Behold...the Halloweeninator!

May I introduce Phineas, Ferb and Perry as our Halloween costumes of 2012!  Jacob initially said he might want to be a rock star (read: easy) and Nico said he wanted to be the Hulk (read: easier).  That being said, one night Matt and I sat mulling about Halloween and our history of family themed costumes.  Because we do have a bit of a history with them*.  We mentioned our idea to the boys and they were hooked.  And thus my life ended.  Easy and easier became complex and fussy.  Because really, you just can't find Ferb capris at your local Target.  And a search for Phineas and Ferb costumes yields scary stuff like this.  Or ridiculous stuff like this.  Curse you Perry the Platypus!

Despite the added effort (like liquid stitching the fraying raw edges on Nico's sewn on stripes), this really was a fun costume.  The main reason I can say that is because...it was award (at the ward party) winning!!  Matt and I were Dr. Doofenshmirtz and Candace.  The boys are holding our award.    It's just a piece of paper, but man it was sort of the spoon full of sugar helping the medicine go down for this tired ma.

Front view.

Tail view!  I think his hat is more of a fedora/cowboy hat hybrid.  Mwah.

Here are the Ferb shorts hot off of the sewing machine.  I'm unnecessarily proud of the notch in the front.  Too bad he'll never wear them ever again. Oh, and please check out the avalanche of books, blankets and clothes in the background!

I'm unnecessarily proud of the aesthetic of this tail.  Thank you Jana for all of the hand holding I needed to produce it! 

And here's Nico's attempt at Isabella (he copied her from a picture).  I colored her in at his request.  Oh how I slave for these kids!!!

The boys and their pumpkins

Nico can't draw any human likeness without eyebrows.  Typically they are angry eyebrows.  Matt and I carved what they drew on their pumpkins and tried to stay true to their vision.  Here things got a bit too Michael Dukakis.

 

Halloween candy in the suburbs is epic. Heaven help us.

Despite all of the aforementioned work it was a great Halloween. The boys loved it and I am so grateful. Here's to store bought costumes next year though! Happy Halloween!

*Here is the Halloween I never blogged about. The big boys were spider men and Benny was a radioactive spider. Unfortunately I am not at the computer that has the majority of those pictures. These will have to do.

...the incapacity to tell the difference...

So, am I supposed to refer to old pictures as retro, vintage or mid year modern? I don't know anymore.  All I know is that these pictures should be shared.  Also, you can expect to see old pics more often as I clean up around here.  These capture some post bath and shower silliness from around January of this year.  I love these boys.  But they are also driving me slowly insane.  It's a complicated love.  

As an example, the boys are obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes lately and in one strip Calvin offers a reverse serenity prayer.  I feel like this is me (tho I don't pray for it) a lot lately. This parenting thing is soul stretching (crushing) sometimes and I unfortunately often get flustered and tackle it with Calvin's prayer.   

They're cute, nice boys tho even if their mother is crazy.  

This one might be crazy, too.

Wigging out

Last fall when my parents came to visit they brought a suitcase of my grandmother's things. Little things with big meaning. Things like a mirror and brush set that sat on her vanity for years, a pair of rhinestone clip-on earrings that she would let me try on when I was a little girl, and so many yarn and fabric surprises. In that suitcase they had also packed a little something extra.

1980

2011

I love you always Grandma. I can only imagine how tickled you'd be to see these silly faces. xoxo.

Face twins unite!

Sunday with Grandpa.  'Nuff said.    

From Little Rock to the Rockies

Our family moved to Denver, Colorado in July.  Yes!  We moved!  I still find it hard to believe.  I have tried to write this post a few times.  One of those times I ended up sobbing for an hour, another time I couldn't get blogger to post my pictures, and so on.  The sobbing came from trying to write about the experiences that got us here.  Happy and sad tears.  We have so much to be grateful for, but the past 18 months have stretched us so much that it's all sort of tender. 

We moved from Chicago to Little Rock in June of 2011.  We moved from an awful rental house in Little Rock to a wonderful rental house in Little Rock in October of 2011.  Then we moved from Little Rock to Denver in July of 2012.  Four addresses in 14 months.  Also, that's three states (as well as three regions of the US) in that time.  Stating it by the numbers belies the real emotion attached to each move and stage we encountered.  But I still don't totally know how to process it all!  We didn't think we'd stay in Little Rock for more than a few years, but one year was much shorter than we expected.  As such this move was rather jarring.  We were really just getting over the move from Chicago! So many good people, blessings and opportunities came into our lives over this time, but also some real trials.  And some off the wall stuff like Matt having his car stolen at finger in coat point in our drive way in Little Rock.  Just stuff like that...

Anyway, we are here now.  We're grateful.  Matt's very happy with his job.  The kids are happy with the house and move and the indoor turf at our local rec center.  Especially with the indoor turf.  I am happy with the lack of humidity.  Lots of good!  That being said we miss our friends terribly.  We found a very lovely group of people in Arkansas (and prior to that in Chicago) through school and church that welcomed and supported us through thick and thin.  They are the main reason for the tears.  But we have found friends here in Denver already and we know that as we (hopefully) put down roots more will come.

While our memories (and immunization records) are scattered all over the country, we are still us.  And that feels like quite an achievement and blessing no matter what the back drop is.  

I really wasn't kidding about that turf.  Awe-some.

