I had a wonderful birthday this year! The big 29 -- 360-ish days until I turn 30. Whatever! : ) Saturday we went to a family gathering, Sunday my girlfriend Jacqui came to visit, and Monday was a holiday so Kevin and I played hookie while the boys went to Blossom. Kevin, Jacqui, my mom and I went shopping at the Marysville Outlet Mall, and then we all spent an hour or so at the Tulalip Casino. Kevin and I both won!! Our winnings paid for our shopping trip! Super Bonus! Then the next day, my bithday, after my mom had gone home and with Kevin unfortunately sick in bed, the boys and I headed downtown after dinner for birthday dessert! It was an extremely special time for me, and I will remember it for a lifetime! They are truly the
best gift! We split a fire-roasted s'more and a brownie sundae with my girlfriend Danielle at La Fiama. The boys (well, Collin) sang me Happy Birthday, and we had a blast! I felt so lucky and so very blessed to have them and to share my special day with them!!! They make every moment the best!! Thanks to all for a fantastic birthday week!
At naptime this afternoon, Collin and I had just read a book, and he said something cute and very big-boyish. I cannot for the life of me remember what he said then, but I said, "I'm so proud of you, Collin." And he said, "Mmm, hmmm. I'm making better choices now." Wow! Where did that come from?
By the way, check these out if you're in the mood for a good chuckle! Collin's new favorite storybook character is Walter the Farting Dog. We've only read two in the series, but the stories are hilarious and twisted! Collin is fascinated!
"All the other tables at the big yard sale were crowded with customers ... (even with everything on the table marked down to a nickel) ... nobody came near their table.
I wonder why? asked Walter, farting thoughtfully. He was happy to be here even if nobody bought anything."
We just picked up our second book yesterday, and Collin asked that I read it three times before bed last night! 2.25.07
One Word: Yogurt!! (Second Word: More!!) 2.24.07
Our boys crack me up! I used to laugh at Collin's yearning for brooms and vaccuums. Now I realize, both of my boths have a love for the custodial arts! : )
Getting ready to head out the door for school Friday morning, Collin gathered his barrels of monkeys for "Show and Share." I was able to stay Friday morning and watch the kids sharing. It was so delightful! Each child in Collin's class brings an item to show every Friday morning, stands in front of the "circle," and tells their friends about their item. Then they pass it around and "share" it! When he was done telling his friends about the monkeys, Collin took them out one by one and passed them out to his friends so everyone could have a few and practice hanging them to one another! It was great fun! 2.22.07
We had a wonderful Saturday afternoon at a Carmody family gathering in Monroe February 17th! We are so fortunate to have so much family ~ and so many little ones now in the next generation wave! The boys especially enjoyed playing tee-ball in the big field and climbing in the jungle gym, and Kevin and his team played horseshoes on a winning streak for nearly four hours!
Collin gets very fearful when on a swing ~ looks like a form of motion sickness or fear of heights, but it only occurs on the swing. But Saturday, after a little "practice," Collin exlaimed, "Look! I'm swinging, Mommy! Not scared anymore!"
Owen shocked us by perfecting his pitching arm and throwing the ball overhand nearly five feet! That boy has an arm and an eye for that ball! He can hit from the tee and throw straight nearly every try!! (*He also can shoot the basketball up - not in our tall basket yet though ; hit the golf ball with the club - correctly; and put his hands together and
sometimes catch a ball!)
Owen started the morning February 17th with zero teeth - by that afternoon (13 months to the day of his birth), he had two! Congratulations, Owen!!
"There's room for me too, Mom!" Collin said as he climbed on the slide tower with Owen. Collin is starting to drop the "-my" from "Mommy." I am so going to miss that!
Collin and Owen are already quite the pair. Whenever I tell Collin he can't do something, he immediately tries to find a way to get Owen to do because he knows Owen won't get in as much trouble because Owen (potentially?!) still doesn't know better. For example, I'll ask Collin not to pull the paper off the easel roll. Collin will pull the roll to within Owen's reach and
put the paper in Owen's hand so that Owen pulls the paper down! Similarly, we were folding laundry the other day, and Collin threw a shirt over the gate and down the stairs. A quick talk from me, and Mr. Obedient was good as could be. Seconds later, he was handing clothes to his brother, who was squealling with delight as he pleased Collin and tossed the clothes down the stairwell. Both boys were roaring with laughter. And Collin was "being good, Mom!"
