Showing posts with label pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pictures. Show all posts
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Happy Mother's Day, 2013.
Happy Mother's Day! We had a lovely day yesterday having a picnic in the park with our family, and then my mom and I continued the celebration today with lunch and pedicures. I'm grateful my mom is such a great part of my life, and I'm grateful for the little dude who made me a mom too.
Monday, February 11, 2013
George's first trip to Epcot.
How did I never post this? Back in December, George went to his second ever Disney theme park, Epcot. This park is my all-time favorite, and I have so many good memories of going there as a kid with my family. Riding on Spaceship Earth, walking around the countries, meeting Figment (my all-time favorite character, which is why there are a bunch of Figments in the nursery). With all this nostalgia fueling me, I was especially excited to have the opportunity to introduce my son to this park.
George was a bit excited too.
Although that excitement might have had a little something to do with all of his friends joining us at Epcot too.
Also, fishies.
And his daddy.
And more fishies. After we left the Living Seas, I put the camera away for a good while and just focused on enjoying my family and friends.
It was such an awesome day, and I am so grateful we were able to go. We hit nearly all of my favorite attractions, including Journey Into The Imagination. Of course, the thing that ended up amusing George the most was water dripping from the monorail track. He stood there for several minutes, waiting for water to hit his head.
Life is good, guys. And my thanks to our friends who made it possible for us to go to Disney and to share our love of the parks with George.
George was a bit excited too.
Although that excitement might have had a little something to do with all of his friends joining us at Epcot too.
Also, fishies.
And his daddy.
And more fishies. After we left the Living Seas, I put the camera away for a good while and just focused on enjoying my family and friends.
It was such an awesome day, and I am so grateful we were able to go. We hit nearly all of my favorite attractions, including Journey Into The Imagination. Of course, the thing that ended up amusing George the most was water dripping from the monorail track. He stood there for several minutes, waiting for water to hit his head.
Life is good, guys. And my thanks to our friends who made it possible for us to go to Disney and to share our love of the parks with George.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
George's first time meeting Mickey (and first trip to Hollywood Studios).
So, this happened:
What you don't see is everything that lead up to this moment. This was George's first time at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and it was on my bucket list for him to finally meet Mickey. To give you some context, the kid loves Mickey.
He even took some of his first steps while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:
George will hand us the television remote and ask for Mickey. The kid knows what he wants. So when I told him he was going to meet Mickey, I didn't necessarily think he knew what was coming, but I did know it was going to make an impact.
And it did. George's eyes lit up as soon as he saw Mickey Mouse. Squeals of "Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, Miiiiiiiiickeeeeeey!" began emanating from his smiling mouth.
Here's the problem - young toddlers don't understand the concept of lines. He was viewing Mickey from the end of the queue, and there were quite a few families ahead of his. I tried distracting him with toys, including one of his favorite little Mickey figurines. Despite my best efforts, the tears were revving up, and the toddler flinging himself out of my arms and trying to literally claw the floor in an effort to escape my arms in order to photobomb some poor family's long-awaited photo with Mickey.
Oops.
Luckily, we went with fantastic friends who encouraged me to take George for a little walk while they held our place in line with their own comparatively calmer toddlers. This was the break George needed to not melt down into a puddle of distraught apocalyptic toddler ooze. When we returned, there were only a couple folks ahead of us. George wriggled as he watched his two little friends go ahead of them. One ran straight up to Mickey, all smiles and happiness. The next was slightly more apprehensive, but still game. And then there was George.
George took off running towards Mickey. And then he stopped short. It all caught up to him, the emotional wait, my promises that he would meet his favorite character that day, and the realization that there was his beloved Mickey Mouse towering over him. He was frozen to the carpet, before deciding to do something that shocked me.
He took that Mickey toy, gently placed it on the floor in front of his idol, and stepped back. And Mickey kneeled down, picked it up, and showed it to George. And George was happy.
