Losing Teeth

First grade is prime time for losing teeth. Most of H's classmates are up to 3 or 4 already. He and one other boy in his class were the last to lose one. And it really bummed him out. (They are also the shortest ... for now). About a month ago, one of H's baby teeth started getting really loose. And today, it finally came out. He said he twisted it, and pulled it. He grossed everyone out when it started bleeding. I think it was the entertainment for the day in his classroom. H couldn't be more thrilled. He even got to go to the nurse's room and get his tooth-shaped tooth carrier to bring it home. We'll have to see if the Tooth Fairy pays him a visit tonight!

Tortilla Head

Sometimes, it's hard not to laugh when the boys are playing with their food.

Speaking of Birds ...

Check out this bird chandelier, by Mathieu Challières. (via Cookie Magazine's Nesting Blog)

Bird by C

Bird by C

We love birds around here. And I'm happy to add this one to our collection.

My Mother's Day

What a treat today was. I had a fantastic Mother's Day, which started with breakfast in bed. Strawberry pancakes. Yum. Then boys gave me a few gifts. One of my favorites was the coupon book H made for me. I already used the "good for one hug" coupon, but he said I could use it again. Then I went for 4+ mile run, took a quick shower, and we headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). The Buckminster Fuller exhibit was great. In fact, a couple of H's favorite "rooms" were from this exhibit. He liked the floating city and the dwelling machines. Our boys don't have much patience for museums, to be honest. But the final exhibit was really fun for them. It was the Olafur Eliasson exhibit. The first hallway was lit by only yellow lights, and it made it so everything in that room, including us and our clothes, were yellow and black -- almost sepia. There was also a room with lights that changed color, and a few other really fun spaces. We ended with brunch at Puck's, which was really nice. After brunch, we walked around a bit, then headed home.

I'm such a lucky person. Thanks to Brian and the boys for a perfect day. And Happy Mother's Day to Moms T & P, too!

Chris Frigs Birthday Party

It was our friend Chris's birthday on Thursday. And to celebrate, Penny and he had a party tonight. It was fun evening spent with great friends (and of course delicious food).

Home Again

H had his first sleepover last night ... it was at his school. I have to admit, I actually told him at first that I thought he was too young and he couldn't go. But then I overheard him telling a friend that he wasn't going because "my Mom won't let me go," and I felt so bad. And lame. So we left the decision up to him. He was so excited to go. Then, a couple nights ago he got really nervous, and said he didn't want to go anymore. Over the last few days, he was really looking forward to it again, but I still fully anticipated a call in the middle of the night. Brian and C dropped him off because Melissa invited me last minute to the ballet (which was so fun). We woke up this morning -- without any mid-night wake-up calls -- and I couldn't wait to pick him up to find out how it went. And guess what? He had so much fun. They watched movies, played in the gym, went to sleep at 11:30, had pancakes for breakfast. It was a huge success.

Portraits by C

In case you were wondering, I'm the one on the upper right and in the larger image on left. That dark mark on me? Well, that's a baby. In my belly. Poor C. Unfortunately for him, he's always going to be our baby. We haven't gotten many new pictures from him lately. He's been too busy drawing hearts for E in his school.

C & Storm

Frozen Yogurt

Over the weekend, I pulled out our ice-cream maker and whipped up some frozen yogurt. Oh. My. Gosh. Yum. It only took 25 minutes to make, and was so good. I got the recipe from This Week For Dinner. Here it goes:

• 2 C plain yogurt (I used Trader Joe's European style, but Greek is supposed to work good too)
• 1/2 C sugar (a little less than 1/2 cup, actually)
• 1/2 C milk
• Between 1/8 - 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• Mix ingredients together, follow directions for your ice cream maker (appx. 25 minutes)

Quick Visit from Nina

Nina visited us for a few hours today, and it was so much fun. We went to The Depot for brunch. Guy Fieri from the Food Network show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives just filmed there last week. (My friend Melissa was there too, and actually got interviewed.) Anyhow, since it just happened, we thought it would be a fun place to go. Then we played at the park for a little bit, got ice-cream from the ice-cream truck ... and that was about all we had time for. But it was really a nice day.

Derby Party

Brian and I were invited to a Kentucky Derby party today, benefiting The Children's Clinic. We've never been to a Derby before, and it was really fun. There were mint juleps, whiskey sours, great food by Wishbone, games (we lost every one we tried) and even a hat contest. I chose Papa Clem and Musket Man to win (they came in 4th and 3rd). Congratulations to Mine That Bird. I have no idea what your name means, but with a 50/1 odd and an incredible victory, you are quite the horse.

Crazy Dog

Yesterday I was working from home. Storm, not normally a yappy dog, barked nearly the entire time. And made strange throat sounds. That was really bizarre. Anyhow, when I looked outside, this is what I saw. Critters ... everywhere! Turns out, those four bunnies were hanging out by their bunny nest. Our neighbors uncovered the nest, with about six of the smallest bunnies I've ever seen in my life. I haven't seen them much tonight. I hope they are ok. (This is kind of reminding me of our little nest situation from last year.)

(Great) Grandpa Bobby

(Me and Grandpa -- Florida, April 2009)

September 28, 1926 - May 1, 2009