houpley

This weekend our marriage survived: a giant, all-day garage sale in the baking summer sun purchasing a new lawnmower (since the old one died in the grass somewhere between an ominous mound of blooming clover and a tiny blow-up baby pool) a sleepless night of ear infection madness 12 trips to the grocery store the selling and reselling and now again selling of a refrigerator drunken scrapbooking an endless search for swim shoes However, weekend highlights included: hearing Jack endlessly greet every garage sale customer spending time with Nonnie enjoying a totally cleared out garage selling a giant box full of old quilting magazines, a water ski rope and the aforementioned totally broken lawnmower (truly niche market items) watching Jack squeal with delight when he discovered we were shopping for lawnmowers seeing a Giant Pyrenees doing his shopping at Lowe's watching Jack ride a tricycle in the aisles at Target (is it wrong to reach toddler milestones at a major retailer?) using th...

Can grammar be funny? Turns out, yes! My mother recommended this book to me and I'm so glad she did. It is hilarious. Rarely does a book make me laugh out loud. I'm half way through this and have found myself chuckling at that silly comma and chortling over apostrophes. Maybe this is because I have always had an interest in writing and grammar, but I think a lot of people would get a kick out of this text. Release your inner stickler. It even comes with a cute correction kit for when you're cruising the mall and are assaulted by all the incorrect apostrophes just stabbing you in the eye.

Jackson loves his strawberries. Doesn't everyone? And when he says the word it will absolutely suffocate you with adorableness. Seriously, my heart can only take it a few times before I start to uncontrollably squeal at his sweetness. He pronounces the delicious fruit like so: "Mama! More sta-bap-pys, peas!" and once he has recieved a few more: "Sta-bap-pys! Sta-bap-pys! Sta-bap-pys!" At that point I have passed out from chronic-cute exposure on the kitchen floor. What kid-mispronunciations melted your heart?

So anyone who has ever spent more than ten minutes with me knows about Jackson's battle with his ears and related infections. I tend to ramble when it comes to ears, drainage, tubes and antibiotics. I'd like to think that after all of Jack's ear drama, I'm somewhat of an expert on all things ear. Gotta ear infection question? treatment idea? questionable antibiotic? etc. Ask me. We've done it all. As has most of our family, considering it appears to be a genetic issue. Everybody has a tube story don't they? This morning, after Eric scooped him up and brought him into bed for some a.m. cuddling, I noticed a tiny something peeking out of Jackson's ear. I've become obsessed with looking in his ear, so it is just habit to do a quick glance. And low and behold there it was. Resting there. Mocking me. Tiny and round. The tube. The very expensive, teensy tube just resting on his teensy ear flap. Bummer. We made it nine months. It's like the tube had had eno...

After making mounds and mounds of blueberry pancakes on his new griddle, Eric made a personal discovery. "I am truly a man now that I have my own griddle." Then we all burst into song about his griddle. It sounded much like the O'Brother Where Art Thou theme song except with more breakfast terminology.

One of my favorite things as a parent is waking up to that baby just singing and chattering to himself in his bed. This morning he sang and held numerous conversations with himself for an hour. It just may be the most perfect sound.

While I have taken Jackson to a few baby yoga classes in the past, I haven't done so in a very long time. However, there may be no need as he appears to be self taught. Last night, my back suddenly wrenched itself and I was in such pain I tried a variety of stretches on the living room floor. Jackson was aimlessly playing, walking around chattering and singing when suddenly I noticed during a particular stretch it had fallen quiet. I turned my head to the right and there he was next to me in a downward dog position. He turned his face toward me and beamed. "Hi, Mama!," he chirped while his little head was upside down. As if this is what we do on a random Thursday night. And then I recalled our day at the park a while back, where he began an impromptu yoga class in the middle of a field of daffodils. My boy. He is a natural.

Well folks, the day is quickly approaching. With Jackson repeating words all day and naming all his body parts, we have been polling various family members and close friends for what they ended up naming certain...uh...parts. While we plan to go with accurate, anatomical terms (because we can't stand those silly pee-pee and wee-wee names) we think a term for the general area would be helpful. We would prefer an easy to pronounce, not too embarrassing term. The following is a list of various names that are or were used for males or females among our family and friends. (I think you will be able to tell which was which and maybe even who volunteered what.) Some are creative, some crass and some...well...enjoy! Baboo Spaetzel Betty Ding-dong Pud Datz-so-lone (je) Private body Bobar Junk Hootie-hoo Front bottom Big Jim and the twins Isn't family so helpful? So now I am polling you! Gotta favorite? What worked for your child(ren)?