I'm writing this as a ghost, because the cute killed me.
He was still apprehensive, so I got in there and held George while introducing him to Mickey Mouse. We even got him to kiss Mickey's nose:
Yup. I'm dead. But what a magical way to go.
What you don't see is everything that lead up to this moment. This was George's first time at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and it was on my bucket list for him to finally meet Mickey. To give you some context, the kid loves Mickey.
He even took some of his first steps while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:
George will hand us the television remote and ask for Mickey. The kid knows what he wants. So when I told him he was going to meet Mickey, I didn't necessarily think he knew what was coming, but I did know it was going to make an impact.
And it did. George's eyes lit up as soon as he saw Mickey Mouse. Squeals of "Mickey, Mickey, Mickey, Miiiiiiiiickeeeeeey!" began emanating from his smiling mouth.
Here's the problem - young toddlers don't understand the concept of lines. He was viewing Mickey from the end of the queue, and there were quite a few families ahead of his. I tried distracting him with toys, including one of his favorite little Mickey figurines. Despite my best efforts, the tears were revving up, and the toddler flinging himself out of my arms and trying to literally claw the floor in an effort to escape my arms in order to photobomb some poor family's long-awaited photo with Mickey.
Oops.
Luckily, we went with fantastic friends who encouraged me to take George for a little walk while they held our place in line with their own comparatively calmer toddlers. This was the break George needed to not melt down into a puddle of distraught apocalyptic toddler ooze. When we returned, there were only a couple folks ahead of us. George wriggled as he watched his two little friends go ahead of them. One ran straight up to Mickey, all smiles and happiness. The next was slightly more apprehensive, but still game. And then there was George.
George took off running towards Mickey. And then he stopped short. It all caught up to him, the emotional wait, my promises that he would meet his favorite character that day, and the realization that there was his beloved Mickey Mouse towering over him. He was frozen to the carpet, before deciding to do something that shocked me.
He took that Mickey toy, gently placed it on the floor in front of his idol, and stepped back. And Mickey kneeled down, picked it up, and showed it to George. And George was happy.
I'm writing this as a ghost, because the cute killed me.
He was still apprehensive, so I got in there and held George while introducing him to Mickey Mouse. We even got him to kiss Mickey's nose:
Yup. I'm dead. But what a magical way to go.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
First haircut.
Technically this was his second haircut. His first haircut occurred several days earlier, after El Hub nagged me yet again about George's crazy curls. I took a little pair of scissors to the kiddo's mullet curls and El Hub was still not satisfied. Meanie.
Man, those curls. But El Hub seldom asks for anything, and he had been asking for this for months. And a dear friend offered to help us go to the Magic Kingdom Barbershop to take advantage of the first haircut experience they offer.
Check out the barbershop quartet of pumpkins up there. Hey yo to Halloween.
It's Disney, so they naturally see a lot of kids. Which means the hair stylists are well versed in the ways of soothing nervous toddlers. AKA bribing them with toys.
Not even paying attention to his temporary mohawk.
George felt his dada could be improved with a few Mickey Mouse stickers. Good call, buddy.
This momma right here handed the camera over so there could be some photographic proof that I was indeed there that day.
The only time George became concerned was during the buzzing of the trimmer. But the lure of the Lightning McQueen toy was too much for him to do anything about his concern.
Ta da! And he got a Mickey hat for his first haircut experience. And we got a lock of his hair to take home and skeeve him out with it when he's in high school.
He's growing up. Eating pretzels. Getting big boy haircuts. Sitting on stools by himself. Saying Mickey Mouse and shouting about cars. It's amazing, and I love it. I love this kid.
And he's pretty amusing, too. Om nom nom, kid.
Man, those curls. But El Hub seldom asks for anything, and he had been asking for this for months. And a dear friend offered to help us go to the Magic Kingdom Barbershop to take advantage of the first haircut experience they offer.
