spring training

mommy, spring is here!

Yes it is… and we couldn’t be happier!

easter fun

It’s over? I go back to school today? Daddy goes back to work? Gee-gee and Poppy go back to Plattsburgh? But who’s coming over to play today? Where are all the snacks? There are no eggs to find? How does anyone expect a 4 year old to come off a weekend like this and fall back into schedule without argument?

I have to say, it was much easier than I anticipated this morning but I had extra ammunition today. Yes, weapons of mass destruction in my son’s world. Weapons that could make him do anything I ask… get his coat on, jump, pick up his toys, brush his teeth, leapfrog over his sister to get dressed, and most anything else. Weapons so strong they make even the hardiest of 4 year olds weak and easily swayed into doing things in seconds flat… even those things that usually take 10-15 minutes. Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Some parents despise the use of these weapons. But not me! In fact, I’m in cahoots with a sneaky rabbit that floods my house with the goods once a year on Easter morning. Yes, my friends, my weapon, also my worst enemy (I’m now back to my pre-stomach virus weight) is the almighty C.A.N.D.Y. My son will do anything for it!

Here’s his expression after following the jelly bean trail to his hidden basket packed full of sweets, games, art stuff, and other goodies on Easter morning…

And here’s the best photo of the kiddos Easter morning. That’s sarcasm really (there is no best photo… not even a good one) but the rest are actually comical and I plan to put into a storyboard and post for you chuckling moms to peek at a bit later. Kyra was pissed that I wouldn’t let her dig and eat the dirt and grass beyond the blanket, and Brendan, ready and willing for the first 5 minutes (after I bribed him to take off his new Policeman costume… which by the way comes with handcuffs… more on this later) quickly became annoyed with the sun, the wind, and his sister!

It was a fun weekend! Highlights for the kids definitely included the egg hunt here at the house, and having Logan and Lauren to play with on Easter. I’ll post some photos later. The highlight for Pete and I was definitely going out to dinner with two couple friends of ours. Sorry, no photos from that! Let’s admit it’s rare to have a dear friend that you enjoy spending time with whose other half doesn’t make you (or your spouse) cringe at the thought of getting together as couples. I’m so lucky to have friends with awesome husbands… and the husbands even get along! How that happened, I don’t know… but the few times we have the chance to get together make for a really great time and I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

More egg hunt photos:

More Easter photos:

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well!

slow day on the blog today, huh?

Incredibly busy with Easter, finishing up a couple projects, launching the new business, and cleaning my house. Remember how I said I was going to try not to go overboard with the egg hunt? Okay, blew that!

But as you can see, I’m still making time for what’s really important… playing with my kids! We kind of look Dr Seussish, don’t you think??? We’ll be seeing Horton Hears a Who on Thursday… can’t wait!

happy st patrick’s day

Brendan: “Mommy, we’re really lucky that our house is green.”

Me: “Really? Why?” [I've often scoffed at the color of our house since we bought it 10 years ago]

Brendan: “Because, it’s already green so we don’t have to do anything to it for St Patrick’s Day!”

Unless he’s in the mood, I rarely get much more detail into his thinking beyond the initial bomb he drops but I have to say, I am so curious as to what he thinks we would have done to our house today if it weren’t green…???

look who’s waiting for the easter bunny

Thank you Lindsay and Jenn (and Alice, of course) for such a fun morning! I love this photo! The beautiful Lindsay and her gorgeous Mom, Jenn. It’s just so girlie-girl and I love Mom’s expression. Here’s a few other favs…

See more photos from this shoot at my flickr or click the “more pictures” link in the my flickr sidebar.

on a happier note

I’ve finally got a new biz name and logo that will take over tjm creative! Thanks to my creative soulmate and most wonderful friend, Ang, who, like hubby, continues to believe in me even when I doubt myself (yea, it does happen now and then!) Kyra starts daycare part time in the Fall so I’m really going to promote the heck out of my work as soon as my new website is up and running (which all of you who know me knows might take a bit because I am totally obsessive!) It’s killed me to turn down jobs here and there because I just haven’t had the time to commit to turning around quality projects with quick deadlines but that’ll change in October. My hope is to be able to continue to work from home for 3 obvious reasons — Brendan, Kyra, and Pete. So look for a mass e-mail noting the name change, a totally updated website, and lots of new projects to check out!

In the meantime, I’m booked right now but should be available for new projects beginning mid-April. Feel free to contact me to discuss time frames.

teeth

Yup, you really do need them! Poor you, I know it hurts. They say most adults couldn’t stand the pain of a tooth pushing through their gums. Trust me, Kyra, we are waiting just as anxiously as you are for those little buggers to come in. I hate to see you in pain and it’s just not like you to be so cranky. I’m looking forward to a little (well, more than a little would be ideal) sleep again. Although, who am I kidding? There hasn’t been good sleep in this house for a little over 4 years… feel better tootsie!

expectations

You had a rough night. Nothing seemed to be going your way and the weekend (and 3 birthday parties later) has definitely done a number on you. After our story in bed, you were so still I thought you were already asleep when you sat up and told me you thought you should go downstairs and say “sorry” to Daddy for yelling at him.

I don’t know whether to celebrate proudly that we are finally getting through to you the fact that the world does not revolve around Brendan alone, or if I should worry that we’re expecting too much from a sensitive 4 year old and negatively affecting your sense of self. You’re definitely a deep thinker — I have no doubt you will significantly impact the world someday — but are we making you a worrier along the way? You continue to melt my heart in those moments… at least for the 60 seconds before I start to over-analyze!

complete

Today we all appeared in Family Court, where Kyra’s adoption was finalized. Though we’ve already been a family since she entered our lives, today dotted the I’s and crossed the T’s and we couldn’t be happier!

Since we had to appear at 8:45AM, we made a mini trip out of the whole thing traveling up on Monday, staying in a hotel, and the most fun of all, swimming in the hotel pool!

A very proud big brother!

for that special someone

Easter isn’t just for the kiddies! Remember Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Godparents, and the other special people in your life with a custom altered frame. There’s still time! Contact me to discuss your custom design needs or visit my website at tjmcreative.com for other design ideas.

brendanism #101

“Daddy, I need lots of strings for my fingers. Because I forgot everything I was going to tell everybody.”