I presume any household full of testosterone is also full of footballs, basketballs, golf balls, soccer balls ... you name it ... if it has to do with sports, we've got it (or it's on its way!!) Collin and Owen just got a tee for tee-ball this Christmas, and they LOVE it! It is a favorite pasttime! But it's quickly going to be an "outdoor-only" pasttime as they are quickly mastering it! Both can now hit the ball across the room! *Each time Collin hits the ball, he exclaims: "I did it!" See Owen's current vocabulary list below! 2.12.07
Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles! The greatest challenge? Owen prefers to stand in the bathtub (slippery!), and Collin prefers to make BIG splashes (what a mess)! 2.10.07
Got Milk? 2.3.07
It may be a house full of boys, but there's a Mommy who does girl things too. And kids want to do everything Mommy and Daddy do - whether its mowing the lawn, vaccuuming the house, unloading the dishwasher, going potty on the toilet, or brushing another's hair - they mimic everything! So it really should come as no surprise that Collin is often trying on my highheeled shoes and loves to style his hair - product, iron, hair dryer and all. Below is a picture of Collin brushing Owen's hair after bath one night:
On weeknights after dinner, our house lights up with energy and fun as we all play and expend the last of our energy after a long day. Although I miss the boys every day when they are at school, I love the momentum the day gives to the evening! We have sooooo much fun! 1.31.07
Collin's new favorite sign is "I love you!" If he is talking to you on the phone and you say it to him, you can bet he's signing "I love you" back into the mouthpiece just for you to "hear!"
You can see from the torn tops of this plant that both Collin and Owen explored plant life by tearing off the tops of this wonderful Mother of Tongue that I picked up at a garage sale in West Seattle three years ago! What a find!
Owen is sharing new words with us daily! And he's sharing them with friends and family too! (Although usually never when we actually have someone on the line and are coaxing him to say hello!) Words in his current vocab: Bath, Banana, Bye-Bye, Mama, Dada, I-Did-It!, Milk, All Done, More, Cup, Duck, Ball ...
Collin's teacher Miss Lori V. had the class make bunny ears one day in early April ~ Collin wore them around the house for days!
EASTER BASKETS - Uh, BUCKETS! 4.8.07
Collin's transition preschool class homework was to complete a poster "All About Collin." Collin had a great time filling in the blanks and picking out the pictures.
I am 2 1/2 years old. My favorite color is green. My favorite animal is kitties and lots of elephants! My favorite food today is grilled cheese. This is what I look like: (Picture of Collin). My family: (Picture below). The bathtub is one of my favorite places. When I grow up, I want to be just like my dad. My favorite thing to do is draw pictures, use glue, and send them in the mail. If I had one wish, I would wish for a big bike and a lawnmower.
Above is Collin's first family picture. He drew circles for each head and a line down from each circle for the body. Then things got a little crazy. But he told me who each person was ... I love that Taylor, Marley and Aunt Chrissy made it into his family!
We ran a 5K Fun Run on the beautiful shores of Bellingham Bay Saturday in honor of my grandfather and to support the Alzheimer Society of Washington. It was a gorgeous morning for a run!! After the run, the boys especially enjoyed the live band and bowls of orange slices, bananas and oatmeal raisin breakfast cookies! While Owen and Daddy danced, Collin did his fair share of people watching. Watching them, I was reminded again ~ I couldn't ask for anything more. : )
Owen was (finally, fitfully) asleep in bed with us yesterday morning suffering a fever and double ear infection when Collin came strolling in to wake us all up ~ bright and early. Too early. With a "shhh, Owen's sick," a hug, and an "alley-up," the four of us squeezed into the bed. Collin gently covered Owen with one of Collin's two must-have blankets, put O's hand in his own, looked at me and said, "Owen's my best friend. I love him. Share my blankie with him and Mommy take care of him." Then he nodded, smiled, and, satisfied that I'd gotten the message, snuggled into me, and fell back asleep. I spent the last moments of "sleep" in a state of absolute rest and bliss. We are truly blessed! 
At naptime this afternoon, Collin and I had just read a book, and he said something cute and very big-boyish. I cannot for the life of me remember what he said then, but I said, "I'm so proud of you, Collin." And he said, "Mmm, hmmm. I'm making better choices now." Wow! Where did that come from?
Our boys crack me up! I used to laugh at Collin's yearning for brooms and vaccuums. Now I realize, both of my boths have a love for the custodial arts! : )
Getting ready to head out the door for school Friday morning, Collin gathered his barrels of monkeys for "Show and Share." I was able to stay Friday morning and watch the kids sharing. It was so delightful! Each child in Collin's class brings an item to show every Friday morning, stands in front of the "circle," and tells their friends about their item. Then they pass it around and "share" it! When he was done telling his friends about the monkeys, Collin took them out one by one and passed them out to his friends so everyone could have a few and practice hanging them to one another! It was great fun! 2.22.07
We had a wonderful Saturday afternoon at a Carmody family gathering in Monroe February 17th! We are so fortunate to have so much family ~ and so many little ones now in the next generation wave! The boys especially enjoyed playing tee-ball in the big field and climbing in the jungle gym, and Kevin and his team played horseshoes on a winning streak for nearly four hours!