Check out the barbershop quartet of pumpkins up there. Hey yo to Halloween.
It's Disney, so they naturally see a lot of kids. Which means the hair stylists are well versed in the ways of soothing nervous toddlers. AKA bribing them with toys.
Not even paying attention to his temporary mohawk.
George felt his dada could be improved with a few Mickey Mouse stickers. Good call, buddy.
This momma right here handed the camera over so there could be some photographic proof that I was indeed there that day.
The only time George became concerned was during the buzzing of the trimmer. But the lure of the Lightning McQueen toy was too much for him to do anything about his concern.
Ta da! And he got a Mickey hat for his first haircut experience. And we got a lock of his hair to take home and skeeve him out with it when he's in high school.
He's growing up. Eating pretzels. Getting big boy haircuts. Sitting on stools by himself. Saying Mickey Mouse and shouting about cars. It's amazing, and I love it. I love this kid.
And he's pretty amusing, too. Om nom nom, kid.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Life in a state of flux.
It's a shame that when life gets crazy and it would soothe the soul to write, that it is the very nature of that time that makes it impossible to sit down and write. Things have been busy here, to put it mildly. Until things are more settled so I can properly write about them, here are some random photos to bring you up to speed:
The super busy-ness began few months ago, when my dad was in the hospital and then transferred to a short-term rehab facility. I did my best to make the latter a bit more like home with those 3M stickers for hanging pictures. Those stickers even get used in our own home because I have terrible commitment issues when it comes to frame arrangements.
Friends have been a saving grace during this time. All those cliches about finding out who people really are during tough times are true. I feel wildly fortunate to have great friends.
George got new shoes. You may not think this is important, but George sure does. They have Mickey Mouse on them, so he shrieks "MIIIEEE!" every time we put them on. And if we DON'T put those on him and dare to put another pair on his feet, he freaks out and cries. The kid is a serious Mickey fan (woohoo!).
A few months ago, I signed George up for the gym daycare. Best $10 a month ever. With El Hub constantly working insane hours, going to the gym is the best way for George to get to play with other kids without me hovering, for me to get my workout on, and for El Hub not to receive texts from me that go WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME THIS IS ABSURD (confession: he still receives those texts from me sometimes, but on average I've increased my tolerance from 8pm to 10pm). I took this photo during one of the evenings when we got stuck leaving the gym when it was pouring rain out, and George was adorably fascinated by it.
Before and After
We kinda sorta finished our bathroom update. Kind of. I should do a proper post about this one because I am so elated about it. Goodbye, faux green marble formica. Ways in which I dramatize my joy over this: 1) I avoid ever using our guest bathroom anymore because it's just not as pretty, and 2) I taught George to say "Ooooooooh" when we go in the bathroom.
George had his 18-month appointment. He's still a little guy, but he's a healthy guy, and that's what I care about. Also I bribed him with a new $2 wooden airplane toy from Target, and he can now make "whoosh!" flying sounds as he zips it through the air.
George apparently thinks he's grown more than he has though, as he's taken to putting on our shoes. Nice try, kiddo.
Did I mention that George loves Mickey? He put the hat on voluntarily and then kept it on for a hot walk. That might even be more extreme than my own love of the mouse.
My mom sold their house last week and is moving out in a few days. She'll be moving in with us until she can find a place to buy. Speaking of where she'd like to buy, she wants to live in our neighborhood. El Hub is okay with this, pointing out that my mom has been a mother-in-law to my brothers' wives for over 20 years now, so she's pretty good at it at this point. I'm okay with this because my mom is awesome (I take after her, of course). I'm so okay with this that I printed, folded, stuffed, and labeled 80 letters to my neighbors with small houses, asking them to pretty please sell their house to my mom.
Skipping back to the topic of Dad, he ended up going from short-term to long-term care which involved moving to a new facility. And then another new facility a week after that. (I'm telling you, I could write a book.) George likes the television at Dad's new nursing home, Dad likes George, and I like watching them hang out together, so there's a lot of happiness at visits.
