HI HO HI HO ITS BACK IN TIME WE GO!

This past weekend all members of the Torres/Reyes clan headed up to Houston for an exciting weekend getaway....a trip back in time to the days of old where Kings ruled, honor was won at the end of a sword, where goblins lurked & fairies floated midair!
The Texas Reniassance Festival is an annual tradition that has been going on for nearly 40 years and is held for 8 weeks each autumn. It attracts throngs of people to the 37 acre yester-world, complete with Sherwood Forest, the Jousting Arena, and authentic villages of stores and food from around the world. (I must say I am always amazed at how many types of food one can serve on a STICK:) Wenches serve beer from the Ale Houses, and everyone addressed one another as "my lord" and "my lady."
Our boys were enthralled, and were carted around all day in their new wagon....or more than not some doting Uncle or cousin's arms:)
Here's the best shots. I sacrified and took our crappy cam, so the images are not what I would like....But I didn't want to risk damage to my biz cam until I have a backup!!! This year was the family year....next year we are going as just adults...and costumes will be required. I'm not yet sure what I'll be but I want to start working on my costume now!!
Enjoy the photo show!
And when you are done, click on the link to go see a video on the Texas RenFest website that will give you a great taste of all we encountered on our trip!
http://www.texrenfest.com/home.html

Can't Believe we have a Three Year Old

Sweet Self Indulgence

So I had promised myself that as soon as I started feeling better I would treat MYSELF to a delcious pan of death-by-double-chocolate brownies. (Yes, I said MY-S-E-L-F...a word most mothers deny as a part of thier vocabulary, but there are times when MYSELF has to come first and enjoy a little SELF indulgence!) Brownies (and milk) had been forbidden me by the plague of prego yuckies. And today now that I am finally past our hard times and looking towards God's plan for our future, I figured that I was going to make good on my promise, especially after all I had been through, and warm fudgy brownies seemed to be the perfect reward! Sorry God, rainbows are sooooo Old Testament. This modern woman needs CHOCOLATE;)

So I baked MYSELF those brownies, and when they were finally done and gooey-cool, I sat and partook of my delightful delicacy- making sure the boys were occupied so I could enjoy my indulgence in peace.

Well finally I was done but I noticed that the familiar noise level of our happy home was

suddenly deficient....always a red flag. So I began my search for the cause. Well, it didn't take me long, for I just had to follow the chocolate crumb trail from the kitchen to the boy's room.

And there I found them, SELF INDULGING on MY SELF-INDULGENCE. Shame on them, and shame on me for not sharing but obviously I didn't have to, as Mr. and Mr. Independant had conjured up their own serving utensils to assist them in the devourment of the stolen goods.

Well, after a half-hearted scolding I removed my scouraged brownies and put them safely away in a higher place; I will have to wait for naptime to enjoy them again.

Theresa's Story

Sometimes there just isn't an aswer, and this is one of those times.

Today during my routine 10wk OB visit I was heartbroken to learn that our beautiful little baby has passed away, joining a brother and sister in Heaven.

There is no known cause so far as can be told by the ultrasound, everything appeared to be normal, just very still.

It was a very long and painfully teary day as first no heartbeat could be found...and I clung to the hope that this little one was just hiding deep in my retroverted uterus, but after two anguishingly silent attempts to locate that little heartbeat, I went in for an ultrasound to determine what was going on. I already had a sinking feeling, and my dread was realized by the sonographer's face- she was pulling for me as much as anyone. The ultrasound showed that the baby must have passed 7-10 days ago (around 9wks gestation).

