feverish.

Feverish is a good word for this place right about now. Last night Andy's temperature skyrocketed to 105 degrees, almost out of nowhere. He had been sitting watching tv, and all of a sudden when he came into the dining room to eat dinner, he told me he needed to go to bed. I knew immediately I was going to get a thermometer reading of 105 or 106 when he said it. I brought him upstairs, gave him tylenol and within seconds he was sleeping. We've been able to manage his temps with motrin and tylenol ever since, so that is a good thing. And when it all happened, it was just one more thing to add to the list of things going on right now. I would list them for you, but I don't have the time!

I'm going to take a break from this space for the rest of the week so that we can focus on getting better, trying to spend some time thinking about Holy Week and what it means, and getting this house in order for our deadline. I will see you back here on Monday with pictures of our colored eggs and visit from the Easter bunny! Have a beautiful Easter and we will see each other again soon! xoxo

Just an update: Andy's fever was 104 when he woke up this morning (weds). So the doctor wanted to see him again to re-test for flu (it was negative on Sunday). This time, it came back positive within three minutes.
So, there's that.

indoor pool misery.

When we signed the boys up for swimming, we thought it was a great thing. They would get experience at an early age in the water, learn how to swim and have less risk of (god forbid) drowning if they ever did find themselves in the water unexpectedly. But every time we start a new session of swim lessons, the same thing happens. Andy gets sick. Really sick. And then, eventually, Rowan. We have never attended a full session of swimming. Ever. In fact I'd be surprised if we've even made 60% of the lessons in each session. After two years, it was just too coincidental. So when Andy spiked a 103 fever on Saturday night (after swimming), I finally asked the doctor about my suspicion. Turns out there's lots of evidence to suggest that indoor swimming pools are directly linked to sinus infections, bronchitis and asthma in kids. Who knew? From now on, it's outdoor swim lessons only for these guys.

For more information on this issue, check here, here and here.

calvin.

A double-post this friday, because cal deserves his own.

Calvin, you brought joy and love to our house for many many years, and we will forever be grateful. You were a great friend, a great listener and loved by everyone who met you -- an all-around great guy!  There is no doubt you are in heaven. We will miss you and always love you!

1993 - 2013

dinosaur day: an evolution. (and friday. phew.)

Yesterday started much like any other. Rowan wanted to color. Only this time he wanted his dinosaur by his side. He hugs and loves that pointy thing like its a soft and cuddly baby doll.

As we were coloring, Rowan wanted me to draw him a picture of his T. Rex so he could color it in.

Then Andy wanted to color.

And somehow along the way, it became T. Rex's birthday.

There were presents.

And dinosaur chicken for lunch.

And a pizza party for dinner, complete with birthday "cake".

Make a wish T. Rex!

Have a great weekend! No links to share this week because I'm laaaaaaazy!

just the essentials.

I know I'm late to the party on this, but did you happen to see the NY Times article "Living With Less. A Lot Less"? It's one of those typical Times articles where they take one person who is doing something, and make you feel like it's the next big thing. Or in this case, small thing.

To sum it up, a really rich, young guy gave up his mega-mansion and all of it's contents to travel the world, and in doing so discovered he could live with much, much less. He now lives in a 420-square foot studio with a fraction of the belongings he once had. It's not for everyone. Like families of five. But it is thought-provoking.

Clearly, Rowan could handle living in a tiny space better than Andy.

As we have begun to pack up our current home and, hopefully, move to someplace with more space, it does force me to reconsider how much space we really do need for "us" and how much of it is for "stuff." Packing up the house we can clearly see how much stuff we have, how much we need, and how much we really don't use often enough to make it worth holding on to. It's a good reminder to buy less, to change our way of thinking so that we spend less money (and time) on things and more on experiences, and to try to live sustainably so that we leave a smaller environmental footprint.


That said, we're still moving.

the depths of despair.

Today I had to wake Rowan up from a nap so that we could go pick Andy up from school. He was really sleeping soundly and was surprisingly pleasant, all things considered.
At first.

Then we came downstairs, where I discovered Henry had pooped. . . I mean POOPED. . . and by the time I got him all cleaned up and changed, we were running late. So, I put Henry's jacket on and I put Rowan's jacket on and all hell broke loose.

It turned out Rowan didnt want me to put his jacket on. He wanted to put it on himself. So, while I was putting Henry into the car, Rowan undressed himself and threw his hat and coat on the floor. At this point I was late. If I waited for him to put his coat back on, we'd be really late. As it was, I wound up getting severely reprimanded by Andy when I got to school. I could just imagine what would have happened if I had waited. So, I thought I'd rush and to try to make up some time. I scooped up Rowan without his jacket, strapped him in the car, and headed off to school.

And Rowan did this.

First of all, he took off his carseat straps. They were loose, since he didn't have a coat on.

What you're not getting here are the intense high-pitched shrieks he did the entire ride there. Eight solid minutes. That's because I didn't take these pictures while I was driving. I waited till we got home.

Here he's just staring at me. Daring me to take another photo.

Which I did.

He refused to look at or talk to Andy when he got in the car.

Which was probably a good thing, since Andy was just yelling at him and me and Henry for being last to pick him up.
Now, I was not the last parent there. I just want to say.  I was just last in the pickup line.

So, there you have it. That was how my day went. How was yours?

farewell, winter.

Winter's chicanery.

