tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66046896292663476892024-03-12T17:26:16.501-07:00kittyhoxkittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-17941754186629711372009-01-06T11:24:00.001-08:002009-01-06T11:33:39.246-08:00You may have noticed I haven't posted anything in a while.Yeah. About that. Two kids. Harder than one kid. I guess most of you knew that. I underestimated. Hoping life resumes to some semblance of normal at some point.But I wanted to wish my bloggy friends a Happy New Year and post some of our Christmas photos. Better late than never, right? Nicknack: two-and-a-half and impossible to kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-12018998489304923912008-11-25T09:25:00.001-08:002008-12-03T21:45:30.984-08:00Introducing...Introducing...Elisabeth TalbotThis photo was taken at about two weeks - she turned four weeks yesterday!She was three weeks early and "small for gestational age." So at 4 pounds 6 ounces she was the size of a preemie, but as developed and generally as healthy as a regular three week old. She is up to 6 and a half pounds and looks so much different already!We planned to call her Betsy, but kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-65415188614010930592008-11-02T06:11:00.000-08:002008-11-02T07:42:10.392-08:00Random ThoughtsI woke up this morning at 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep. My mind is full of to do list items. Then I started thinking about Nicknack, and finally decided to get up and write a quick post to capture a few random things that he's doing these days, that I don't want to forget. WARNING: this would bore absolutely anyone other than Nicholas's own parents, I'm quite sure.I absolutely love thiskittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-62836249597867059172008-10-06T14:45:00.000-07:002008-10-06T14:49:20.475-07:00Economics 101This is a must read.kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-4325811500970660332008-09-25T14:41:00.000-07:002008-09-25T15:48:13.535-07:00Ode to My Laundry SystemAlthough I have many, many homemaking weaknesses, laundry is probably my strong suit. Oh sure, I get backed up on occasion. But because we have a system that works perfectly for our family, it's easy to do a little catch up and get back on track. I recently shared our laundry routine with a friend who was at her wit's end trying to stay on top of her family of four's laundry. After typing it kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-72164131532966573742008-09-25T13:08:00.000-07:002008-09-25T13:57:57.546-07:00Back to SchoolNo, not Nicknack. Penn, of all people.Penn has been trying to find a job comparable to the one he currently has for over a year now. We've known for many years that, although Seattle is a lovely city, we don't want to raise our family in a city. No offense if you do! :) We're just over it.The problem has been that Penn has one of those needle-in-a-haystack kind of jobs. They're out there, kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-63776294732336087902008-09-19T16:34:00.001-07:002008-09-19T16:53:21.613-07:00Have I mentioned that our baby is a girl?I don't think I have. Oops.We decided not to find out with Nicknack and that was really fun. I would strongly recommend being surprised with at least one pregnancy. But we both felt differently this time around and decided to "peek."With Nicknack, even though we never officially found out, I always felt he was a boy, and told everyone so. This time I kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-86941375610563070522008-09-17T12:08:00.001-07:002008-09-17T12:44:03.581-07:00Preschool Saga: Day TwoToday was Nicknack's second day of preschool. And probably his last day, at least for a while.We dropped him off this morning, watching and waiting to see how he would do. Things seemed better. Instead of obsessing over the one station, like on Monday, he flitted from station to station, stopping to interact with others. Also, several other children threw tantrums for various reasons, which kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-61934761157363001632008-09-15T12:14:00.000-07:002008-09-15T12:53:07.531-07:00First Day of PreschoolToday was Nicknacks's first day of preschool. It's our home church preschool, so he's familiar with the environment because he's been nearby in the nursery twice a week since he was a baby. His little friend (whom we've decided should be his future wife) is in his class, and her mother (my friend from Bible study) is the teacher. So I've been SO excited for him all summer, and especially sincekittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-27155354415926596212008-08-10T10:04:00.001-07:002008-08-10T11:19:21.397-07:00HousekeepingMy husband is adorable. He is unbelievably good to me and I am not just saying this to sound humble: I don't deserve him. Ask my family. I still can't believe I "lucked" into such a happy marriage.Having said that, Jeesh, husbands are so funny sometimes! And not funny as in, "ha ha." Funny as in, "Whattheheck?"Here is what I don't get. Why can't husbands find anything? Is it just mine? kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-88329842629914905032008-06-09T12:14:00.000-07:002008-06-09T12:54:38.419-07:00Random StuffOops. It looks like I published a draft version of my last post. I'm sure I had edited it to be much more witty and entertaining. Plus I know I added at least a couple of paragraphs. Obviously not anything terribly important, as I only remember one thing that wasn't included in the published post. Which is...Nicholas is short! 5th percentile, in fact. When our new and wonderful Pediatriciankittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-38822539176357694402008-06-05T17:43:00.000-07:002008-06-06T09:30:02.135-07:00Mr. TwoWell, it's official. Nicknack is two.The weirdest thing happened. He must have received some kind of secret memo, because he woke up on the morning of his birthday and started acting... well, two. And everyday since.Have you ever heard of such a thing? 