She's Baaaack!

My heart and my head are finally full of something light-hearted and happy. And my belly is full of babies!

I am 19 weeks pregnant (The halfway mark in a twin pregnancy!) and due in late January, but we hope to make it to Christmas. I'm already large and in charge, scaring coworkers and strangers in my wake. You might get a belly shot or two, but don't hold your breath. Going up stairs I can't catch my breath, but I'm sleeping great. You win some you lose some.

We found out several weeks ago that I'll be the only female of the house. Our littlest boys are doing great. I've been feeling them for a while, but in the past week or two I have felt and seen them from the outside! We had our anatomy scan last week and spines, hearts, kidneys, brains and everything else looked great. They are gaining weight quickly, which is what they want twins to do! 

Baby A, aka "Tot"

Baby B, or "Tater"

Bennett is thrilled to be a big brother in waiting. He now introduces himself as "Hi, I'm Bennett, I'm having two babies." He can't wait to help assemble the cribs and has learned how to hang tiny baby clothes on hookers (or rather hangers in English.) I might be delusional, but I think he will do great with the additions and he loves to be helpful and needed. I think he was made for the job.

Otherwise, Bennett is great! Recently, I have been exploding with excitement over Bennett's artwork at home. All of the drawings I have ever had from Bennett are big crazy squiggles and lines. For. Years. Then, Monday night, he sat down and drew grass, clouds, and a network of pipes underground. You could have knocked me over with a feather. His friend was visiting and he was having trouble drawing a person. Bennett leaned over and helped draw a body, a face, hair! THEN, last night, Bennett drew the little dipper. I kid you not, stars making up a constellation. This kid is full of surprises I tell you.

With all of these changes on the horizon, I was in a big hurry to join the ranks of soccer moms and drive big ole minivan.

Basically, since we last spoke, I got big and fat, bought a gas guzzler and continued to overpopulate the globe. I honestly couldn't be happier.

Filling in the Gaps

Life and the lack of brain activity has kept me from posting lately. My mind is overwhelmed with the mundane and monumental but I don't intend to give up this space anytime soon. There are just too many topics that require legitimate posts so I'll fill you in on the little things that I'm convinced you're missing.

Bennett learned to make silly faces. Puffer fish faces, mad faces, surprised faces. He likes to ask you what kind of face you're making and then interpret his own version. 

He's made a real best friend. They live across the street and now they go to the same school. They've asked if they can live together. A few weeks ago his bff got his pants dirty at school and had to borrow an extra pair of B's. He slept in them that night because he couldn't bear to part with them. 

The house next door got bulldozed to make way for two new ones. Whether we've been gone five minutes or overnight Bennett will say "still broken" when he sees the demolition.   

Way back in January an amazing friend gave me a week's subscription to Blue Apron. They mail you pre-measured ingredients for three meals for two people. The quality of ingredients was pretty decent and the recipes challenged us to try new things like bok choy and lemongrass. I was delighted and if Rocky made it home at a decent hour on a regular basis I wouldn't mind splurging on this little culinary adventure.

The other night when I was putting the kid to bed, he picked up a book and started sounding out all the words on the cover. It was so precious and I couldn't have been more proud. Watching my child grow up is so bittersweet, but when there are these bursts of accomplishment it makes my heart explode.

Life isn't always filled with fan-club worthy content, but it is the giggles and grins, spicy shrimp curry soup and the ha-ha-ha's and mm-mm-mm's that are occupying my silence these days. Thanks for the patience for these in-between times when I don't have anything to scream from the rooftops!

Life Lately

Hi friends. Wanted to drop you a line, say hello and fill you in on what you've missed.

My trip back to Minnesota kind of sucked, except when it didn't. There were a lot of beautiful moments. Grandma sure had a lot of friends, every one of them believed themselves to be her best friend. If that isn't a sign of a life well-lived, I'm not sure what is.

I got to meet this little nugget. Finally. Miss Evie is a doll baby with a personality to match. Can't believe I missed her crawling by 24 hours. 

Photo-bombing is not limited to the Millennials. Who wouldn't want to be a Swanson?

Bennett likes to eat his feelings too.

What good is a trip to Minnesota without some new state-pride duds? Little dude couldn't wait to put them on. He could wait to take a proper picture. Yay for neighbor friends and yay for fruit snacks!

This child is all three these days. Jekyll one minute and Hyde the next. This shirt surely speaketh the truth. Don't know who is going to take over the responsibility for shopping for name-inspired apparel. Grandma certainly left some big shoes to fill!

