1ST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

As stated in a couple of previous posts, Hudson started Kindergarten last week. He only had class on Monday as the kinders had assessment testing the rest of the week. But regardless of the fact that he only attended elementary school for a whopping 2 hours prior to having a 6 day weekend, I still consider it his 1st day. And may I just say that in my totally un-biased opinion, he did AWESOME!!

Of course just prior to walking up the street for him to catch the bus, I snapped a picture of him on our front porch:

Doesn't he look horribly terrified and miserable?

I walked with him up to the bus stop and waited until he climbed on with the other kids:

Once again - see how concerned he looks, how he turned back to look and see if his dear mother was there for him. Right.

I walked back home, hopped in my Expedition (Oooooh - epiphany! My next list will be about my beloved vehicle), and raced down the hill, hoping to arrive at the school before the bus dropped him off. Too bad, sucker! By the time I found a parking space - well outside of the parking lot - and got to his classroom, he'd already found the hook with his name on it, hung up his backpack, found his seat, parked himself at his desk/table, and begun to play with the piece of modeling clay that was set out:

Speaking of the clay, may I just say that his teacher is freaking brilliant...she had a piece out on every desk so that the little crazies could be entertained while waiting for things to get crackin'.

I took several pictures of him in the classroom but I won't bore you with those since about 85% of them are him looking bored. I then headed back home and waited for a whopping 90 minutes or so until he'd get out of class ("early-out" schedule the 1st day). I wanted to be sure that I got at least 472 pictures of him on the 1st day of Kindergarten, so when he came out the doors, I was there to snap this one:

Once again, I'm just slightly biased but, oh mylanta, he's so cute! I am such a sucker for this boy.

I couldn't be happier that his 1st day went off without a hitch. Partly because I was so excited and it would have ruined it for me and partly because I find kids' overreactions fabulously amusing. I laugh when my kids throw an extra good tantrum or when they get shots at the pediatrician's office (poor Claire will have me rolling on the floor this Wednesday when she has her 2-year appointment).

Today was his 2nd day of school. He wanted Max to take him to the bus stop and while Max was worried when he was that he sat by himself, we found out later that Hudson wanted to do this. Same with on the bus ride home. Big man on campus, this one is.

LIFE AS I KNOW IT...

Today is the 1st day of the rest of my life. At least from late August through early June each year. Starting today, I have a child attending school on a daily basis. And life as I know it is riding off into the sunset. Or running...

Thanks to my little master photog for taking this shot so that I could show y'all just how I'm feeling.

OUR LITTLE BIRTHDAY GIRL

Another birthday to post about...Claire just turned 2! But this time, I'm way more on top of it than I was with posting for Hudson's birthday (I "waited" months before doing his b-day post). We all know that toddlers don't exactly get the whole aging and birthday thing. But they sure do get the concept of presents and new toys. We're way better about controlling our spending and gift-buying with Claire than we were with Hudson at this age. And while she may have gotten the short end of the stick in that regard (which she thankfully doesn't understand), she got some pretty great stuff for her birthday this year.

The top honors go to her new KidKraft red retro kitchen. She was beyond delighted when she saw it standing in the living room and went right to work, exploring every cupboard, trying to work the sink (she was frustrated that water wasn't coming out of the faucet), talking on the phone, and turning the clicking knobs for the oven and stove. After presenting her with the kitchen itself, we went to work opening the packages of plastic dishes, pots and pans, and a baking set...gotta love IKEA! With the opening of a few more presents that evening, she got wooden Melissa & Doug foods from my parents, an adorable dress for fall from Max's parents, and a Plan Toys shape sort from us. But the most beloved gift she received was a Little Mermaid cell phone from Hudson...it was hands down the cheapest gift at something like $2.48 (hence Hudson could afford to buy it for her with his own money). It never ceases to amuse me when little kids either like the cheapest gift best or, better yet, the packaging that things came in.

In addition to gifts, there was cake and ice cream to be devoured. We got her a Dora the Explorer themed chocolate cake and in spite of the flames being an apparent cause for worry, Claire actually blew out both candles on her own. And this year, she had no problem with the chocolate (she did not like her chocolate cake last year...only the white frosting).