729 days old and he is pretty much easy. Day 730 rolls around and all of a sudden he's "difficult." This morning I ordered a time-out mat, kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-40208404253263491612008-05-13T12:54:00.000-07:002008-05-13T13:55:51.236-07:00Fear of Flying (with Nicknack)A million years ago I was a nanny. I traveled quite a bit with the family, but the trip that stands out in my mind was the time the Dad and I took the two boys by ourselves, while Mom stayed home with the new baby. Thanks to the combined efforts of the Mom, the Housekeeper, the Laundress, and myself, we were extremely well-prepared. We shipped the bags and car seats ahead of time so that we kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-4888358935983487292008-05-08T13:51:00.000-07:002008-05-08T14:13:51.176-07:00I've started to write this post a half dozen times and I either get interrupted or don't like what I've written.So let me just get right to the point.We're expecting another baby! Yay!I found out two days after I wrote my last post. No wonder I was in a sentimental mood! I was already pregnant. We've taken a test every two weeks since Nicknack was about six months old. We weren't sure how kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-37025903725217270852008-03-25T14:24:00.000-07:002008-03-25T15:49:22.194-07:00Jury DutyPoor Penn. He is on his third full day of jury duty selection, and they still haven't chosen the actual jury. It's been a very frustrating and inefficient process. We are just crossing our fingers that he won't get chosen for this four week criminal trial in downtown Seattle. He would have to spend his days at the courtroom and then cram his normal ten or eleven hour work day into about four kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-82633724413948140012008-03-20T12:39:00.000-07:002008-03-20T14:43:10.909-07:00FearA couple of weeks ago I went to bed early. I awoke at 11pm or so to the sound of Penn rummaging around our bedroom, for a flashlight. "How can you sleep through that?!" he asked in a stage whisper. I listened. There was a very loud helicopter hovering over our home. It had apparently been doing so for several minutes. It's search light was sweeping the steep wooded cliff that runs along thekittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-45995535530599230952008-03-05T16:48:00.001-08:002008-03-05T17:13:37.065-08:00Spring is in the AirWell, it's March, and you know what that means.Spring Cleaning time! Woo hoo!No, I'm serious. I love Spring Cleaning. Duh, not the actual cleaning part. The planning and the results. The work involved in between the two is worth it.I started yesterday. I have a not terribly ambitious plan to tackle one room per day. I plan my attack in the morning and do the bulk of the work during kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-28303987725199246312008-02-29T15:18:00.000-08:002008-02-29T18:46:49.083-08:00How to Know Whether or Not You Are Ready to Be a Parent TestI just read this on an adoption web site and thought it was worth sharing:How To Know Whether or Not You Are Ready to Be a ParentMess Test: Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flowerbed and rub on the walls. Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer. Toy Test: Obtain a 55-gallon box of Legos.Have a kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-29075520664488670962008-02-26T15:58:00.000-08:002008-02-26T16:28:31.375-08:00My First HaircutI got my hair cut yesterday! Three inches off, woo hoo!But the "first" haircut to which I refer is the cut I gave Nicholas this afternoon. My first time cutting hair. Other than my own bangs, but I won't go into that traumatic story. Let me just urge you not to cut your own bangs a week before your child's baptism. Unless you like the look of 3/4 inch bangs.I was just about ready to book kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-22719202139445262722008-02-23T11:48:00.000-08:002008-02-23T12:25:53.045-08:00Toddler TimesNicholas is doing a few new things.For starters, when I drop him off at the church nursery for my weekly Ladies Bible Study, and when Penn and I drop him off for church, he cries! This is totally new for us. He never went through any "separation anxiety" that we could detect back when the baby books suggested he might. It was more like, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out, people!" I kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-39725898933709915902008-02-08T16:48:00.000-08:002008-02-08T23:40:31.999-08:00Self Portrait of the Artist as a Young ManThe ArtistHis WorkSelf-Portrait... see the signature on the lower right?The thing is, I don't know how he smuggled a crayon into his crib as I, myself tucked him in for his nap. And I can't even find the crayon!I know I'm probably supposed to be cross about this, but my immediate reaction was delight. He was just so happy with his masterpieces, as you can see from the (albeit blurry) photos. kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-20557257044815019342008-02-06T15:37:00.001-08:002008-02-06T16:34:01.311-08:00Nicknack StuffThis just in.Nicknack now says "No!"We've postponed the inevitable by trying to avoid the word. We shake our heads, say "Hmm mmm", or "Uuummm... I don't think you should be fill-in-the-blank," and save "NO!" for really big stuff. But this afternoon he's said it about twenty-six times. True confession? I love to hear it. I love the sound of his voice. And it's way better than a tantrum.He's kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-60654997290866237952008-02-01T14:32:00.001-08:002008-02-01T16:48:57.023-08:00Reckless! Reckless! Reckless!Last fall I had a bit of an altercation with my sister-in-law, Penn's older and only sister.The whole family was assembled at Penn's parents' house. We were just about ready to depart for home when the brouhaha went down.I was standing on one end of the kitchen, with Penn and Nicknack. SIL was on the other side of the kitchen. About ten family members were between us.I was just thinking, "I kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-17290911265303217322008-01-31T21:24:00.000-08:002008-01-31T21:30:48.432-08:00KivaTHIS is one of the neatest ideas I've heard of in a while!You can lend as little as $25 to developing world entrepreneurs. Microloans make a huge impact not just on borrowers, but on their communities! The best part is that you'll get your money back, so you can lend again and again!Please, check out Kiva's website!kittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6604689629266347689.post-11789185965252389872008-01-28T19:23:00.000-08:002008-01-28T20:05:18.194-08:00Random MeMeI thought this was a nice meme:Tomorrow: is Tuesday. Very uneventful, like most of our days. We'll probably just go to the library. Feeling: Lethargic, for no apparent reason.Happy Because: my 20 month old FINALLY says "mama" as of last week. Woo! Hoo!Today I: will not act cross about my son's latest favorite activity, bonking our heads together to hear me say, "Ouch!" He thinks it is a superkittyhoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03413419370677881366noreply@blogger.com5