Viva Las Vegas

Two weeks ago, Rocky's boss invited him to take his place at a conference in Vegas. It seemed like the answer to a prayer we hadn't even said. He happily agreed to go, got his mother to volunteer to take the barnacle, and bought me a plane ticket to join him. He was giddy and I was game. While Sin City isn't exactly my destination of choice, it was high time we took a break.

The weather was beautiful, our lodgings divine, and an expense account made the rest of the trip possible.

We didn't stay at the Encore.

 

Or the Wynn.

Or the Bellagio. 

Our digs weren't too shabby though. We loved the Cosmopolitan.

After a couple of  rounds of playing black jack at the machines, we came down with a little routine and walked away ahead every time. We're no Rounders, but our drinks were paid for our and we didn't feel too guilty when we dined with the Tom, Danny and Jose.

I'm quite the burger connoisseur, and this Buffalo Burger was delish. Too bad Rocky couldn't say the same for his fish and chips. That and the atmosphere left me thinking this place may not survive until our next trip to town.

We might have waited ages for a fountain-side table, but our second night with Tom English was better than the first.

While Rocky worked to pay for my supper, I was busy eating my supper. By the end of the trip, I got quite good at dining alone sans book or phone.  Fried brussel sprouts will do that to a girl. 

Jose Andres's China Poblano concept seemed like a Vegas version of Minneapolis' decade old Chino Latino. It's good the tacos were fresher than the concept.

While my pictures might make it appear otherwise, I did more than eat. I also spent an afternoon at the pool and a night at a show. Did you know in Vegas they don't print playbills? I'm not quite sure how they expect a blogger to review a show where photography isn't allowed and you don't have a playbill as proof you were even there. Anyhoover (which I still haven't seen), I would have to say that Jersey Boys was a winner, especially when you're thirty years younger than the rest of the patrons and the tipsy seniors sing along the entire time. 

All in all, it was a lovely trip. Even if this is the only proof I was there and not just my camera.

Playing Hooky

Bennett attends a Montessori school full-time. It's one of those situations where the teachers and staff treat it like a fancy preparatory academy and the parents operate like it's a daycare and disregard rules about snotty noses (I'm a primary offender) and wish they were open past rush hour and on the weekends (only sometimes). Because of this confusion, we parents are faced with quarterly parent-teacher conferences and the corresponding school closings (this is only slightly less annoying than closures for "summer vacation" and "fall break"). We send our kids (with green noses) to school 40 hours a week because we work 40 hours a week and would much prefer daily texts and notes home than wrangling back-up child care or sacrificing our precious vacation days for said parent-teacher conferences.

The inevitable happens and yet another school closure sneaks up and you and you gripe and moan. But then you don't have to wake up and shower and you can enjoy your leisurely cup of coffee while you kiss your husband goodbye and you kick up your heels. Parent-teacher days maybe, perhaps don't suck.

Bennett certainly doesn't think so. When your day begins with the discovery of Lightning McQueen stamps at the post office, it has to be an indicator of a pretty awesome day. From there, we treated ourselves to breakfast smoothies immediately followed by a lollipop at the kiddie hair salon. You would have thought I blew this little kids mind when I took him to the indoor play area at the mall. I'm not sure we will ever take this kid on a legitimate vacation when this is the kind of fun he can find by himself at the freaking mall.

I didn't think this kid even liked to dance, but apparently super-sized faucets bring it out of him.

We had a legitimate errand to run at the mall, but the kid got sidetracked by Build a Bear. The lights! The music! The stuffed my little pony on roller skates! The grown adults that program plastic hearts to contain teddy bear personalities! I knew we were a goner when he saw the play bath tub where he got to brush his new best friend's fur.

 

Not sure if he's concerned or concentrating.

But to this little kid, the supreme ultimate was the packaging. His new friend got a house! That we had to carry around the rest of the day! All future purchases had to go to the house! (We have not seen the new best friend since he can't come out of said house.) Next time, we're buying the cheapest creation there, going straight for the bathtub and departing with the house.

The spoiling only continued from there, grilled cheese and chocolate milk for lunch. A visit to the toy store for a "I'm sorry I made you get a flu shot on the best day ever" toy train. And as if mom hadn't spoiled this kid silly enough for one day, she taught him about licking batter off the beater. 

I'm going to have to negotiate for more days off because we can't wait until the next parent-teacher conference. For the record, his teachers told us he is smart, attentive and not the least bit spoiled. 

Summer Bucket List Update

On the first day of fall, it's time to check in on how I did on our summer bucket list. Like my ability to update the blog and stay afloat at the office, and stay in touch with friends, I've been lousy. Let's just see how lousy, shall we?