Our Monday evening conversation just before bath time: Jackson: Mama! Bird! Bird! Me: I see him. That's a robin. Jackson: Robin! Mama: That's right. Silence. Jackson moves in to get a closer look. Jackson: Hi bird! Hi bird! Hiiiiiiii! Silence. Bird hops a bit to the left. Jackson approaches bird. Jackson: Hug?

Jack's Personal Top 5 List of Absolute Favorite Things To Do: (in no ranking order) 1. Watching anyone mow a lawn. Watching Eric is of course the most preferred, however any neighbor mowing is an absolute treat. He will stand at the door and watch the neighbor plug in her electric mower, and won't move a muscle while he watches her in awe. When the neighbor adjacent to our lot began weedeating, he was mesmerized. 2. Watching Elvis act out his post-poop-dog-crazies dance. Jack will squeal, stomp and clap - encouraging the barrel racing action, as Elvis rounds every piece of furniture in his wild poop-celebration. Afterwards, Jack annouces the "dog silly." 3. Triple hugs. When I scoop him up in my arms upon coming home, he always reaches out another arm to get Eric in on the hugging action or vice versa. Then he loves for his face to be smushed between ours completing the triple hug. 4. Marshmallows. One weekend mom brought a bag, and I started giving him mini marshm...

Today marked the first time Jackson met an earthworm. The initial meeting was so successful it caused the boy to burst into giggles in between bouts of song. The worm was much obliging and reacted appropriately after each poke by increasing worm-squirm. An event that only added more joy to Jackson's day of yard work. By the third earthworm discovery, the excitement had not worn off. There was much inspecting, minor poking and unlimited squealing. It was a good day.

Mark the date. Mark the time. Write it down, because last night our teenager from the future arrived. Last night, during his bath Jack was staring sweetly into my face sweetly repeating: "Hi, Mama! Hi, Mama! Mama!" and then slowly it transformed.... "Mama! ... Mana! ... Manda! Manda! Manda!" and then he paused....grinned.... and began shouting: "Eric! Eric! Manda! Eric!" So I guess we're all on a first-name basis, now.

If she ever placed her cool hand to your feverish forehead... If she taught you how to pluck your eyebrows... If she ever kept your secret... If she ever braided your hair... If she softly corrected your grammar... If she hated someone for you... If she loved someone just because you did... If she ironed your gown just before graduation... If she attended your wedding... If she laughed at your lame joke... If she has ever cared for your dog while you were away... If she loves you as her own... If she loves your children as her own... ...then she has mothered.

Fun Parenting Game No. 22 When Parent #1 does the final bedtime-blanket check, it is fun for Parent #2 to make several short, but loud and awkward noises from the other room to see if Parent #1 can get out of the room in time before Parent #2's silly sounds wake up that baby. What? It's fun to watch Eric fling his body out of the nursery and into the hallway just as Jackson begins to slightly stir.

Last weekend we attended a good friend's wedding. There were good friends, good music, odd pinatas and 1,000 paper cranes. His suit was striped, soft gray and simple. Very elegant. Her dress was vintage strapless. Yellow flowers in her hair. The event was rained out and moved indoors but we made do and enjoyed the band, the banter and the bar. Plus that one groomsman was hott. You'll have to see more at our flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/73102019@N00/

I have never been one to use or enjoy cliché’s when it comes to marriage and relationships. But sometimes you can't help it. They ring so true. However, when I see the phrase "all because two people fell in love" it does make me stop and think for a moment about its truth. There is, of course, always truth in clichés - hence their clichéness. And I always feel that truth most when I see this phrase. The words have trickled onto day-to-day items, cards, home decor, etc. I think of it even more so as Mother's Day creeps closer. I think how the family line as I know it, all began because my grandmother met a boy. Because another grandmother had a boy. Because a girl kisses a boy under a college-campus tree and so it begins. A tiny spark. A small moment. All spreading branches on the family tree. Damn if it wasn't all because two people fell in love. UPDATE: Crazy. But after I wrote this, Eric took me to a Japanese restaurant for Mother's Day. There we were - the ...