do everything her big brothers do. She mimics them, good and bad. It can break your heart how she wants to be such a big girl. All that determination. You also have to admire it.
She and The Bee are becoming quite good friends. Again with the extremes. They are fighting one minute and the next he is hugging her and helping her put on her shoes. The Bug has his moments too, but he is more inclined to be busy with his own business to pay too much attention.
One of our favorite lines lately is 'gimme a kiss'. It's usually at bedtime and sometimes she will and sometimes she won't cooperate depending on how hard she's trying to drag it out. But when she demands GIMME KISS, you better pucker up. And if you're lucky she'll pat your cheek and give you a kiss right back.

Catching Up

It's been SO HOT. So we've been spending most of our time outside. Which is great except that nothing much else gets done. I guess that's what summer is all about. So it's not so bad to have a rainy day now and then to catch up. But if it rains all week....

Anyway, The Bee had done his own catching up. No more training wheels!! We're pretty sure he could have done it a while ago, but he finally got confident enough to make his move. And once he did there was no stopping him. Just a couple of tries and he was racing up and down the street. He's much faster now. And it makes family bike rides a whole lot more fun. Hurray!
I love that smile on his face.











And speaking of catching up...Mr. PoopyPants has become Mr. PoopsInThePotty. HURRAY!!! You think the day is never going to come and then one day you realize that you haven't stuck your hand in the toilet for a day or two. Fantastic! Let's all do the happy dance.