It's been real. You did your thing. You came, you conquered, you even snowed on your very last day. But alas, it is time for you to go. It's time for buds on trees, birds chirping, opening week of the farmers' market, first accidental sunburn of the season on that wonderful day -- you know the one -- you-didn't-expect-it-to-be-as-warm-as-it-was-and-you-went-out-wearing-pants-but-wish-you-had-worn-shorts day, and best of all. . . time to put the coats away! WooHoo! Time to walk out the door when it's time to walk out the door, not planning 15 minutes of pre-leaving time to put on coats, hats, socks and shoes for four people. Time for all of that. So, while you can be pretty with all of that snow, the holidays, and icicles, it's officially time for you to go. See you again on December 21st, when I'm older, wiser, and hopefully my kids will put on their own coats.
Well. . . at least one of them.

the big ONE.

This weekend we celebrated Henry's birthday with our family. And while it wasn't for lack of trying, things didn't exactly go as planned. For some reason (and by "some reason" I mean "most likely because my mind is on selling our house"), things just felt chaotic and slightly out of control.

Mainly I'm referring to what happened right. around. here. Henry was eating his birthday cake and suddenly began choking on a whole strawberry that I didn't know was in the filling of the cake. I'm so thankful that everything worked out okay, but for me, it really put a damper on the day. I can't believe that could have happened right in front of me. And on his birthday. I feel like an awful mom.

But little hen recovered nicely, and for him, it's like it never happened.

 Even still, the un-forecasted snow continued to fall.

Here are some cute family pictures we took before Nanna and Papa Russ headed out. . . only to realize that they had a flat tire about three blocks from our house.

Oh, and here are the special favors I made for everyone. And forgot to give out.

So, there you have it. Henry's party is a wrap. And it was fun. It just went down with a few. . . unexpected surprises. The good thing is that Henry loves all of his new toys, he was completely content to have all of his family that he loves -- and that love him -- around to celebrate his special day. And other than the guilt that will probably stay with me until eternity, he will only think that his first birthday was filled with love and joy! 

And that is exactly how it should be! 

happy birthday, henry!

HENRY, you have brought your mommy and daddy such joy this past year! We love you more than you could ever know! Happy Birthday, sweet, gentle hen!! I could just kiss you forever!

the last day being "zero".

Today is Henry's last day before he turns one. It is too hard for me to believe. I think I am in denial, actually. My baby is on his way to toddler-dom, and there is not one single thing I can do about it. It is wonderful and it breaks my heart all at the same time. All I have to do is think about holding him as a tiny baby in the middle of the night, feeding and rocking him in the dark, and it makes my eyes well up. My sweet, sweet boy.

I love you so much, Henry. Happy almost birthday.

under construction.

Things are loud around here. We've decided to go with our gut and turn the playroom back to it's original purpose as a bedroom. Which also means we've decided to add some walls and a ceiling to the basement. Considering we started the work this morning, things seem to be moving along quickly. But even so, the noise is throwing the kids out of whack. To quote Rowan, "I want those men to go home."

Here's how we're looking as of lunchtime.

Not too shabby, right?

Little Einsteins.

The next Smothers Brothers, perhaps?

swimmingly.

Here's a pictures of our future Michael Phelps. Rowan's been loving the swimming lessons this year. A huge difference from last year where he spent most of his time reading the letters on the walls of the pool room.

He's been jumping in and out of the pool and swimming (with his floatee) without holding on to Daddy. Pretty soon he'll be off to class with Andy and Daddy will have to start swimming with Henry!

In other news, we made some progress around here this weekend. We emptied out the basement to start work on the new "playroom" this week, and we are moving forward with converting the playroom back to a bedroom -- thanks to lots of babysitting by mum mum and papa. The clock is ticking. . . let the countdown begin!

friday. phew.

Hellow, snow. We meet again.

It's Friday. Time to make some progress on de-cluttering this joint. Andy has a birthday party tonight -- "from 5 to 8 pm" -- as he tells everyone. He is most excited to stay up past his bedtime. I'm sure he doesn't very much care about the party itself. Every morning for the past two weeks, the very first thing he has told me each day is how many days are left 'til the party. And now that it is finally here, I'm curious to see what his new "thing" will be to talk about in the mornings.

Okay, here's wishing you (and me) a very productive weekend and fingers crossed, let's see this snow melt for good! Come on Spring!!!

Not too many inspired links to share this week, but here's what I've got!

• This spicy soup is so yummy. We made it with kale instead of collard greens, and it hit the spot! (via Design Crush)

• Have you ever seen the Northern Lights? I never have, but would really love to some day. These Norwegian Lights photos are spectacular (thanks, Tom, for the tip!).

• How fun is this idea? The Jealous Curator interviews some of her favorite artists while pretending to have brunch with them? I love it! And I love the mixed media hand-embroidered work of Shaun Kardinal. A double-win!

So there you have it! Have a great weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday! xoxo

what do you think?

I need some opinions. Please tell me what you think. If you were a cute [of course they'll be cute!], young, (probably) kid-less couple looking to buy your first home, would you be off-put by the playroom? Would it be a red flag to you that we are using our guest bedroom as a playroom?

Here's how it looks today.

Here's how it looked at the time we bought it.

What do you think? Is it necessary to convert it back to a guest bedroom to give the illusion that we have "plenty" of space in this house and we are not bursting at the seams? Would putting a twin bed in the room help? Or would that make people think we have one of our kids sleeping on the main floor by himself. Does the room need to be completely neutral and not a kids' room at all?

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. We could really use the help! Thanks! xoxo