sometimes i compare my kids

this little dab started walking a couple weeks ago.

she's almost 15 months, thank you very much ma'am.

she started crawling at 10 months and did it in the curious fashion of crawling with one knee on the ground while pumping and pushing with the foot of her other leg.

this is how she crawled.  always. never putting the other knee down.

so one leg got a lot stronger than the other, and now that she's walking she has a limp.

i fully expected her to only be able to walk in circles, but she's managing.

she took her sweet time, though.

except, she's been a great little climber for a while,

which sent up some red flags on the 

will-this-one-be-as-crazy-as-whitney-o-meter

that's always purring away in my brain.

yes.  i compare my children to one another.

it's how i prepare myself for what's coming.

like devan.

she gets measured up by the 

will-she-be-as-dramatic-as-nikki-o-meter

that's currently on RED ALERT in my brain.

it seems there's a glitch in my system, though.

i might need a newer model, or to re do my base-lines because devan is completely off the charts right now.


for example: lately she's taken to running away when she gets her feelings hurt, which could be cause by: touching her hair the wrong way, saying her name in the wrong pitch, giving someone else a compliment, offering her the wrong cereal, or any other endless scenarios.


i remember running away when i was a kid.  i'd get mad, pack all my clothes in a  paper grocery sack and climb out my window headed for the neighbors'.  they never wanted me, so i always ended up right back in my room.


the problem with devan running away (other than that she's barely four) is that she doesn't want to run to the neighbor's house.  she wants to be much further away than that.
so today (this is still a very new thing) she ran away, for who knows what reason, and after i realized she was gone we searched high and low and found her nowhere.  finally, a man from church was seen walking her down the street towards home.
she wasn't even going to his house.  he just happened to see her skulking down the street as he pulled in after work.
we went through the whole bit.
you could be lost.  you could be taken away by someone.  
yada yada yada.
and do you know what that cheeky little thing said to me?
"i want to be lost from here.  i want someone to take me far away."
i can understand her saying that if she'd been yelled at or gotten in trouble for something.
but there was none of that.  she just got butt-hurt about something and decided she wanted out.


how old is does this girl think she is?


i guess we will be employing the latch-system in full force once again.
and i thought we were in the clear after whitney. 
not so.
       

this all adds variety to my day, i keep telling myself (so i don't cry).  it's a good thing she's as awesome as she is.  it makes up for stuff.

and i'm still waiting for the chance to try out my

will-this-one-be-as-mellow-as-max-o-meter.

HA!

i should probably take that one back to the store.

at any rate, gwen is walking beautifully,

despite a touch of skootch leg.

she's so funny.


the only people obligated to watch this whole video are gwen's grandmas.
but i think it's cute.  so i'll watch it again.

open wide

this guy should probably stop opening his mouth,

because every time he does he finds it full of his foot.

although... he does add quite a bit of comic relief to the debates.

like when he looked like he might punch mit's light out last night.

but i usually depend on ron paul for my mid-debate laughs.

anywho, i was very entertained last night.

they just keep getting better and better.

p.s. someone has too much time/wasted talent on their hands with this one.

some new pictures

oh man, i could go all day with these pictures.

my dear friend, amy, did such a great job with our family photos.

really.  because i had my doubts, considering the amount of fighting, whining, punching, pinching, threatening, kicking, crying, teasing and pouting that went into making these pictures possible.

she's that good.

i love love love how they turned out and could have put up a hundred more favorites, but i'll spare you.

she caught everyone's personalities perfectly.

thanks amy!

adventures in thrifting: this chair

dandee

mmmmm.  these chairs are just right.

but they're expensive.  really expensive.

especially the vintage ones.

these two were $1,500 for the pair.  and anthropologie has one, ONE like these for $1,500.

?

lonny

?

simply grove

here is the uuuuuugly before of my chair that i found at the d.i. for $10 each (there are two).  someone just threw some random couch pillows on the chair and called it good.

actually, NOT good.

except the foam was in really good condition so i just resized it and reused it.

ta-DAH!

much better, no?

this was the first time i'd ever done a box-cornered cushion cover with a hidden zipper.

not hard at all, although the second cushion turned out much better than the first.

i guess that's to be expected when you're winging it.

they are sooooo comfortable.  i think i'll eventually make more white covered cushions for the backs, but right now i kind of like the looser feel of the pillows.

chairs - $10 x 2 chairs = $20

fabric - $4/yard x 2 yards = $8

pillow covers - $5 x 2 pillows = $10

pillow inserts - $25 x 2 = $50

total of $88 for two chairs

getting these monsters out of the garage and my husband off my back = priceless

hex on the brain, yo

there's something going down over here.

i love projects that get done.

also, something else i've been pondering lately,

asking myself...

kind of a pivotal question in my life...

why can't i dance like this kid?

do you wonder this too?

this lady is FOUR

you know what's really cool about september?

it's devan's birthday.

i knew that's what you were going to say.

"hmmmm.  let's see.  i was three...

... but now i'm FOUR!"

woot woot!

she could not wait.

now she thinks she's all grown up, and practically throws a fit when i tell her she still has to sit in a car seat.

she asks me, in her most dramatic and tragic voice,

"you want me to still be three?  i am four years old, mom, and i don't need a car seat anymore."

then gain ten pounds, you little snot.

she acts more like she's 14 than 4.

really.

her attitude is ridiculous, and some of the things that come out of her mouth are UN believable.

she walks around with her hand on her hip,

shaking her toosh,

and giving you dirty looks if you dare laugh at her.

but then she busts up laughing because she can only pretend to be a diva for so long.

but she's a sweetheart too.

and loving.

and kind (sometimes).

and she has the squishiest cheeks (both kinds). 

and she makes you say a password to gain entrance.

and it's always "kirby-tiff-tuff-menanite".

what?

and i can never remember it.

and she's FUN-NY.

really funny.

and she knows it too.

happy birthday, baby girl.

we love you.

a lot.

pictures by my good friend amy she is so good.

kitten or BEAST!?

if this picture isn't deceiving, 

then it isn't adorable either.

they both look so angelic.

so docile.

so well-mannered.

uh huh.

suuuuuuuure.

look closer.

there's mischief in those eyes.

whitney questions the general household, 

after violent encounters with the fluffy one, (grinning)

"is this a kitten or a BEAST?"

and i often question myself, (scowling)

"is she a girl or a beast?"

they're both so irresistible, though.

one thing's for sure,

they're perfect for each other.

(i've got to take care of that scowling thing)