It is amazing what peace FAITH can give one in this situation. I know that no matter what the "reason" for such a short earthly existence was, that our baby belonged to God from day one, and that is a security that dries my tears and gives me the hope to move forward. We now have THREE "angels" in Heaven; perhaps not the winged kind, but they are perfect spotless infant souls, whose mission is to pray for their family on earth. Anthony was our first (2003), Gianna our second (2005), and today (Oct. 1), in honor of the feast of St. Therese of Liseaux, we have named this baby Theresa. St. Therese is nicknamed "the little flower," she is known for her deep yet simple spirituality that may be best summed in her own words: "Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love? Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love." She offered every little thing to God; as a mother I find her way of life inspiring, for motherhood is all about the "little things" and there is often a lot to offer up! Through her example I can find fulfilling joy in the sacrifice of even the smallest things like sticky floors, flying food and sleepless nights, and even the pain of miscarriage.

Most importantly, it goes without saying what an impact this little soul had on our family from the minute we found she existed. She was instantly a part of us- instantly ours, instantly a sibling of her two brothers, even claiming space in our house! She was embraced by our entire network of family and friends, all who prayed for her safety and that God's will for her life be realized.

Perhaps that was God's will for her life. She re-centered and refocused our family, and made every other thing in life pale to the importance of her tiny presence within me. Most importantly, as I constantly pondered her miraculous development, she awoke in me a greater awe in the majesty of our Father & Author of Life.

"Theresa" means "late summer." Fitting, as she was the sum total of every last day of this late summer/early fall during her short journey from conception to Heaven. On our minds and hearts and lips, she was even in my dreams.

In fact, I think God may have graced me with a dream that in looking back may have been baby Theresa's farewell to me. It was a simple dream, a vision of little curly haired toddler about 16 months old....I only saw her from the back- tiny brown curls bouncing on her little head, chubby slightly bowed legs wobbling in baby confidence. She was toddling away from me; I never saw her face, just her little body from the back. She was excited and giggling- enjoying the freedom of her movement. Perhaps that was the day she passed away; I would now like to think that she was going towards Jesus. I didn't know at the time that we would be losing her, but now that dream that was so vivid and memorable is something I consider a gift. I have never dreamt about any of my unborn children before, so I am honored to have had that little glimpse.

And so it is. There is so little that I can say. I am exausted- with that soul-tiredness that comes from overworked emotions. And yet I am not quite sad. I miss our little baby, but I do not regret a moment of her time with us, and I am truly grateful for it. Even though I felt so sick, it was such peaceful time for me. I am glad that she is in God's care now- certainly there can be no better place for her....for while her brothers were eager to meet her....they certainly wouldn't play with her as gently as the angels she now has for company!! And I find strange peace that she is not "alone" heaven, her two siblings Anthony and Gianna have surely welcomed her and are breifing her on their mission....to watch over those two wild earthly brothers who will certainly need all possible intercession on their path to Heaven!!!

Third Time's the Charm

Let me shed some light for all of my faithful blog readers who have been wondering what has kept me away from the computer for so long. As they say, no news is good news so perhaps that is why my absence means GREAT news!!!

Donovan is no longer the ONLY big brother around here now....Avery has stepped up to the plate and is in full training for the blessed day next April when he can adopt the name "big brother."

Thats right folks, we are expecting #3.

I am elated, overjoyed and excited. And yes, of course, I am praying and crossing every finger and toe I have that this one is my GIRL. What God has in store I have no idea, but He really owes me by now, so I am hoping against hope for those xx chromosomes to hold strong!!!! Obviously I will be thrilled either way, for by now I have boys down to a science and we have a track record of making them dangerously cute, so I won't be complaining if the xy's win out again:)

In my case unfortunately, that miraculous plus sign on a pregnancy test heralds not only that angelic soul growing within me, but also a gauntlet of prego yuckiness that is a result of my body's lack of the necessary hormones to carry any baby safely. Before I was able to say "baby" I was being prescribed the hormone supplement of "progesterone" and ever since then I have been a ghost of myself, reduced to carrying around a popcorn bowl to catch those mercilessly random acts of vomit, and endlessly fatigued.

It is quite a comical life I lead right now- and that humor is what I am clinging to along with a lot of "offering up" my present state of life! The hormone prescription gives me giant heaps of all the things a woman in her first trimester dreads- nausea, fatigue, brain fog and moodiness among others. I don't claim to possess the last one, but I am sure my better half would disagree....but come on, if you felt like you had a hangover for 8 weeks, you would be a little grumpy at times too!!!!