Now, in keeping with tradition, here are a few of the things that I love about Claire:

• She arrived 3 weeks early, helping me accomplish my silly goal of having 2 kids before I was 30 just in the nick of time.
• Every once in a while, she give us all a good smile by doing her "monkey laugh". It's generally a half-sincere one, but we absolutely love it.
• She looks a lot like I did as a child...there's nothing wrong with having my husband's looks, but it's fun to have one kid look like Max (which Hudson does) and one look like me.
• When she's tired, rather than denying it and fighting it with every ounce of her being (like a certain little boy that I know), she'll flat out tell us that she is.
• She loves music and is always entertaining us with her singing along to whatever we're playing on the iPod, belting out a song or two at random, or humming to her dollies.
• She's a real cuddler and loves to give "snuggles".
• Her manners are pretty darned good for a 2-year old...she almost always remember to say please, thank you, and no thank you.
• She is somewhat wary of trees and bushes. Nothing has ever happened to cause this, but anytime we're near a tree that has branches hanging low or a bush sticking out anywhere in the vicinity of her personal space, she steers clear if she's walking or clings tightly to whoever is carrying her.
• I love the way she apologizes: "Wha-eee."
• While we haven't started going full steam ahead on it, she started potty training herself before her 2nd birthday. Hopefully it'll be a breeze when we do decide to attack it.
• She is prone to telling people that she loves them at random...great cause for many warm fuzzies.
• Whenever the phone rings, she graces us with a very loud,"MOM! PHONE!" Maybe she knows that I don't always hear it thanks to my being deaf on one side?
• Two words: curly hair (and yet I straighten my own curls almost every day).
• She has Max wrapped around her little finger approximately 1.3 million times and he's an absolute sucker for her...I love seeing how much they adore each other.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CLAIRE!

Next post: Hudson's 1st day of Kindergarten!!

KIDS' BARNWOOD PHOTO SHOOT

A while back, I posted about surprising Max with pictures of the kids on Father's Day. Now backtracking even further, I'm finally going to post additional pics from the photo shoot. The session was done with Emily Walton of Barnwood Photography. It was a totally fun morning and Emily was positively wonderful to work with....highly recommended to all who live in the area! Here are a few of my faves (if you want to see the original pictures I posted with some more favorites, click here):

Claire obviously isn't too thrilled in this shot but I love the bright colors and how those blue eyes look.

I have no idea what that grin on Hudson's face is for (I may have been talking about the cow pies we were stepping around in the pasture) but this shot totally captures his easily-amused and happy side.

Another one of my happy boy.

This is probably my absolute fave of Claire...I love the way those baby blues are looking up to one side, how her dress falls just barely above the seat, and her little hands resting on the back of the chair.

This was shot towards the end of the day and she wasn't much in to smiling, but I have to include it because of the hat...one of Max's employees made it for her last year. I picked out the yarns and button and she did her magic. Wish I had one for myself!

Here we are at the very end of the day. I'm not sure, but Claire may have hit her limit. Let's take a closer look...

Yep...she hit it. I'm sorry but I can't help myself. I smile and almost start laughing every time I look at this picture.

Here's one of my two favorites of Hudson and Claire together (you can see the other on the aforementioned post)...had this one blown up and mounted on matboard. Can't look at it enough!

Thanks again and again to Emily...I'm looking forward to using her again in the future!

READY FOR SCHOOL?

Today is a really big day. School officially starts around here and my boy is going to be one the new kids on the block...he's a Kindergartner. I'm so excited for him and I'm looking forward to having him back in a good routine. We do have it easy this week as it's an "early-out" day today and then he has Tuesday-Friday off as the newbies have assessment testing (we will have to go back for this one day). But just thinking about getting back into the swing of things - we did preschool the past 2 years - there are a few things that are really kind of bugging me. Albeit a short one, here's a list of reasons why I feel that school shouldn't be back in session:

• I'm scared...that upon getting off the bus each morning, he'll make a beeline for the playground instead of getting in line for class like he's supposed to.
• I'll be headed out to buy school supplies at Target within the next few days. And while there, I will wait in line at checkout with every other mom that lives within a 100 mile radius of us.
• I'm going to have to get Hudson ready and fed and have myself dressed and at least somewhat presentable before taking him to the bus stop each morning. And this must happen well before the miserable hour of 9:00 each day.
• I positively loathe the school zone just down the hill from us and the horrendous traffic it creates.
• No more impromptu morning trips to the zoo.
• I need just another week or two of freedom with the kids prior to getting back into the swing of things.
• I'm going to have to get dressed before noon. Wait...I already said that.
• The bus will that brings Hudson home will drop him off up the street smack in the middle of Claire's current nap time. So I'm either going to have to battle to keep her awake until he's home each day or break down, stop hovering, and let him walk the whopping 1/4 block home with kids from the neighborhood.
• I'm just not ready.

