Halloween Candy 2014

100 Grand
Pay Day
Snickers
Pumpkin Spice m&ms
Candy Corn m&ms
Peanut butter m&ms
Twix
Kit Kat
Candy Corn
Pumpkin Spice Candy Corn
Halloween marshmallows

A few random, great quotes

"You're not a little mermaid! YOU ARE MAMA!"
- Eleanor, Jan 2016

Jan 24, 2016, right before bed:  "I wish you could stay with me for 10 years! I wish you could stay with me for 20 years! I wish you could stay with me for 40 years on the weekend!!!" (much laughter)

"Mama, we have the same FACE."
- May 2016

Some memories

Watching the 1996 Olympic Games - especially the U.S. Women's Gymnastics team. We were at our lakehouse in Michigan for a few months, the corduroy couch was still there, Kelsey was deeply into gymnastics and practicing on a foam beam laid out on the ground, and we watched Kerry Strug vault.

Getting up early in the morning (waiting for the clock to read 6am) before heading to the game room to start playing Super Nintendo (Super Mario Brothers). Lots of memories in the game room, I believe the first one being Birgit playing like an 8-bit game of Jeopardy on a Gateway computer at night. Other games included: Mario Teaches Typing, Mixed-Up Mother Goose, Storybook Weaver, Richard Scary's Busy Town, Math Blasters, Ultimate Domain, Myst, the Neverhood (although I think that one began at the new/current house).

Not feeling well on my birthday, and my mom still making my favorite spaghetti and meatballs with spicy pepper sauce. We all went into my bedroom to eat it (this was at the old house).

I remember beginning to see a witch's face on my bedroom wall, right by my bed next to the closet. At first, I would see it at night, but then it started becoming visible in daytime, too. I never went to touch it, but I remember it looking like a ba relief, coming off of the wall three dimensionally.

Looking out of Emily and Kelsey's bedroom window to the backyard.

Grilling and sitting out on our patio covered in green turf.

Immunity (Jon Hopkins/King Creosote)

You've answered my prayer for a worthless diamond
in our carbon lives.
You said we'd always be fine.

And you said you'd never stop
coming round in the dead of night.
You said forever was unkind.

Mission to have Keyboard/Piano in my house

I've always thought it would be awesome to have a piano in my house that I could sit down and play WHENEVER I WANTED. I absolutely love playing my parents' piano when I visit, and do so whenever I walk by it.  A very musical friend of mine (actually two musician friends) suggested I just get a keyboard to have in my apartment. I do believe that would make me very happy. And apparently, they make keyboards now that are weighted just like piano keys.  I need to start writing down songs I'd like to play on MY keyboard as I think of them! So here they are:

Amelie soundtrack (get from parents)

get all of my Tori Amos sheet music from parents.

also The Piano sheet music

The Cranberries -
No Need to Argue
Empty

Nine Inch Nails -
Hurt
Right Where It Belongs

Radiohead -
Videotape

Aphex Twin
Avril 14

Heart -
Alone

Journey -
Don't Stop Believin'

......

Ellie at three (and 1/2!) years old!

2016

There are so many little things that Ellie does and says that leave me in awe. Or in stitches laughing. Or beaming with pride. Or, usually, all of the above. They are so magnificent that I think to myself "I don't have to write this down, there is NO WAY I could forget this. It's too memorable." The thing is, these moments, while all shockingly memorable and unique, are plentiful. And my mind is just not as good as I'd like to tell myself.

Ellie wants to talk to me every night before we fall asleep after we read a few stories, which she just loves (as do I). She always earnestly asks me "What did you do at work today?". She makes EXCELLENT conversation, and she really is curious about my work. She absolutely adores going to work with me. She loves calling people on the landline, chatting with people in the hallway, eating at my desk, and just plain "doing work" (typing gibberish in Microsoft Word, using Microsoft Paint, etc.). We have great night time conversations about our days and the people who love her, and she falls asleep (usually in my bed, though she does love her own Frozen-themed bed). Throughout the night, like a heat-seeking missile, she nudges closer and closer to me, and in the morning I'm basically falling off of the bed, but it's the best. She'll immediately launch into deliberate TALKING and questions, which is just adorable. She likes to start her day with "tickle and scratch" "at the very top" of her back and tummy. This is a simple routine that we do every night and morning, but I appreciate it each time.

