A Year of Oliver

Today our little Rocket turns one! This has been one of the greatest and most challenging years of my life and I wouldn’t change one minute of it. He is more amazing than we could have ever imagined.

Happy birthday, Ollie! We love you!

Then

Now

I Am Spending Thanksgiving at Moonspun’s.

Well at least in the blogging sense. I am guest-blogging for the lovely Moonspun, today.

I will be back for more blogging, after your regularly scheduled program.

Everyday Life – Family Photo

8250

Pronunciation: ’ā-tē • ’tü • ’fif-tē

Number of teeth that Rocket has. Four on top and four on the bottom. The two middle top teeth are so big and they have a huge gap between them. So damn cute!

Number of paintings I have completed in the last week. So excited! I will try to remember to post pictures of them.

Total number of steps Rocket has taken all on his own. Two to me and three to his daddy. I can’t wait for this kid to start walking!

Amount of help Rocket needs getting off the couch. Mr. Smarty Pants already knows how to turn himself around to drop off feet first.

For Today

* I stole this idea from Ali Edwards. She’s a creative lady, she is. Not because of this post, per se, but all of the other marvelous things she does.*

For Today : October 16th

Outside my window…view of the mountains, kids walking to and from school, horses in the field across the way.

I am thinking…I am in need of some serious inspiration in my life.

I am thankful for… our beautiful, healthy little boy. I am thankful for my incredible husband. I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful that I will get to see Heather and her beautiful new baby, again, on Sunday. i am thankful that I have the opportunity to teach art to a bunch of crazy youngsters.

From the kitchen…Bacon wrapped filet mignon, parmesan mashed potatoes, and corn. Dessert – chocolate cake. Mmmhmm…that’s right.

I am wearing…Banana republic jeans, pink ribbed sweater, white tank top, brown leather flats.

I am creating…paintings for Jer’s office, cards to send out for the holidays, my first minibook, other random art projects as the mood strikes.

I am going…to hang out with my friend Amber tomorrow and have an Austen Powers marathon. She has never seen these movies and, well, that is just unacceptable.

I am reading…The Singing by Allison Croggin and Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black by John Feinstein. To Oliver I am reading The Berenstain Bears and the Spooky Old Tree. Got to get him in the mood for Halloween!!

I am hoping…for….I don’t know what I am hoping for. I will have to get back to you on that one.

I am hearing…the sound of Jeremy typing, Muse playing in the background, and Oliver breathing.

Around the house…there are art projects. Paintings in progress are leaned up around the kitchen. Craft projects are scattered on the table.

One of my favorite things…is seeing Oliver’s face light up when Jer comes home from work.

A few plans for the rest of the week…baby blessing on Sunday, photo session on Monday with my mom’s students, followed up by an art lesson on Friday.

A picture to share…

We sure do love our tubby time. The bathroom floor and me are usually soaked by the time all the splashing subsides.

What was your day like?

Another side note: Has anyone seen or heard from LilSass? She seems to be MIA

Everyday Life – Kilroy

Remember When…?

Remember when I said that I hoped to pass my love of reading onto Rocket? I think my dream has already come true! He LOVES being read to. He will actually dig a book out from the bottom of his toy box, crawl over to where you are, and hold the book in your face as he is climbing onto your lap. Then he will sit there, forever, while you read book after book after book to him. Sometimes when he is playing by himself, he will grab a few books and look through them over and over. If the book is upside down, he will even correct its orientation so that he is reading it the right way. How funny is that!

Remember when Oliver had two teeth? He now has twice that amount. A third came in on the bottom and recently a top tooth has made its entrance into the world. He likes to click his bottom teeth against his top tooth, and his face is so damn cute when he does it.

Remember when I said I stopped using that bullshit Babywise method? Well, for the past month or so, I have been doing pretty much everything that that book said we should absolutely not do. Like feeding your baby to sleep, and going into their room to comfort them everytime they fussed, etc. etc. And you know what? It’s fucking working!! For the past week Rocket hasn’t cried at all when we have put him to bed for the night. AAAAANNNNDDD for the past three days he has slept from about 8PM straight through until 7AM. (I believe!! Halelujiah!!) So if anyone ever hands you this book and tells you it worked wonders for them, calmly take it from their hands and then SLAP THEM REPEATEDLY IN THE FACE WITH IT. Babywise, my ass.

Spransy Quote of the Weekend – Portland Style

This weekend Jeremy, my parent’s, and I went to Portland. These are some of the choice things heard during that trip.

*Said while driving into the parking lot of our hotel*
Mom: Get out of the way, dickhead.

Dad: Sir, your head looks like a dick.

*Said while on the way to The Grotto, The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother*
Mom: This sanctuary better be serene or I’m going to be fucking pissed.

*Said while relating a past banana split experience*
Dad: I ordered a banana split once, and when I reached the end I realized there was no freaking banana! When I told the waitress she said, ‘Do you want me to bring you a banana?’ No! You can take that banana and shove it up your banana shove space!

*Said after Jer expressed concern over setting the dirty stroller wheels on my mom’s sweater*
Dad: It wouldn’t be the first time my dirty wheels have been on that sweater.

*Said in defense of his earlier comments*
Dad: I don’t say things that are dirty, I make innuendos. I just follow it up by saying I don’t know what that means.

Me: Right, because that makes it ok.

Dad: Hey, “dirty wheels” isn’t dirty.

Me: It is when you say it.

My Child? Stubborn? Please. I Wrote the Book on Stubborn.

After about an hour of fighting with Rocket to go to sleep, laying him down in his crib, letting him cry for increasingly longer periods each time, we decided that the only option left was to let him cry it out for as long as it took. We knew he was tired. We could hear him stop to yawn in the middle of his crying. We would see him, as we looked up at his room from the kitchen, standing half asleep with his head resting on the rail of his crib. Finally after about twenty minutes there was quiet.

Jeremy crept upstairs to make sure he was ok, then steps out of Rocket’s room and, with a whispered laugh, says, “Sus, you have to come see this. Bring your camera.”

We both tried to muffle our giggles as I took a picture of this.

New Kick Ass Tricks.

Jeremy taught Rocket how to throw his rubber ducky and they had their first game of catch.

Rocket gives hugs and says “Oooooohhh” when he does it.

He can almost get down off the couch by himself.

He bounces to the beat whenever there is music playing.

He can turn the lights off with the light switch.

As you can tell from the nature of this post, I don’t have a lot of time to write. I will try to write something more in the near future.