Inappropriate Conversation with Milo

And now it's that time in the blog where I like to present Inappropriate Conversation with Milo...

Me: "Milo, please quit playing in the bathroom and sit on the potty!"
Milo: "But Mommy, I'm a player!"
No.

Milo: "Mommy, I need a hooker."
Me: "Excuse me?"
Milo: "You know, one of those things you hang clothes on and hook people with."
No.

Milo: "Nana, do you have milk, too?"
Me: "Milo, what exactly are you asking Nana?"
Milo: "Nana, do you make baby milk, too?"
Mom: "Well, sweetie, I used to, but that ship has sailed."
No.

That's all for today, folks.

Gymnastics

I have the absolute best intentions all the time of posting more than once a week, but life is hectic these days! How do people with more than one child get anything done? My fabulous friend Amanda is about to give birth to baby number five any day now, and I am in constant awe of her and my mom (who also had five). That said, my two people are busy busy busy, so therefore, I am, too, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I have no earthly clue how Amanda or Mom managed.

So let me just tell you, gymnastics is our twice-weekly adventure. And when I say that I mean, Milo has an amazing time and I have an adventure trying to entertain Lucy for an hour without letting her escape and climb the equipment. This adventure usually involves animal crackers and a fair amount of wrestling, but I digress... Two thumbs up for the city parks & rec department and Milo's amazing teacher Amy!

The rings are his favorite. Hi, Lucy!

Backbends over the wedge.

A somersault in three parts. One...

Two...

And three!!!

More backbend practice.

And a gratuitous Lucy picture, just because she's so beautiful.

The mother of all messes

Happy Monday! Have you ever looked at the disastrous mess that your house has become and seriously considered throwing away all your little people's toys so a mess this level can never occur again? Right... Me either...

Oh Lucy Lu, with those big blue eyes.

Kids in (small) robes part 1.

Kids in (small) robes part 2.

Milo blowing bubbles (artsy edit).

Level change

I got a new camera a little while ago and have been slowly but surely learning the ropes. I've also been playing around with Photoshop, and today I worked on changing the levels on a few photos. That's the only change I made to them, and I think they turned out pretty nicely. When you have subjects this perfect to work with, it's hard to get a bad picture...

 

I know this one is super grainy, but I had to include it because of Lucy's expression and those gorgeous eyes.

These eyes.

Milo wasn't even posing for this. He's just THAT photogenic. It's ridiculous.

We took Milo to see Planes 2 and now he's positive he wants to be a firefighter. This was him in full garb.

Lucy Laughing

Okay, and just in case the sound of a baby laughing is one of your favorite things (as it is mine), here's a low-light, crazy-haired (on my part) gem for you.

Yes, this girl is a tiny little party when she wants to be...

And a LEGGY little party at that.

She is totally making MY face. I love it.

Milo's Eating Song

In case you needed something to brighten up your day, Milo has a little song for you. He has, in fact, been singing pretty much non-stop for a while here, and I think he's definitely a singer/songwriter in the making... Just try to keep this catchy tune out of your head. I dare you.

New pjs

New pjs are to my little people what new undies are to me - absolute and total bliss. Nate bought Milo and Lucy both new pjs, and they were so cute and delighted (and tired - look at poor Lucy's face) that I had to take a few pictures.

Milo was pretty positive that he needed a thumbs-up and a strong hand on the hip. Guess he's got posing to flatter his angles down.

Dresser project

Well, I'll just say it. A dresser refinish is a lot more exciting if you have a before picture... But I just wanted to share this anyway. You know I love a project, and if I've never done it before it's even better. This dresser has lived in our garage since I was pregnant with Milo, and before then, it lived in Gary and Amanda's garage. It's not that it was awful. It was just outdated - olive green with dainty flowers painted in random places. And some child had gone at a few of the drawers with a marker, so there was no helping it except to start over.

So I did! I primed the heck out of this with Kilz, which makes me feel better because I think it also protects the piece (or do I just want to think that?). I've been itching to try some ChauxBelle chalk paint because it's made by a local vendor, who also happened to be one of the best teachers Conner ever had. This project was the perfect chance, and I actually really loved it. The chalk paint covered over the marker drawing that even two coats of Kilz didn't.

I went through two rounds of knobs, because the first ones were flat against the drawers and completely pointless. This is an old dresser and the drawers tend to stick, so I needed something that people could actually grab ahold of. It worked out, because these were my favorite knobs in the first place, and they were on sale when I went back to return the first set.

The dresser hung out for a bit before I decided that it needed more, so I mixed up a faux glaze with a dark brown paint and wiped it on with an old cloth diaper. It was my first attempt at that, and I think it turned out well. I definitely learned a lot and am excited to try it again...

So, without further ado, here is Gary and Amanda's new dresser!!!!!!

Newsprint action

Just to make up for the melancholy...

Creation

Most days I don't sit down the entire day.
I rarely have a chance to check my email (although, let's be honest, it's all junk mail anyway).
I am immersed in laundry and cleaning, and as soon as I get one room clean, I turn around and it's been demolished all over again.
When I go to the bathroom, tiny hands pound on the door and little voices chime, "Mama! Mama!"
I don't get a second to myself.
Being a mommy is this weird, wonderful occurrence that literally takes over your whole life, and I'm still getting used to what it means to be a mommy and anything else.
And for some reason, in the midst of all of this, I find myself really desperate to create. I am knitting, sewing, painting, refinishing, photographing... Maybe just to prove to myself and just one other person that I am still capable of something?
Anyway, just a small rant on a day where I haven't blogged in a long time. Nate's precious Nannie passed away last week, and it's like the entire week just disappeared into a black hole. So, not a lot to say, other than we're dealing with a lot here.
Here's to a better week?