The 24/7 nausea peaks in the evenings, but it is a constant battle that is exhausting to keep up with. The irony of the nausea is that in order to keep it at bay I must EAT....no matter how unappetizing the thought is, I must be nibbling on something almost constantly! So while my house is crumbling around me, laundry is piled high no matter if it is clean or dirty, and my kids look like street urchins, I am found either slowly eating something, preparing something to eat, or thinking of what I can eat next. It all sounds like a bad case of gluttony, but let me assure you there is no joy in food these days, it is a necessary evil, and one wrong bite can turn me green, as can even one wrong thought or smell!

We are officially halfway through the ordeal, and within 3 weeks I will be off the medication, and hopefully will return to normal a week or two later. It is a difficult journey to be sure, but the reward is priceless so I am moving forward and faithfully taking that hard to swallow pill each day!!!

Our official due date is April 28th, 2008- which in my case translates four weeks earlier to around the 1st of April due to the impending c-section.

Please keep my growing family in your prayers as we navigate this circus Donovan calls simply,
"mommy sick." I know there is an end in sight and I look forward to that light at the end of the tunnel when I can focus on the fun parts of pregnancy....like the fact that we are getting a baby out of this!!!! I must note that so far this pregnancy has been without the threat of miscarriage....its a danger that looms over every of my pregnancies, but this is the first one not to have had any signs so far. Maybe since we started the progesterone so early we can bypass all of that all together! Oh happy day.

And now I will digress and return to my bucket.

First to be a Mother, Last to be an Auntie

As it is with large families, certain rites in life come a little askew, as it was with the fact that John Paul, my little brother, became an Uncle at the ripe old age of 14 days old, while I, the big sister of the lot of em, had to wait 24 whole years for someone to arrive who will call me Auntie.

But arrive he did and I am thrilled to announce the birth of my FIRST NEPHEW: Francis Xavier Mamoru Fugikawa

Born on August 7, 2007 at 1:39pm, in Naples Florida,
son of proud parents Jason and Katherine Fugikawa,

Weighing in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. and a towering 20 inches in length.

(Easy to remember: 7/8 on 8/7)

New Parents Katherine and Jason are doing great, please keep them in your prayers as they overcome the first days of parenthood. They have done marvelous so far!

For more photos of this new arrival and supreme gift of marriage, please visit:

www.totsites.com/tot/fugikawa

Battery Operated

Well, we are deep in the midst of my mission to potty-train Donovan, and so far he has been pretty easy. Using the time-tested award method (ok, bribery), he has been making it to the potty more often than not. Thank you, M&M's.

Now for the funny part. The other day he had gone to the potty only ten minutes before and already he was running through the house chanting, "don't pee, don't pee".....thats his way of announcing his need for the potty. I was amused since he had just gone, but who am I to stand in the way of a potty-trained man? So I helped him rush to the potty, throw on the "big boy seat" and plop him on the pot. And then he sat....and sat....and sat. Nothing happened. I was of course not surprised, but what did get me was what he said next.....

"I can't turn it on." I smirked, and I asked, "what do you mean?" He said, "I can't turn ON my PEE." He was so matter of fact that I really had to hold back a giggle....then came the zinger: "Mommy, I think I need some batteries!" Oh, then the laughter could be held back no longer, and he watched me in total perplexity as I struggled to regain composure.

I guess in his world, everything runs on batteries, so of course why not HIM?

I tell ya one thing though, he may not be battery operated, but his mom is, and her batteries are LOW!!!!

PS: Mothers of boys, do not leave your cup of life-giving morning coffee unattended while you go to answer the phone. For when you return to write your blog and take a sip of that life giving coffee, you shall spit it out for the taste will be unexplainably rancid. Lo and behold, the empty sippy cup sitting next to it that once contained apple juice, and now look again to see how your half cup of coffee is now full again.