And finally, George has learned to shout "CHEESE!" when he holds a camera up to his face. Maybe if he likes photography, I'll actually be in some of these photos I post someday.
The super busy-ness began few months ago, when my dad was in the hospital and then transferred to a short-term rehab facility. I did my best to make the latter a bit more like home with those 3M stickers for hanging pictures. Those stickers even get used in our own home because I have terrible commitment issues when it comes to frame arrangements.
Friends have been a saving grace during this time. All those cliches about finding out who people really are during tough times are true. I feel wildly fortunate to have great friends.
George got new shoes. You may not think this is important, but George sure does. They have Mickey Mouse on them, so he shrieks "MIIIEEE!" every time we put them on. And if we DON'T put those on him and dare to put another pair on his feet, he freaks out and cries. The kid is a serious Mickey fan (woohoo!).
A few months ago, I signed George up for the gym daycare. Best $10 a month ever. With El Hub constantly working insane hours, going to the gym is the best way for George to get to play with other kids without me hovering, for me to get my workout on, and for El Hub not to receive texts from me that go WHEN ARE YOU COMING HOME THIS IS ABSURD (confession: he still receives those texts from me sometimes, but on average I've increased my tolerance from 8pm to 10pm). I took this photo during one of the evenings when we got stuck leaving the gym when it was pouring rain out, and George was adorably fascinated by it.
Before and After
We kinda sorta finished our bathroom update. Kind of. I should do a proper post about this one because I am so elated about it. Goodbye, faux green marble formica. Ways in which I dramatize my joy over this: 1) I avoid ever using our guest bathroom anymore because it's just not as pretty, and 2) I taught George to say "Ooooooooh" when we go in the bathroom.
George had his 18-month appointment. He's still a little guy, but he's a healthy guy, and that's what I care about. Also I bribed him with a new $2 wooden airplane toy from Target, and he can now make "whoosh!" flying sounds as he zips it through the air.
George apparently thinks he's grown more than he has though, as he's taken to putting on our shoes. Nice try, kiddo.
Did I mention that George loves Mickey? He put the hat on voluntarily and then kept it on for a hot walk. That might even be more extreme than my own love of the mouse.
My mom sold their house last week and is moving out in a few days. She'll be moving in with us until she can find a place to buy. Speaking of where she'd like to buy, she wants to live in our neighborhood. El Hub is okay with this, pointing out that my mom has been a mother-in-law to my brothers' wives for over 20 years now, so she's pretty good at it at this point. I'm okay with this because my mom is awesome (I take after her, of course). I'm so okay with this that I printed, folded, stuffed, and labeled 80 letters to my neighbors with small houses, asking them to pretty please sell their house to my mom.
Skipping back to the topic of Dad, he ended up going from short-term to long-term care which involved moving to a new facility. And then another new facility a week after that. (I'm telling you, I could write a book.) George likes the television at Dad's new nursing home, Dad likes George, and I like watching them hang out together, so there's a lot of happiness at visits.
And finally, George has learned to shout "CHEESE!" when he holds a camera up to his face. Maybe if he likes photography, I'll actually be in some of these photos I post someday.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Happy belated birthday to me!
Happy birthday to me! Or, happy birthday to me last Saturday. I was too busy celebrating to actually write about it, which is the best kind of birthday.
It is absolutely wild to think about how different this birthday was from last year's. Not to go all drama llama, but last year may have been one of the worst birthdays of my life. I had a particular rough day of feeling like I was failing my miserably sick newborn, and I was lonely over El Hub working past George's bedtime. It was also the last day we breastfed (which, let's face it, probably hormonally added to my memory of it being one of my worst birthdays ever).
