Monday, September 30, 2013

September Round-Up

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We blogged a lot this summer, and since we didn't have a working computer and/or were traveling for much of that time, we wrote a whole lot of blog posts in a small period of time. It was a bit draining. So after Nora's birthday party (which was after Nora's birthday, which was after school started which was after Owen's birthday party which was...), we decided we needed a break. A little time apart. To get some perspective on it all.

But now we're back, and complete with a highlights reel:

  • Nora started ballet/tap
  • Owen started another season of t-ball
  • We went to the last Nats home-game of the season (ok, technically the second to last -- they had to make up a rained out game afterwards, but ours was the last scheduled one).
  • The Nats were eliminated from the playoffs
  • Owen started cub scouts
  • and Allen and I took in a cultural event at the 9:30 club

And with that, we prepare ourselves for a fun filled October...

Monday, September 09, 2013

Party Foul


Nora's birthday party was supposed to be easy -- it was our fourth party at The Little Gym and as it didn't involve me being 9+ months pregnant (the first one) or a tornado (the third one), we figured this one would be pretty simple. But while innocently confirming our pizza order late in the afternoon on Friday, I discovered that the powers that be were under the mistaken impression that the party (which I had booked six weeks before) began at 6:30 pm rather than the contracted 4:30 pm and that another party had been scheduled for the same time.

It was then that the panic set in. Even if I was ok with having 15 four year olds from all over the metro area (which means some of them had to drive an hour each way to get to the fete) celebrating Nora's birthday from 6:30 to 8:00 pm on a Saturday night (and to be clear, I wasn't), I wasn't sure how to contact them all to inform them of the change given several were daycare friends who's only contact info I had was their parents' work emails which aren't necessarily the best way to contact folks on a Friday night.

For an hour I kept leaving increasingly hysterical voicemails to The Little Gym (which hadn't responded to my email with the confirmation info and wasn't taking my calls). I called Grandpa Don to ask if I had any legal recourse. I discussed with Mom Mom alternative party venues that could accommodate 15 little kids that might have an opening in the next 24 hours. I drank a lot of wine.

And then I got the magical email apologizing and saying that the party was still on. (They called later and offered to give us the party for free if we took the later time slot, but we demurred).

We arrived the next afternoon with a feeling of trepidation, but despite the confusion and anxiety, it ended up being a pretty amazing party. All the kids had a really good time, Nora loved being the center of attention, and her friend Lizzie even proclaimed it "the best party ever."

Which made us feel pretty good about things...till Owen asked Nora on the way home where she wanted to have her next birthday party.

(Special thanks to Mia, Ben, Violet, Lizzie, Hazel, Jo Jo, Curtis, Miyako, Erin, Evan, Makayla, and Natalie for spending this afternoon with us. To see all the party pics, please click here).

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Inbetween

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Because Nora's birthday is invariably around Labor Day and because her birthday is only 11 days after Owen's, we always move her friends' celebration back a week to maximize party attendance as well as give ourselves a three day reprieve. And so, instead of corralling 15 four year olds around over the weekend, we:

And on the third day we rested in preparation for the second week of school (and subsequent corralling of said four year olds).

Calder

Sunday, September 01, 2013

The Fantastic Four

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I once heard a report on NPR that cuteness peaks at age three. The argument was that babies needed to be attractive in order to convince parents to care for them, but once they hit age four, they were self-sufficient enough that the biological imperative to be beautiful began to fade.

I've never been able to find the study since, mind you, but I believe it. In part because it's hard to imagine Nora becoming any more adorable than she was this year (when she wasn't on the floor kicking and screaming, that is). But mostly it's because a year ago, we had a cute toddler still in diapers (barely), who napped (sometimes), and used a bee bee, and now we have a little girl who doesn't require any of that (well, maybe the nap at times), who goes to school, can "read," and pretty much runs the whole show. And while I'm so proud of how independent Nora has become, I hope she still "needs" us for many years to come. Happy Birthday, baby girl, I love you so, so much.

  1. Strike a pose.
  2. Breakfast dessert, lunch dessert and dinner dessert are all real things. Snack dessert is just crazy talk.
  3. When life gives you lemons, ask for Pink Lemonade.
  4. Princess tea parties are the best.
  5. It's all about the accessories.
  6. There is reading, and then there is "reading".
  7. Mmmm, s'mores.
  8. Sometimes, you just need a hug.
  9. "Excuse me..."
  10. And in the immortal words of Alan Watts, "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance."
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