OH BOYS.

Photographer Needs Assistance (AND Assistants!)

I can photograph anyone, anywhere, under any conditions- from frenzied, teary bride to self-conscious senior, to family of six on a hot & humid beach. BUT I CANNOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME PHOTOGRAPH MY OWN CHILDREN.

I decided to start now in August to try to capture that one pic of the boys TOGETHER that will be suitable for our cherished Christmas card. It KNEW very well that it could take me from now until December to achieve that too!

But I am excited to see what that one great priceless image will turn out to be, so I bravely took the boys out (on my own) early yesterday morning to our beautiful historic Heritage Park AND to the beach. I expected it to be a challenge but boy was I in for it as I found myself more than just short handed! I would set the boys up for a pose and before I could back up and even lift my camera to my eye they were either scrambling away or pulling eachother's hair & limbs! When they scrambled, they scrambled.....and mind you I had them shirtless and barefoot for the sake of art, but that didn't stop them from runny down a rocky garden trail or climbing garden trelises (see pics to prove it)!

When I finally did get them to sit still they PURPOSELY made every effort to focus on every other thing around them BUT me...and forget about smiling- it was a day of the orphan look:) I think Donovan's look would serve Abercrombie well, but he is definitely no Gap-boy:)

Now, I had predicted that this would all be the case, but a girl can dream, and I decided to take the risk! Of course I had pumped & coached Donovan about for it all for several days before, and bribed them both like crazy...........but in all reality I need more than two hands for this job!

Nevertheless, I did manage to get some cute artsy frames out of the 200 that I took, but not a single one of them together with anything resembling cuteness or innocence on their ornry faces!!

We DID have a good time though, especially at the beach, and though we came home soggy and tired, the pics below were well worth it....but that prize Christmas card shot will have to come from another brave effort....next time with a few helpers in tow:)

See these images and more of my latest work at www.bellezzaphotography.com

Touchdown!

First off, sorry for the lack of blogs- but summer it taking its toll on this momma, especially getting ready for the move, then add nine puppies and two toddler....I'm in a tailspin! But here's one to pacify those of you who are pining for an update.

Joe & I were invited by Joe's brother Sam to take the boys to a Corpus Christi Sharks Arena Football game on Saturday. Always a little hesitant about such outings, we were excited, but didn't know how long the boys would hold up, or if they would even be interested. We were lured by the promo that the first 1000 kids get free jerseys, so we took the bait. Lets just say that as it turns out these boys are definite football FANS! I think that Donovan might even fall into the SUPERFAN category. We got there and HOUR before they even opened the doors (sans Joey- he was stuck behind dealing with a frustrating install of our new dishwasher, he showed up in the 2nd quarter). The boys behaved well in the line (I was the one crumbling holding Avery all that time!!). Finally we got in, got all our free loot- the noisemakers, the foam #1 pointy finger, and those sought after JERSEYS. Donovan was wearing his instantly, and Avery tried but it rather swallowed him so we put it aside:).

Once we got our seats, we settled in to watch the visting players warm up on the field. Donovan & Avery watched in a mezmerized awe. When our Sharks entered the field for their warm up, the music cranked up and Donovan left his seat never to return. From that point on (with the exception of the lights-out-lazers-and-fog opening ceremony) Donovan was in the aisle dancing, clapping and shouting for the rest of the game. His little blue jersey down to his ankles, he was bee-bopping to all the hip hop & rock music that filled the stadium! I got it on video when he first began during the warmups, little did I know he would continue throughout the entire game!

He was so cute dancing non stop that he was even shown on the stadium Jumbo Screen
and got a big round of cheers and applause!

Avery enjoyed the first half and made it all the way to the 3rd quarter, but at that point he decided that it was far more fun to scale the stadium seating than to watch the game, so Joe and I spread out with two seats between us, holding them down with our knees so that Avery could enjoy this new jungle gym. Good thing he wore his bib overalls so that Joe and I could each hold a strap while Avery risked his life (as boys do 24/7/365).