Her memory astounds me...she remembers bits of events and conversations from when she was 1 year old. And she's a master of song lyrics - from Dio's "Holy Diver" to Taylor Swift, to Meghan Trainor, to "Let It Go" from Frozen - and the best is a mash-up of these, sung into the Frozen microphone.

Other things we enjoy are:

- The NeverEnding Story, Sleeping Beauty, The Princess Bride (and subsequent games based on these. She loves to be Malificent, and I'm usually Morla the old turtle).

- Going to "the bench restaurant" for some grilled corn and brisket (and beer for me)

- Painting pottery at "the pottery place" for friends and family

- The pool and the splash park!

- Making green smoothies together

- Jumping on the bed

- Playing restaurant (often at the park)

- Playing "vampires"

- Playing "bad bunnies"

- Going to the zoo, to ride the carousel, of course! And to get a treat after (and then also eat my soft serve).

There are too many things to remember. Even too many things to write down. Sometimes we'll be laying together and I'll just notice her little hand or foot. Or I'll notice a facial expression that melts my heart, or the way she'll chug a can of "fizzy water" so that Jacob can't have any. It's hard to describe the knowing look she'll get, or her preternatural knowledge of how to give side eye or IGNORE, or make you feel so so loved when she says "Goodnight, Mommy! I love you, too, Mommy!". 

I took her over to enroll her in preschool today for next year! She seemed a little nervous, but excited when she saw the classrooms and other children. And she loved that it was only four blocks away from our house. 

Such joy.

"Dinner Diary" Week 4

Whew, I almost fell off the wagon with the dinner diary this week - and I don't have very much detail to show.  I just barely remember each of our dinners, which I will record for posterity and to complete the bare minimum of what I want to have recorded!  Hopefully I'll keep up with this better next week.  I'm also experimenting with tracking foods and nutrition most week days (although it's not going to be very effective if I just don't track when I'm embarrassed at how much I eat/don't want to see the actual numbers...if I don't look it didn't happen!!)

August 15th, 2014

On my own tonight for some cleaning and just CHILL time. I made simple cheese, scrambled egg, bean, and leftover veggie quesadillas.  I was anticipating a stressful conversation later that evening, so I drank a delicious Sofia blanc de blanc champagne can while my laundry was going - then said convo never happened! Fine with me.

August 16th, 2014

This was a really fun, packed day.  We went stand-up paddle boarding in the morning!  That was the big activity, and I looooooved it.  Worked up an appetite and then had fried oysters and grilled veggies and sweet potato fries and Tackle Box.  SO GOOD.

Then it was home to shower quickly and head to Claire's baby shower!  While there, I had a glass of prosecco, 2 chocolate covered pretzels, and a vanilla georgetown cupcake. The essentials.


Finally, we went to see Jon Lovitz at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse!  I got a small veggie pizza, a White Russian, and a glass of wine to enjoy during the show. Lots of laughs.  More laughs ensued when we got home and I needed to show Kyle an example of a hoarded. I just went to Netflix and searched for a hoarder show - of course, there was one available. We're watching the first episode, and something clicks in my mind:  I KNOW THIS PERSON. He had asked me out on the Metro five years prior, and I still had the facebook messages to confirm! Crazy!!

August 17th, 2014

went for a run!  Thai food and jackfruit chips for lunch. COOKIE BUTTER ICE CREAM
 Barbecued pulled chicken breast, sweet potato fries, roasted cauliflower after walk with Ellie. She loved all the food!

August 18th, 2014

Now here's where things are going to get a little...succinct.  Dinner was Trader Joe's pulled brisket in BBQ sauce, sweet potato fries, and roasted broccoli.  BOOM.  Ellie loved all of the components!

August 19th, 2014

Dinner was a big salad with grape tomatoes, romaine, cucumbers, and goat cheese and mozzarella.  On the side, I made spiced sweet potato wedges, and roasted broccoli.  Mmm so fresh and healthy. I did snack more later.  Eleanor pretty much picked out the tomatoes, because they are her favorite.

August 20th, 2014

"Breakfast burritos" with cheese, scrambled eggs, and grape tomatoes.  Homemade sweet potato fries on the side.  Yeah Eleanor was not really feeling any of this :(. But then she did eat an ice cream cone.

August 21st, 2014

Chicken tacos from District Taco. I had about 2 1/4, and Eleanor had about 3/4 of one taco.  I just loved the soft tortillas.