But looking back I can also say it was a positive turning point. That day I spent lunch with a wonderful friend and her awesome baby, a woman I am grateful to still be friends with today. In the past year, I've been lucky to make even more friends since then. In the time since then I have gone on to make other awesome momma friends who make me laugh and help keep me rolling with the punches. And making friends as we get older is hard and scary and feels way too much like dating except without the benefit of clearly spelled out hopes and expectations a la online dating. (The whole making friends thing probably deserves a post of its own.) And by going exclusively formula-fed, we were able to rule out certain factors and get a step closer to getting George healthy. Finally, that day was also a reminder that if I want to have a good day, whether it be a birthday or a weekday or any day at all, it's up to me to make it happen.
So I made it happen this year. I asked my parents' to watch the kiddo overnight so we could go to dinner without worrying about when to arrive home (...or to be hangover-free in the morning). I made a dinner reservation. I decided on the Science Center as a George-friendly place to have a little fun before taking him to Mammaw and Grandpa's for the night. And I asked Rob to take some photos of us.
George is trying to say, "You better be getting my good side, Dada."
Then he goes, "Just joshing, I look cute no matter what."
But then he's like, "No, seriously, make sure you get my adorably chubby cheeks."
This was Rob's first time coming with us to the Science Center. Having another person to help wrangle the baby means I have enough hands to bring the DSLR along.
Unsurprisingly difficult to take a decent self-portrait in a dark, gigantic kaleidoscope. But it didn't stop me from trying.
SCIENCE!
George wanted to bring this hedgehog home and love it and squish it and maybe throw it. What can I say, he's 15 months old and recently enamored with throwing small things.
I'm pretty sure this stingray was mooning us.
And then we took this incredibly cute, beloved child and ditched him at his grandparents' house. Later tater! Don't worry, he didn't miss us at all because his Mammaw lets him watch all the television he wants and walk around with her nail polish and play in her kitchen cabinets. Toddler paradise.
Momma-on-the-evening-of-her-birthday paradise looks a lot more like this:
That is a s'mores martini. It tastes uncannily like a s'mores. With vodka. Good job, bartender.
This is the point in the evening where El Hub pulls out the big guns. He gave me two red roses, had restaurant take a photo of us, and then handed me a card. The card is a big deal - El Hub would happily live the rest of his life never receiving or giving another card. Whereas I love them and have saved every single card I've received since I was about five years old. So he gives me a Mickey Mouse card...
...with this printed inside it...
For the unfamiliar, those are the lyrics to a Disney happy happy birthday song I have fond memories of from my childhood. It goes a little something like this:
I listen to this song every year on my birthday. I send it to Disney geek friends on their birthdays. I cross my fingers and toys that maybe Disney will someday bring this song and accompanying show back to the parks someday. (This will never happen. I am a delusional Disney fan.) But just as El Hub isn't a fan of greeting cards, he's not a big fan of Disney either. So for him to get me a 1) Disney 2) card that he 3) printed lyrics on 4) from my favorite Disney birthday song might be the best birthday card I've received yet. I cried.
And then I drank more of my martini.
After dinner, we were off to a 9:10pm (!) movie downtown to see Snow White and the Huntsman. These were my tweeted thoughts:
[SPOILERY SPOILER FOR SPOILSPORTS] Also, if she was locked in a tower for a decade, why did she have shoes to run away in? And since people saw her escape method, why didn't they put bars over it so people couldn't use it in the future? And why did Greta get her youth back? Lame. Lame, I say. But delightful for making fun of and for admiring the prettiness of Charlize and Thor. Good times.
And then we went home and still managed to go to bed before midnight. I'm old, I admit it. And I'm okay with it because life is pretty awesome these days.
It is absolutely wild to think about how different this birthday was from last year's. Not to go all drama llama, but last year may have been one of the worst birthdays of my life. I had a particular rough day of feeling like I was failing my miserably sick newborn, and I was lonely over El Hub working past George's bedtime. It was also the last day we breastfed (which, let's face it, probably hormonally added to my memory of it being one of my worst birthdays ever).