1. Tour the Southern Living Idea House. I'm up for multiple visits, who wants to come with me? - Done! A successful afternoon with the barnacle and the mom. 

2. Discover the only beach in Nashville, Percy Warner Park Beach.- Yeah, nope. Didn't happen. Between the birthday party circuit and a broken eyeball, we're postponing this one for next year.

3. Nashville Farmers Market. More peaches.-Lots of peaches, lots of farmers markets, but didn't technically make it to this specific market. Better luck this fall?

4. Make salsa with Bennett. My kid has a thing for kitchen appliances. Making his own dip will blow this little boy's mind, but hopefully not his tongue. Hells to the yes! And someone had lots of fun!

5. Fill my house with fresh flowers. Checkity check, thanks to the husband for this one!

6. Make ice cream. Again with the kitchen appliances. Yep. We seem to have more success with the electrical to-do list rather than the outdoorsy ones. Not sure what this says about the Kings.

7. Arrington Vineyards. We'll leave the barnacle at home to save our scalp. This one was outside, didn't happen. Maybe this fall when we can gather 'round the bonfire?

8. The Munro exhibit at Cheekwood. Shoot! We still have another month.

9. Listening to the frogs and watching the lightning bugs from our front porch. Absolutely yes, even with the visceral reaction to fresh air and mosquito bites.

10. Plan our next trip. Kind of? A fake trip done and a big trip on the horizon. Stay tuned for the bi-monthly posts.

Five out of 10. Summer half empty, or summer half full? With my failure this summer, I imagine we'll just have to compensate next year. 2014 or bust!

July In Pictures

There are times in your life that you just want to fast forward and get it over with. July was one of those times for many reasons, vacations are behind us and the only thing on our agendas was work. Over the past three years, this space has been a place for me to write through my feelings and ramble about my adorable son without the guilt of boring friends and strangers. The monotony of life didn't need to be chronicled, but now that this month is behind me, there seems to be plenty of highlights I don't want to forget.

Bennett named our neighbor his best friend. We spend several nights a week on his porch playing with cars and trucks, running through the sprinkler and riding bikes. Who knew we would find a little bit of Mayberry in 12 South?

Bennett was promoted to the big kid class, which offers plenty of  educational activities. There was the magician, the puppet truck, zoo animals stopped by for a visit and now he is bringing home legitimate works of art!

This month we also discovered Bennett has a minor food allergy. I think we've identified the artificial flavoring in Aunt Jemima as the culprit. The poor kid has suffered eczema since he was a wee one, but a few weeks ago, his poor eye got swollen and droopy. We might have to start tapping our own maple trees to save our kid from future ailments.

Good thing he started cooking his own meals. Only problem being "the micawave has no battwies."

A whole month deeper into summer and I only crossed off one of my summer bucket list items, the Southern Living Idea House. Even my pint size companion could enjoy the experience when he discovered that the art was comfortable enough to sit on!

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

So I have fallen for peaches. Glorious glorious peaches from a local vendor that sells their wares out of the back of a woody, The Peach Truck. They are handpicked Georgia peaches that make their way to Nashville two days after they are plucked from the tree. They sell at the farmers market, but also make appearances in our 'hood. 

They ain't cheap, but they are little slices of summer. We eat them in cobblers, in cereal, with lunch as a snack, and on toast. But girlfriend, this wasn't just any old toast. You can get the recipe for Peach Ricotta and Proscuitto Bruschetta Here. 

Chuck Williams and friends call it an appetizer, but we ate this for dinner on giant slices of country bread. It. Was. Awesome. And I had to share.

Rocky's version required a knife and fork. 

Another recipe I recently tried were a hit with the toddler set, but were not my favorite. If you have trouble getting bananas into your child (ahem, cough cough), try these: Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies from Here.

Where Did We Last Leave Off, aka The One with the Parantheses

Oh yeah, I was still blabbering about my kid. Not much is going to change about that today (Foreshadowing: NOT MUCH IS GOING TO CHANGE ABOUT THAT FOR QUITE SOME TIME. We haven't even reached the part where he can pull up his own pants.) So, it's been awhile, huh?  Apologies. I've been living life and trying to keep my head above water. I hear that's quite common for a mom of a toddler. Here's what you've missed:

My kid may not be able to pull up his own pants, or tie his shoes, or for heaven's sake affix his velcro sandals, but he has reached the age of photo taking hatred. It breaks my heart. For example, yesterday I ran in the house and dropped off  a load of groceries only to find my pint-size child sticking his head out the sunroof. (Mother of the year right here!) The look of pride on that boy's face was priceless, but the instant I reached for my phone, he ducked and started whining about no cameras. You think he was chased by the paparazzi in a past life? (I understand if you stop reading the blog if it has no photos... if you haven't already.)