I guess the boys were good luck charms, as our Sharks took a serous bite out of the visiting team, coming away with a win.

Below is the video of Donovan dancing during the warmups....I wish I had more because once the game picked up he was just hilarious! But by that time I was juggling popcorn, hotdogs & boys bopping eachother with those noise makers!

STORK DELIVERY CONFIRMATION

Okay, first of all, my apologies to my dedicated blog-watchers for the complete lack of updates this month. We hit a few life-snags that slowed us down a bit. Donovan poured Orange Juice in into the vent of our computer (directly on top of the hard drives) and I rushed it in to be professionelly cleaned only to learn that the owner of the shop has a bad habit of dissappearing for weeks at a time, and so I guess we were lucky to have gotten it back at the end of 2 weeks rather than 2 months. But for those two weeks I was completely lost and braindead without my computer! St. Anthony thanks for answering my prayers and bringing it back!

All is now back on track and this momma is ready to spill it all....

As you can see from the picture above, I motherhood has found me AGAIN, but this time by adoption the old-fashioned way...the stork STILL DELIVERS. Lets begin this tale of tails....

May 23rd, I am walking to our mailbox (a block away, a community safe-box) when I spot a little brown dog that from even my distance showed signs of a serious maternity crisis. Her belly was practically dragging with pups (she looked a lot like a pygmy goat:) and I could tell she was desperately searching for a place to whelp her pups. On closer inspection my suspicions were confirmed by her bloody discharge and I knew that time was short. So being the farm girl I will always be no matter how big a city I live in I did the only thing I knew to do, I scooped her up and carried her home. Her brown eyes glowed with relief. I was glad too, for the storm drains in our neighborhood were all open for repairs and I knew that cave-like holes would be attractive to her but dangerous.

I walked in the front door with my arms full and to my surprise Joe (talking on the phone) whispered at first "that dog is not staying in here" then I just said "she's having puppies" to which he surprisingly answered "Oh, ok." As if bringing in a whole family of dogs somehow was more acceptable than just one. I just kept walking through to the backyard, thanking God that I overcame that hurdle so easily.

I plopped her in our newly fenced kennel area and went back to get things to help her feel more at home.

May 24, 7:30am....Trying to beat the heat, I took both boys with me to the backyard to help me build a whelping box. Momma dog was holding those puppies in since the conditions were not right yet. So an hour later I had a deluxe box built that looked as if I had PLANNED for this.

May 24, 7:30pm....We had been a our nephew's bday party only to come home and discover 5 puppies in every possible color all nursing blissfully with Momma Dog. I figured she was probably done, but 2 hours later 2 more puppies appeared in the box. By midnight there was another and when I awoke in the morning there were 10 all-told. One didn't make it through the night, probably got stuck behind one rotund female that stuck out like a sore thumb. Wow. 9 puppies. 5 females, 4 males.

May 25, Early morning flash flood downpour turns my deluxe puppy box into Noah's Ark and so I am rushing back and forth dodging lightning bolts with fistfulls of puppies to the shop for a much needed location change...and there they have stayed ever since, perfectly situated right by the doggy door which is great for Momma Dog.

LATER THAT SAME DAY: It finally dawns on Joey that we are puppy parents and he utters a single profound question: "Explain to me just how did we go from owning 2 dogs to 12???" I pleaded the 5th.

PRESENT DAY...the pups just opened up their eyes and ears and are now starting to play with one another. Joey walked in this morning with one in his hand and surprised me by saying with a bit of REAL enthusiasm, "Wow, Kateri, they are actually getting cute!" Okay, I know- for all of my husband's good qualities, he was completely deprived as a child from anything that had fur or 4 legs, so you have to understand that for him it is legitimately surprising to discover that a dog, which falls under the category of animal, can actually go through a cute stage. He will get a good education in doggy cuteness now! Then he decided to test the ingrained theory of puppy scents and buried his nose in the ball of fur and took a big whiff.......I think the puppy didn't look quite as cute after that, as he just made a funny face & handed her off.

