Cute Naked Boy & Other Fun Stuff

Memphis, April 18 2009, home for Christian's wedding. Here are my beautiful dates: Sache, Bonnie, and Maddie Grace. Aren't we lovely?

Our tulips looked awesome this year:

Here we are on Easter Sunday

the boys just hanging around the house:


and below, Holton and Annabel Sholz playing hula hoops at the zoo:

And, saving the best for last, my handsome little naked guy brushing his teeth. Don't ya just want to squeeze that little bootie?

I Love Spring!!!!

Above, one of Holt's favorite activities, Brush Teeth ("Bu Tee!")
Playing on the overturned couch...
And, super cuteness himself asleep in his crib one morning during nap time:
The backyard, as of April:







The potting bench Chris built:


My little family spent today in our backyard: spreading compost, pulling weeds, potting flowers, playing in the hose, and chasing the dog. I loved every minute of it, including nap time when I could sing my heart out to my own personal radio station on Pandora on my iPhone (yes, I'm sure the neighbors were annoyed) all while preparing my new backyard garden for all the wonderful plants I'm soon to put in the ground. It is an awesome time of year. And it is even more awesome that we were all 3 home doing it together. Holton is a champ. He loves being outside ("side" as he says), loves to play with water in bowls, enjoyed tug of war with Finley over the squeaking duck, and chasing the big red balls. He used his plastic Diego shovel to play in the dirt and got completely filthy. He can say dog ("ga"), ball, juice, pasta ("pata"), bathtime ("baaatime"), nightnight, Sache (he whispers it!), Max, shoe, block, fish, flower, and plenty more I can't recall at the moment. He is climbing everything and runs everywhere he goes. He will bring me books all day long and just plop down in my lap to read together. And Chris, bless his heart, is the world's best garden partner. Thanks to all his hard work last year, we have this awesome raised bed lining the fence in the backyard, which we added more compost to today. Above are the photos of what it looks like now, so that when its filled with growing plants in August, I can look back and say "wow, what a nice change!"
Grateful is my word of the day.

St. Patrick's Day Parade

Well, it's that time of year again! Time to come up with the most obnoxious green outfit possible and revel in the celebration of all things Irish with the GCBABC (Greene County Bad Ass Bike Club), also known simply as the Cobras, and parade yourself and your finery through the streets of downtown Springfield, Missouri. That's exactly what we did yesterday and here's the proof: This could win the Coolest Mom award, wouldn't you agree? Holt was snug back there in his trailer, watching the weirdos from the safety of his little nest. (And if you could've seen his facial expression, you would have agreed that he definitely thought we were all pretty weird)

Here's our little family, proudly sporting the Cobra banner, just before the parade started.

This is Holt with his beautiful friend, Ulali, enjoying her big drum and tamborines.

Some of the paraders and their finely dressed bicycles.

And, of course, the Cobras' pride this year, the Chariot, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, which carried our Queen through the streets of our lovely township. What a sight it was! And a marvel of craftsmanship, too. I am proud to call its makers my friends.

You'll have to log on to Facebook to see more...

I was telling some friend or another yesterday that my maternal heritage is Irish, since my mom's maiden name was Kelly, and now looking back on the fun we've had this weekend and the health and happiness we (the three of us and all those that we love) currently enjoy, I very definitely feel the luck of the Irish upon us.

Kisses to you all! Blessings on you and your family and the ground beneath your feet!

Playday at Phelps Grove

Just some updated photos here of our bundle of joy & craziness at the park in early March. Holt is already going nuts on the playground equipment, seemingly unaware of gravity and unafraid of heights!

Max

(This one's for Aunt Colleen) Here's our cool cat, Max, shown here with a giant stuffed lion:

xoxoxoxo

Ha Ha Tonka

The family and I spent Saturday at Ha Ha Tonka State Park (just south of Lake of the Ozarks). It was 65 degrees out, a bit cloudy, but still wonderful. I was so glad to be outside, walking in the forest, getting exercise, and watching Holton soak it all up. He was great in his backpack -- didn't mind it one bit -- so Chris and I took turns shouldering our precious load. Below is Holt in his first sandbox, check out his expression:

Balancing Rock:

Having lunch at the castle ruins:

Check out these actions shot of Fin. Have you ever seen a dog get so dirty?

The old castle:

We had a VERY lowkey Saturday night. I watched the most hilarious movie I've seen in a long time and I recommend it for hearty laughs: You Don't Mess With the Zohan. It's an Adam Sandler movie, but not a dumb one. You should totally rent this.

And here's a quote I ran across the other day that I'd like to pass on:

"Strange is our situation here upon Earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others...for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of other people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received. "

--Albert Einstein

And finally, in that spirit, I'd like to thank my husband for getting up at 6:15 this morning with our wonderful son (hence letting me stay in bed) when he would not go back to sleep, even after multiple hugs, ssshhh's, a diaper change, and just ignoring him wouldn't work.....and then letting me take off for 2 hours this morning for a fabulously restorative yoga class. Thank you, Chris!

Ready or not, blogworld, here I come

H-man playing ball with Fin and enjoying our recent snow.

Hey friends,
Welcome to my blog! I hope you'll enjoy the latest pictures of our adorable monster and can tolerate my ramblings. Who knows how often I'll update this thing, but my intentions are good. The current lowdown on us: I am working nights in MICU, which is going really well. What a change from the ER! (for the better) I love working only part-time and thank my lucky stars constantly that we can afford it. Carson-Mitchell is keeping Chris busy. He's got some good projects right now that he's excited about it and that aren't stressing him out too much. And Holton, oooohhh Holton, is growing up ever so fast! He runs, climbs stairs (but needs help getting back down), opens and closes every door and drawer possible 8000 times a day (emptying its contents), is obsessed with the dishwasher, giggles, and generally acts as goofy as possible. Here is a sampling of photos from the past few months just to get the blog going.

These were back in the fall, Holton's Halloween Birthday party and a hike with Dad.

Here's our little guy with his favorite big girl, Madison Grace.

This is Chris and me in Boston last November in front of a statue of Paul Revere and at a Celtics game. It was so nice to be together, out of town, sans Holt, for a week!

Thanksgiving in Memphis! That's Bon, Leigh, Meg, me, and Sache at the cocktail party Becca threw for us. Definitely a fun night.

Finley and Holt at home goofing off.

Christmas morning and Holt's first train set! (thanks Aunt Barbie)

And the whole Carson Crew on Christmas. I love this huge family!

Well, that's it for now. Hugs, kisses, abrazos, y besos. Que le vaya bien.