I know...totally lame reasons. But I stand by them nonetheless.

GETTING MY OWN GOAT

I'm a total hypocrite. Each time I log in to my blog and find (much to my horror) that none of my friends or family have updated their blogs, I get really irritated. I need something new to read on a daily basis and others' lack of helping me get my fill of new posts really ticks me off. That being said...

I haven't been feeling super bloggy lately. I've only done two posts in the past couple of weeks and if I were one of my friends who hadn't posted anything as of late, I'd be really fed up with myself and my laziness. That being said...

I was thinking about what to blog this evening and realized that I have a number of things to post about. There are pictures that I never posted, a trip I never blogged about, recipes sitting in a stack next to me, lists to rattle off, etc. And so, tonight, I'm going to get a few posts done in advance. Then my family and friends won't be peeved by my lack of posting (if any of them get all worked up like I do). And hopefully I'll be back on track again.

It's going to be nice not to get my own goat anymore.

P.S. Thank you, Sher, for being my most consistently-posting friend. Except for your slacking off a bit this summer, I have almost never found myself irritated by your blogging habits. Hugs!

RECIPE: Italian Confetti Pasta Salad

I realized this afternoon that I haven't done a recipe post in quite some time...so here's one for all of you pasta salad fans. It's a very easy one and unless my friends are lying to me, it's always a big hit. Just one note in advance - I'm giving the recipe as I received/found it but I make a number of changes to it whenever I make it. It's just fine this way but if you want to know about what I do to it, just check out my notes at the end.

ITALIAN CONFETTI PASTA SALAD

1 c. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

2 c. colored rotoni pasta

1 c. chopped tomatoes

1/2 c. chopped yellow bell pepper

1/2 c. sliced black olives

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse in cold water and drain. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and garlic until well blended. Mix in basil. Add pasta, tomatoes,bell peppers, and olives. Fold gently until mixed. Chill several hours and stir gently prior to serving.

NOTES:

• I know I've said this before, but don't just use the easy, pre-ground stuff when it comes to the pepper. Fresh ground pepper makes the world a better place.
• I use 2 cloves of garlic instead of 1...sometimes I even use 3 if they're on the small side.
• While fresh basil is the greatest stuff in the world (besides fresh ground black pepper), I have used bottled freeze-dried basil. It's not the regular dried basil you find in the spice section - it's usually found in produce.
• While I have used the colored rotoni pasta a time or two, I usually go for whatever fun-shaped regular pasta (or combination of 2 or 3) I have on hand and I think it actually tastes better. But that's my humble opinion.
• I use about 3 c. of uncooked pasta rather than the 2 shown in the original recipe. Makes the whole thing come out a little lighter with the sauce being spread more.
• On the tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, and black olives, I never measure how much I'm putting in. I just toss in "about that much" and add more after mixing if I think it needs it.
• In addition to the veggies listed above, I always add a few chopped/sliced green onions and some chopped celery or broccoli if I'm in the mood.
• Lastly, real parmesan cheese is a must. Like the additional veggies, it's not on the ingredient list but it really brings the salad up a notch.
• This salad is also great with rotisserie or grilled chicken tossed in.

SELF PORTRAITS A LA HUDSON

As stated in another post a while back, Hudson has a thing for cameras. He has been put on time out and chastised for having little photo parties with our 2 digital cameras on several occasions. Apparently none of the punishments or threats were enough to give him any desire to stop these little photo sessions. Not whatsoever. The other day, I turned on our little pocket-sized camera and discovered that the 5 or 6 photos I had taken a few days before had magically multiplied like bunnies. There were nearly 200 pictures on disc, all taken within about an hour. I wondered to myself, "Who took all of these pictures?" Actually, I knew darn well who had gotten click-happy. I started reviewing the pictures and was having a hard time keeping a straight face. And I really had to avoid laughing out loud since he was in such a heap of trouble. So I popped the camera's battery out and left it to charge (so strange that it would be on its last rechargeable leg) and Hudson got yet another scolding.

Later, when he was in bed and well out of ear-shot, I picked up the camera and went through all of the pictures. It was hard not to laugh. Actually, I didn't hold it in one bit. There were pictures of Claire in her highchair, pictures of Disney's Little Einsteins and Handy Manny on the t.v., pictures of Miles trying to sleep in the hall, pictures of the floor, pictures of my cluttered kitchen. But more than anything else, I found shot after shot of the photog himself:

And this collage contains maybe half of the self-portaits he took. More likely about a third. But that's only if you include the pictures he took of his feet. Talk about inspired artistry:

But in the end, can you blame him for going back to this naughty little habit? He is male (and we all know he's quite pleased with this fact) and a camera is an electronic deivce. No stopping that chemistry.