As of now, we are keeping Momma Dog (I know, I know, she really needs a name!) AND pick of the litter pup. Donovan & Avery are already doing the groundbreaking pup socialization, by the time these lil guys are ready to go to new homes they will be very tolerant:)

Precious Moments

How to Melt a Mom

No money can buy this type of Mothers Day gift. I tried to read his poem out loud, but I only got to about the 4th line before I had to have Joe take over. Absolutely divine!

-A proud mom.

NANA COMES TO TOWN!!!!

What a splendid weekend it was for us all! Nana Bugos flew in for a relaxing Thurdsday through Monday visit. We had not seen eachother since Katherine's wedding in October, so this trip was long overdue! It was not a time for sightseeing or events, but rather a time for Nana to immerse herself in all things Donovan & Avery. She got a very real look at our munchkins in their natural habitat:) Since she was on a solo mission, it was the first time ever that she didn't have any rightfully jealous "son-uncles" to fight over her lap with the "grandbaby-nephews", and so she delighted this time in great games of hide and seek, and snuggles with napping babies. I of course enjoyed the time immensely, as it provided lots of priceless mother-daughter time, a great gift for both of us just before Mother's Day. Of course now we are all pining away at the distance between us, and the boys still wake up each morning and from each nap uttering the question, "were's Nana?" With that Donovan always answers himself, "Nana-airplane-whooosh-Oklahoma!" He gets it!
Hopefully we will stick to our plan of making sure Nana gets a solo visit at least once a year, for it was a priceless bonding experience for the boys and her!!! We love you Nana!!!

Splish splash...cuteness takes a bath

The only time the boys are ever really still enough for mommy to take as many pics as she wants is when they are contained in their aquatic paradise:) Today Avery was my muse.

Work In Progress

My business cards are in! Hooray! Designed from scratch by myself (of course). Now its time to get my name out there...
Studio equipment is on the way as well and I am already booking jobs like crazy. I get my first studio lights next week.
Keep a lookout for my website link...I am building the site now and hopefully within a week or so it will be ready for viewing. I am also broadening my venture by adding custom graphic design to it. Biz cards, postcards, advertising, brochures, announcements, notecards, digital hardcover albums, etc. Exciting stuff! Distance knows no bounds, as this is the digital age afterall, so while I may not be able to snap your picture across state lines, I certainly can design your letterhead!

Opportunistic CheeZe Whiz

Avery takes full advantage of his brother's mischief,
e ating all the shredded cheese he can stuff in his mouth before
Mommy comes in to clean it all up. As for how
and why the cheese ended up on the floor, that is something that
could only be explained by the logic of a two year old. Something
about an open bag of shredded Colby-Jack on the counter just begs
to be sprinkled on the kitchen floor.

Bring your chips to the table...

So last tuesday I was the proud momma who floated out of pre-school with my brilliant tot in hand, after hearing the report that he has been "the best of the boys" in class this year. I know, I know...it is a slightly backhanded compliment, as it implies that he will never be teacher's pet due to the inexplicable difficulties imposed by his gender. But trust me moms, those of you who have boys, understand that such a compliment if one to be proud of!

Yet Thursday afternoon was a slightly different story.

I was taken aside for the first time.

Ms. Libby asked to speak to me a moment. {Gulp} And I smilingly bbliged, dreading what was to come next. She began by asking, "would you be opposed to putting potato chips in Donovan's lunch box from now on?" Relieved but baffled I responded with "Of course not, but why?"