Collin gets very fearful when on a swing ~ looks like a form of motion sickness or fear of heights, but it only occurs on the swing. But Saturday, after a little "practice," Collin exlaimed, "Look! I'm swinging, Mommy! Not scared anymore!"
Owen shocked us by perfecting his pitching arm and throwing the ball overhand nearly five feet! That boy has an arm and an eye for that ball! He can hit from the tee and throw straight nearly every try!! (*He also can shoot the basketball up - not in our tall basket yet though ; hit the golf ball with the club - correctly; and put his hands together and sometimes catch a ball!) 
Owen started the morning February 17th with zero teeth - by that afternoon (13 months to the day of his birth), he had two! Congratulations, Owen!!
"There's room for me too, Mom!" Collin said as he climbed on the slide tower with Owen. Collin is starting to drop the "-my" from "Mommy." I am so going to miss that!
Collin and Owen are already quite the pair. Whenever I tell Collin he can't do something, he immediately tries to find a way to get Owen to do because he knows Owen won't get in as much trouble because Owen (potentially?!) still doesn't know better. For example, I'll ask Collin not to pull the paper off the easel roll. Collin will pull the roll to within Owen's reach and put the paper in Owen's hand so that Owen pulls the paper down! Similarly, we were folding laundry the other day, and Collin threw a shirt over the gate and down the stairs. A quick talk from me, and Mr. Obedient was good as could be. Seconds later, he was handing clothes to his brother, who was squealling with delight as he pleased Collin and tossed the clothes down the stairwell. Both boys were roaring with laughter. And Collin was "being good, Mom!"
I presume any household full of testosterone is also full of footballs, basketballs, golf balls, soccer balls ... you name it ... if it has to do with sports, we've got it (or it's on its way!!) Collin and Owen just got a tee for tee-ball this Christmas, and they LOVE it! It is a favorite pasttime! But it's quickly going to be an "outdoor-only" pasttime as they are quickly mastering it! Both can now hit the ball across the room! *Each time Collin hits the ball, he exclaims: "I did it!" See Owen's current vocabulary list below! 2.12.07
Bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles! The greatest challenge? Owen prefers to stand in the bathtub (slippery!), and Collin prefers to make BIG splashes (what a mess)! 2.10.07
Got Milk? 2.3.07
It may be a house full of boys, but there's a Mommy who does girl things too. And kids want to do everything Mommy and Daddy do - whether its mowing the lawn, vaccuuming the house, unloading the dishwasher, going potty on the toilet, or brushing another's hair - they mimic everything! So it really should come as no surprise that Collin is often trying on my highheeled shoes and loves to style his hair - product, iron, hair dryer and all. Below is a picture of Collin brushing Owen's hair after bath one night:
Kevin gave me a dozen roses this February to celebrate our fifth year together. They were absolutely beautiful! The boys agreed when, as all cut flowers do, the roses ultimately wilted, and I let Collin and Owen peel off the silky petals from the prickly stem. I was surprised to see them both discover their rose a petal at a time. 2.2.07
On weeknights after dinner, our house lights up with energy and fun as we all play and expend the last of our energy after a long day. Although I miss the boys every day when they are at school, I love the momentum the day gives to the evening! We have sooooo much fun! 1.31.07
Collin's new favorite sign is "I love you!" If he is talking to you on the phone and you say it to him, you can bet he's signing "I love you" back into the mouthpiece just for you to "hear!"
You can see from the torn tops of this plant that both Collin and Owen explored plant life by tearing off the tops of this wonderful Mother of Tongue that I picked up at a garage sale in West Seattle three years ago! What a find!
Owen is sharing new words with us daily! And he's sharing them with friends and family too! (Although usually never when we actually have someone on the line and are coaxing him to say hello!) Words in his current vocab: Bath, Banana, Bye-Bye, Mama, Dada, I-Did-It!, Milk, All Done, More, Cup, Duck, Ball ...
1.29.07
And last but not least ... I have FINALLY moved into my new office! I'm sharing a space in downtown Bellingham with another attorney and a guardian ad litem, and it is perfect! I love working away from the distraction of a pile of laundry, a running dishwasher, and a mountain of other things that I'd rather (or rather not!) be doing! And since I'm still trying to work only part-time, sharing a space is perfect to keep the overhead low. We've only been moved in for the last week or so, but so far so good. It's definitely a step up from meeting my clients at the local Starbucks (although I do miss the coffee!) But from where I sit, the view is fantastic! You can't see well in the pictures because they were taken on a foggy morning on my first day in, but the harbor and marina are just over the rooftops a couple blocks and "just" outside my window. 