But looking back I can also say it was a positive turning point. That day I spent lunch with a wonderful friend and her awesome baby, a woman I am grateful to still be friends with today. In the past year, I've been lucky to make even more friends since then. In the time since then I have gone on to make other awesome momma friends who make me laugh and help keep me rolling with the punches. And making friends as we get older is hard and scary and feels way too much like dating except without the benefit of clearly spelled out hopes and expectations a la online dating. (The whole making friends thing probably deserves a post of its own.) And by going exclusively formula-fed, we were able to rule out certain factors and get a step closer to getting George healthy. Finally, that day was also a reminder that if I want to have a good day, whether it be a birthday or a weekday or any day at all, it's up to me to make it happen.
So I made it happen this year. I asked my parents' to watch the kiddo overnight so we could go to dinner without worrying about when to arrive home (...or to be hangover-free in the morning). I made a dinner reservation. I decided on the Science Center as a George-friendly place to have a little fun before taking him to Mammaw and Grandpa's for the night. And I asked Rob to take some photos of us.
George is trying to say, "You better be getting my good side, Dada."
Then he goes, "Just joshing, I look cute no matter what."
But then he's like, "No, seriously, make sure you get my adorably chubby cheeks."
This was Rob's first time coming with us to the Science Center. Having another person to help wrangle the baby means I have enough hands to bring the DSLR along.
Unsurprisingly difficult to take a decent self-portrait in a dark, gigantic kaleidoscope. But it didn't stop me from trying.
SCIENCE!
George wanted to bring this hedgehog home and love it and squish it and maybe throw it. What can I say, he's 15 months old and recently enamored with throwing small things.
I'm pretty sure this stingray was mooning us.
And then we took this incredibly cute, beloved child and ditched him at his grandparents' house. Later tater! Don't worry, he didn't miss us at all because his Mammaw lets him watch all the television he wants and walk around with her nail polish and play in her kitchen cabinets. Toddler paradise.
Momma-on-the-evening-of-her-birthday paradise looks a lot more like this:
That is a s'mores martini. It tastes uncannily like a s'mores. With vodka. Good job, bartender.
This is the point in the evening where El Hub pulls out the big guns. He gave me two red roses, had restaurant take a photo of us, and then handed me a card. The card is a big deal - El Hub would happily live the rest of his life never receiving or giving another card. Whereas I love them and have saved every single card I've received since I was about five years old. So he gives me a Mickey Mouse card...
...with this printed inside it...
For the unfamiliar, those are the lyrics to a Disney happy happy birthday song I have fond memories of from my childhood. It goes a little something like this:
I listen to this song every year on my birthday. I send it to Disney geek friends on their birthdays. I cross my fingers and toys that maybe Disney will someday bring this song and accompanying show back to the parks someday. (This will never happen. I am a delusional Disney fan.) But just as El Hub isn't a fan of greeting cards, he's not a big fan of Disney either. So for him to get me a 1) Disney 2) card that he 3) printed lyrics on 4) from my favorite Disney birthday song might be the best birthday card I've received yet. I cried.
And then I drank more of my martini.
After dinner, we were off to a 9:10pm (!) movie downtown to see Snow White and the Huntsman. These were my tweeted thoughts:
Saw Snow White & the Huntsman. KStewart, why doesn’t your face move? Charlize, I luff you. Thor, you HOTTIE!
— Victoria Shade (@vshade) June 17, 2012
[SPOILERY SPOILER FOR SPOILSPORTS] Also, if she was locked in a tower for a decade, why did she have shoes to run away in? And since people saw her escape method, why didn't they put bars over it so people couldn't use it in the future? And why did Greta get her youth back? Lame. Lame, I say. But delightful for making fun of and for admiring the prettiness of Charlize and Thor. Good times.
And then we went home and still managed to go to bed before midnight. I'm old, I admit it. And I'm okay with it because life is pretty awesome these days.
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