Well apparently my "best of the boys" decided that there was a definite unfairness to the lunchbox allotments, and during lunchtime took it upon himself to rob every one of his 9 classmates of their unprotected potato chips until he finally had to be removed from the table. I really had to stifle my laughter at this all-to-easy-to-picture image. The poor teacher felt bad, telling me she was worried I would be opposed to putting chips in my child's lunch, as I always seemed to stock his lunch box on the healthy side. But what she doesn't know is that while my child's lunch box might be full of fresh veggies, fruits & cheese every time, it doesn't mean that our home is devoid of junkfood by any means. (If Daddy packed lunches around here she would have had a much different opinion!!!) The most hilarious thing was that I really had been priding myself on Donovan's lunches, in the competitive way that us moms undoubtedly do, making sure that I was healthy but appealing to my finicky toddler....but all the while trying to keep up with the Joneses. -Which is silly since no parents ever see the kids lunches anyway! But its one of the many motherly mental hangups I have.

So tomorrow morning Donovan will get a pleasant surprise in his lunch, as next to his strawberries and carrot sticks will be a crisp bag of potato chips. Hopefully his poor classmates can eat their lunch in peace again.

Sugar and spice....

Okay, I admit...for the one millionth time I paid the price for turning my back on my darling duo. Yesterday I was sewing curtains. I had begun during naptime, but still had one to finish after they awoke, so I loaded them up with graham crackers and milk and a good movie and thought I had bought myself enough time to finish my project. Ahem, think again mommy!

I came to the kitchen with my nearly finished curtain, for I needed to make sure that my measurements were accurate....and well, I might have walked right out without noticing anything if Donovan hadn't tipped me off with his tell tale high-pitched repetition of "hi!". I stopped dead in my tracks, and began to look around for the disaster area I knew existed. (this is his thing- his guilty conscience always comes through in this dead giveaway attention grabber- he will literally say hi and wave at you until you discover what he has done!)

Then I saw it. First I noticed the jars of spices that were on the counter- these were my BULK spices to boot...not my little jars but the big ones! I knew that I hadn't used any of these spices that day, so their presence was certainly suspicious. I turned on the light and there it was: the

MOUND. A nice sized pile of spicey-spices: chili powder, cumin, fajita seasoning, garlic powder and cream of tarter for good measure. The jars were either empty or nearly so. And the stovetop burner bore the brunt of the spice dump. My reaction? A frown to stifle my smile, and I turned tail to go grab my most trusted tools of motherhood: the hand vac and my camera. What more can a girl do?

So I vacuumed up the pile, and had to take off the stovetop burner and cover in the process. Lo and behold, I discovered pile #2, which I guess came before pile #1, as it was poured directly into that central hole in the burner, and it was about twice the size of the first pile...which was a relief, because now at least all of the spices could be accounted for, as I knew the first pile was too small to account for the depleted and empty jars.

Then I went to the sink to wash my hands and there was spice dump #3, this was more of a scattered pile, evenly coating the pots and pans and leaving a nice gritty film over the water. Lovely.

You know what they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade......and while I couldn't bring myself to do anything but pitch the spices, I DID take the opportunity to clean out my grimey stovetop burners, and felt quite satisfied in the result. This is the way I have accomplished many of those odd-job household chores lately, by providing disaster relief on the heels of my little darling terrors! By the way...Avery was completely innocent in this one...he is far too short to reach the counter top, and he didn't even have a single fleck of spice on him surprisingly enough- but he did enjoy watching me vacuum:)

And yes, if you were wondering, I did finish my curtains, and they certainly were worth the trouble they got me in! Just a little trim to add to the double set and a good ironing and they will be done...that I'll do during next naptime:)

One thing I have been pondering...if girls are sugar and spice and everything nice....does this prove that boys are "chili and paprika mommy's-gonna-freaka?"

The Celebration at last! Good thing our birthday boy can't count, because this party is
a month belated! (because the flu came in and threw quite a bash, interrupting our earlier plans!)
So the Easter gathering became a joint birthday party venture for our deserving one year old! By this time
Avery was primed for the action, after having a few practice runs at home...he wasted no time
getting his hands in that cake!

Ressurrection Day!

The annual Easter morning A.M. sugar high. The boys only
made it as far as their Easter baskets....the plastic eggs scattered in plain sight were of no appeal compared with the goodies in the baskets! Better luck next year, Mr. E. Bunny... this year it was mommy who gathered all the eggs!