FOR THE LOVE OF JOURNEY (& GLEE)

As I'm sitting here getting a few things done in my office/craft/tornado room, I am listening to Hudson and his little friend Zack as they play. A minute ago, Hudson broke out in song, "Don't stop...believin'! Hold onto that fee-eeeelin'! Street lights...people...oh-oh-ohhhh-oh-oh!" Then I heard him ask Zack, "Isn't that an AWESOME song?" Zack's response? "Nope." You could tell from Hudson's response that this was downright obnoxious in his mind, "Yes, it is. It's Don't Stop Believin'!" The conversation ended at that and things have been smooth since then in spite of their apparent difference in musical tastes. Maybe I'll prompt Hudson to start belting out a verse or two of Africa and see what Zack has to say about that...

A SUPER BELATED BIRTHDAY POST

So, I have this little boy. His name is Hudson. He's my favorite boy in the whole universe. And a couple of months ago, he had a birthday. And not just any birthday...it was his 5th birthday. I got him an Indiana Jones cake just like he wanted. I took pictures to remember the day by. We got him lots of presents and had people over to party. And then, while knowingly (and perhaps intentionally) putting off a birthday post for a couple of weeks, I failed for several weeks to dedicate a post to my little man. And so, with a large cloud of guilt looming over my head (soon to float away) and feeling grateful that Hudson will just be excited to see his picture on my blog, I write a list of things that I love about my boy:

• He sounded like a donkey when he was born...cried so loud and low that my doctor even commented and kind of laughed about it.
• He has always been social and absolutely loves people. It started when he was a baby and hasn't ever changed.
• When I go in and kiss him goodnight and tell him that I love him before I turn in each night, he'll often mumble back, "I love you, too." in his sleep.
• He's a great helper. Whether it's emptying the dishwasher, bringing clothes to the laundry room, or cleaning up messes that he didn't make, I can almost always count on him to pitch in without complaint.
• He used to say "barries" for "batteries" and "buzzies" for "berries"...very confusing at times.
• He simply loves broccoli. You should see the looks on other shoppers' faces when he squeals with delight, "Mom! Broccoli is on sale!"
• He's very smart (both good and bad...try spelling words to keep things secret from a little kid when that kid can read).
• When someone else is hurt or obviously down, he's quick to show concern and empathy.
• He finally learned to consistently sleep through the night when he was 3 1/2 years old. Claire was only 3 months old and was sleeping better than he did until then. This may not seem like a good thing but I'm just beyond grateful that he finally started doing so.
• His imaginary friend, Seventy, brings a lot of smiles to my face.
• He is easy to feed...he loves his fruits and veggies, grains, meat, dairy, etc. He'll try anything at least once and likes almost everything. I wish that he could somehow teach his little sister to get with the program.
• He loves music and enjoys singing and dancing along with whatever is playing.
• Speaking of which, one of his favorite songs is Toto's old hit, Africa. He lights up whenever it starts.
• He still holds my hand and hugs and kisses me in public...I'm going to hang on to that as long as I can.
• As a toddler, he called himself "Sonny". No matter how we tried to get him to say his name, it always came out the same.
• He loves a good trip to the mall. Yes, seriously. When I say we're done, he'll actually ask that we go to "one more store." And then I reluctantly oblige.
• No one loves to cuddle like my boy. He wants to snuggle to get warm in the middle of the night, he loves to sit on my lap for no reason at all (this is great but he's getting a touch heavy at 55+ pounds), he'll hug just about anyone...he just likes to be close.
• He has outgrown his fear of owls and bats (absolutely no idea when either came from), thereby giving us many nights of uninterrupted sleep.
• Just like his mommy, he's a big fan of having breakfast foods for dinner.
• He thinks the word "butt" is funny. I said it in the car the other day and he laughed like no child has ever laughed before. There's just something about "potty talk"...
• He likes it when I wear my hair in a ponytail (when it's long enough)...how could I not love someone who prefers that I be lazy with my hair?
• He's quick to forgive and loves me in spite of the fact that I'm a bad mommy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SONNY!

Like the gum sticking out through his teeth on the side? I asked him to keep it hidden for the picture and this is what he did. That's my boy!