We hosted a bbq with the neighbors. It was our first real foray into entertaining in our new home, nearly a year after we moved in. We're such fabulous hosts that we served our hipster-locavore neighbors their child's first hot dog. At least the cardiologist's son knew what it was.

The family made a trip to the King farm. After a tortuous drive there (My child would not rest. He wanted nothing to do with dinner and did not seem to understand holiday weekend traffic), it was lovely. We arrived, handed the barnacle to the grandparents and disappeared for a few hours of uninterrupted conversation, more driving, and some retail therapy. The return ride began as a repeat of our ride there, non-stop chatter interrupted by some whining followed by a dose of traffic confusion. Happily, mid-way home he announced, "I want to take a nap." Alrighty then! I am really hoping this was not a preview of our eight our drive to the beach next month.

Tip from the Expert (I'm no expert.): They can't protest if they are sleeping.

We're Still Boring

Geez this blog is struggling lately. Then, I come back from the radio silence with one of those pathetic catch-up posts that is hardly inspiring, funny or far from worth the wait. Let me demonstrate why there is nothing worth sharing lately.

1. We got a new roof.  A freak February storm brought a leak and an hallelujah. We knew when we bought the house we were a strong wind gust and a prayer from needing a new one. Thank goodness it happened before we learned we owed Uncle Sam a few clams. (I will have to update this post later with the dramatic before and after!)

2. We paid Uncle Sam a few clams. Thank goodness Rocky now has an official title and a few deductions.

3. Yesterday, in a ten minute span of time, Atticus rolled in something stinky, found a dead animal in the front yard and I discovered a yellow jacket in the house.

4. I killed the yellow jacket with an empty toilet paper roll.

5. Bennett is obsessed with his golfing clubs and the new bettable garden.

6. We are forging ahead with our mission to rid our house of beige, but got derailed thanks to a broken beer bottle. Now the playroom looks and smells like a fraternity house.

7. I saw a woman on the street and based on her outfit, thought she must be drunk and/or homeless. It turned out she was posing for her boyfriend's camera so she could post on her fashion blog. This proves that 1) I could never be a fashion blogger and 2)fashion bloggers are kind of hilarious.

8. I broke out Bennett's spring/summer wardrobe only to find the kid is still so skinny that we have to roll his shorts from last summer.

9. I tried some more pinterest crafts and failed. However, I made some mighty delicious pinterest recipes that I would highly recommend.

10. We're boring, but you must love us anyway because you're still here. Thank you. How can I better bore you in the future?

Busy Busy

I haven't had much motivation to write lately. We work, we sleep and we parent. Seriously, that's about it these days. I think this may be why I am mentally drafting a post about my 30-life crisis? So until I get that fleshed out, here's some more pictures about that last thing that keeps us busy, the parenting...

Smiley McSmilerson

Both my boys really like to vacuum...

Wikking the Eggs

Sometimes I'm there too!

Our Weekend

I haven't done a weekend post in ages.  I think it has something to do with the fact that we don't do much on weekends these days.  Typically, they involve nursing a head cold, running errands, cleaning and watching too much Curious George.  This weekend was different, I got out of the house, ran errands, cleaned, and watched too much Cars. You'd think I had photo evidence of said weekend.  But when evaluating my camera, it mostly looks like this:

BUT, Friday night my parents invited me to go to my first NHL Hockey game in twenty-something years.  Coming from Minnesota I always thought Nashville's obsession with "ice hockey" was strange.  Now, I understand.  The showboating and craziness is sort of a cross between the WWE and college football.  Prior to the Preds loosing game I said hockey wasn't how I spent my entertainment budget.  After watching a thirty-foot feline face descend from the rafters and a dead fish thrown onto the ice, I might have to change my tune.

The remainder of the weekend was spent on playdates, soaking up some spring-like sun and watching movies.  Rocky and I managed to see a third of the Oscar Best Movie contenders in the 8 days leading up to the show.  Not too shabby considering we hadn't seen one until last Saturday.  I have to say I got a little emotional at the conlusion of Argo.  After watching Good Will Hunting on continuous repeat during college, I feel like my big brother grew up and made something of himself.  I was so happy to see him win!

Then, Sunday night Bennett was kind enough to invite us to his place for supper.  It was one of the highlights of my weekend. 

Otherwise, I was breaking up lots of fights over here. 

Brothers.  Can't live with'em can't live without 'em.