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September 19, 2010
"cheeeeeese!"
The crinkly nose is almost cute overkill.
Posted by lisa at 08:35 AM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2010
more photos from Hilton Head
I'm questioning the wisdom of putting photos of me in my bathing suit up here, but what have you.
Posted by lisa at 06:38 AM | Comments (0)
September 13, 2010
Chuck E Cheese, Second Year in a Row
There was a time when I thought I would never ever have a party at Chuck E Cheese for my children. That was before we hosted 18 children at our house two years ago. Never again! Let's just say that my younger, snobbier self had it all wrong. Chuck E is nothing if not a crowd pleaser, the ultimate host, and best of all, you don't have to clean up after 18 kids. This year, we went for 20 kids and let Chuck E do the cleanup. It was a blast--and not just because of the new Ticket Blaster ™ game.
Posted by lisa at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2010
Finn is Five! (ED: How did this happen?)
Where does the time go? I can't believe that my baby is now a walking, talking, occasionally sassing, frequently hilarious, book-reading, brother-hazing, Lego-clicking, Batman-playing, preschool attending, bike-riding, cuddle-loving, sleep-protesting five-year-old! The day started out with his second day of school. And while a lot of the other preschoolers were crying at drop-off, Finn was pretty much like, "Ah, kids. I remember last year, when I cried at drop-off. Now, where is the sensory table?"
He just had his doctor's appointment, where he registered in the 90th percentile for height (46 inches), 50th percentile for weight (42 lbs.) and 10th percentile for body mass index. Oh, Finn, if there is any wisdom I can bestow to you on your fifth birthday, it is this. Enjoy that metabolism you inherited from both your father and me, because while wonderful, it is fleeting.
And yes, that is totally a cheap-o Jewel cake in the picture. I totally intended to bake, but the day inspired against me. Don't tell Finn, but I am totally baking a Batman cake for his Chuck E Cheese party.
Posted by lisa at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)
September 07, 2010
first day of preschool, part 2
When your birthday is September 8th, and the Kindergarten cutoff is September 1st, you're destined to be the elder statesman of your preschool class. Finn had a great first day of school--got right back into his groove, nary a tear when I left. Seems like a good time to share some Finn quotes.
• "Dogs have a really good smell of humor." (ED: I think he meant to says sense of smell.)
• ME: "You're the cutest boy ever." FINN: "Nuh-uh! What about Justin Beiber?"
• "Do all mommies have the super power where if your tummy hurts, and they hug you, your tummy doesn't hurt anymore? Or just you?"
• [When Cormac was fussing about something in the car.] "Cormac! You don't get all of your commands, you know!"
• [Upon seeing that a Famous Footwear had replaced the neighborhood toy store.] "That stinkin' shoe store took my favorite toy store."
Posted by lisa at 05:42 PM | Comments (0)
September 04, 2010
cutest toddler EVER
Cormac, I'm really sorry, but when you're older, you're going to have to hear me tell you stories over and over about how you were the cutest baby/toddler in all the land. I mean, just look at him!
Posted by lisa at 05:54 AM | Comments (0)
September 02, 2010
a month in Hilton Head
We were lucky enough to spend the month of August in Hilton Head, SC. If you're wondering how we could swing this, it's because this was basically a working vacation. Finn had no camp in August, our nanny needed some vacation time. And while there are plenty of disadvantages to being self-employed, a great advantage (in our case), is that we can work pretty much anywhere we want.
Shawn set up "Hazen Creative East" in our bedroom, and I arranged a babysitter so I could work about 10-12 hours per week. We got a villa in Palmetto Dunes, which was a 10-minute walk to the beach and a short skip to the pool. During that time, my mom, brother, sister-in law, and nieces came to visit us for a long weekend. (Staying in a villa just a half mile away.) My college friend, Lisa, was there for most of the month with her family, just a mile away in the tony digs of her snowbird parents. And our friends, Lisa (yes! another Lisa), Grace, Tulio, and their kids came, too.
It was a great trip. Wonderful to have both friends and family there with us. The ocean water was more than 85 degrees, the beaches lovely. Our pool was shaded, which meant we could stay hours there without worrying about fair Hazen skin getting burned. (Well, Finn and Shawn that is. Cormac and I turned the golden brown color of a toasty waffle.) We saw herons, alligators, dolphins, egrets, and lizards of every color in their element. Took a side trip to Beauford, where Shawn discovered a great used book store. Considered "all you can eat crab legs" a personal challenge. Finn not only got comfortable in the water, but learned how to cannonball. We cooked out, frequented a wonderful restaurant on the beach, and ate ice cream almost every night. Watched movies and played cards.
Let me state for the record that there needs to be a new term invented for "vacationing" with children. This was not the laze-on-the-beach sort of trip. Holy smokes, small boys have a lot of energy. Put them in a new place to explore and you've got yourself a workout. There was a lot of schlepping, heat, hunger strikes, misplaced faith in swim diapers, and a boycott of the beach by a certain four-year-old when a dinner-plate sized jellyfish washed up on the beach. My 10-12 hours of babysitter time didn't quite cut it when it came to the work I committed to, so I worked at night. There were days when I totally needed a vacation from my vacation. Or at least for it to be five-a-clock so I could justify a glass of wine.
Yet, it was worth every day, particularly for the uninterrupted family time. These are the (somewhat) lame photos I took with my iPhone--Shawn has the good ones. But until he goes through the 400 or so photos he took, here are the 20 or so I took!
Posted by lisa at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)