To Grandma Jan on her birthday

You have some grandsons who love you lots and lots. Happy happy birthday!!!

Birthday season is upon us

Let the tantrums begin!



Jacob's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Nico's birthday comes up two weeks later. It's a tricky dance. No matter how much I tell Nico that awesomeness will be his on his birthday it sometimes hasn't turned out that well.

The above picture is of Jacob's 5th birthday party at the park in Chicago.  A (Benjamin) lifetime ago, by the way.  Thanks again Mardee for lighting that unlightable windswept candle so that I could restrain Nico from going all Hulk on the festivities.

Here's hoping for a tear-free season!  Happy birthdaying!

Biography

Dear Benjamin (a.k.a. Benjo, Benjo-wenjo, Benjle-T, Benno, Benno-wenno, Benny, Benny Boy, Benamin, Ben-jammin' [fit it into this song for full functionality], and Ben),

Today you turn two.  Two!  I can't believe it.  You are a darling.  A big boy, with a big smile and big hair.

Biiiiiiig hair.

Here are a few stats I've assembled about your short, sweet life.

You've lived for at least three months in three different states (Illinois, Utah and Arkansas).

You took your first plane ride at 4.5 weeks old.

You've lived in four different houses.

You've been to more states than I'd been to by age 10 (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah, Arkansas, Georgia and Arizona.)

You've been a city kid.

And a country boy.  I mean, it's Arkansas for pete's sake!

You've survived an epic snowstorm and you've also survived being (proverbially) dipped in the fires of hell (Arkansas summer).

You've gained lots of big boy abilities.  Drinking from a cup, sitting in a big boy chair, using a spoon, hitting your brothers, eating apples*, giving hugs and kisses, and sleeping in (bless you).

You play so well.  Your smile and chuckle are contagious.  You have big, white crocodile teeth.  You also have big eyes.  People comment on your teeth and eyes the most.  Just like in Little Red Riding Hood.  Except, you're not going to eat anyone's grandma.  Oh, and the hair.  They always comment on the hair, too.

Here you are with your face twin have a laugh.

 
I love you, little man.  You were born at a time of intense change, challenge and growth for our family and you have weathered it like a champ.  You've been my buddy.  I'm grateful for you.  

xoxo

Love,


Momma


 *I actually don't typically let him have whole apples.  I think they're little death balls.  I just put this in here because it's so cute.  And he was surprisingly good at eating it!

To Carly

Thank you for saving my (laundry) life!

It works!

From,

Robyn

Nothing says special memories like the phrase "Picture Dump"

And yet, here we are dumping pictures and trying to tease out some special memories at the same time.  Mainly here are a few things I just need to share, despite my rusty blogging skills. 

1.  Ben's "smile" for the camera.  Is it a smile?  Jury's still out, but it's darling.

2.  And consistent!  (Excuse the food-filled mouth...)

A note about Jacob: this week he pulled his card in school for the first time ever.  He felt really bad and come to find out it was the Spanish teacher who had him pull it for basically a misunderstanding.  I tried to explain to him that his day to day teacher wouldn't have had him pull his card (which she herself told me) and that the Spanish teacher just doesn't know him well enough to know he's not a trouble maker (at school, anyway). 

Jacob seemed comforted by that and said, "Yeah, she totally doesn't know me.  She keeps calling me (phonetic-ish spelling) Ha-cobe!"  I felt bad breaking it to him that that's how you say Jacob in Spanish.  Sad to deflate his healing ego a little bit.  And really sad he didn't know that's how you say his name.  I mean, it's April man! 

3.  People often comment on our having 3 boys and I often say that we've specialized.  I am coming to see how right I am.  Boy stuff reigns around here.  I only wish I felt our specialization was really making me a rock star mom. 

To further explain, I also often say (or at least feel) that I have three pots on the stove. 

One is simmering.

One is boiling.

One is boiling over.

Also true, never truer than lately, and proof positive that I am not "specializing" in a way that brings the kind of tantrum-free, all potties always flushed success I crave.  Sigh.

Cute kids, tho.

4.  I pretty much only put the helmet on him because it looks cute. 

5.  Box fun!  Real smiles!  Woot woo!

6.  Box fun with a snack of frozen peas!  (Jacob is weird.)

I totally asked them to punch fists in the air, if it weren't for Benjo's total emotional commitment to it it would look too lame to post.  Ah the innocence of toddler-hood!

7.  Yeah, we tried general conference yet again with kids.  I scoured the internet (5 minutes on pinterest) for tips for keeping kids interested.  It all said to buy candy.  Lots of it.  And that was pretty much it!  Candy and a few print outs.  Which means I ate a lot of candy that weekend.  Seriously, what's with Nico?!

8.  We made "grilled cheese sandwiches" out of pound cake and orange frosting for April fool's.  I felt like the best mom ever!!! 

Nico took a bite and didn't comment on the fact that his grilled cheeser tasted like cake.  He rather rolled his eyes back into his head and said, "This is so dad gum good!"

9.  Jacob got this out of the treasure box at his school.  It's sort of a harmonica-ish thing in lip shape.  Ben is in love.  And yes, it is incredibly unsanitary.

10.  No words.

11.  Ben sipping from a straw is a favorite image of mine.  I will leave you with that and his crazy, crazy, mad, mad, mad hair.