Noel's 20 month word list

mama, dada, madada, done, please (peez), more, eat, butter, cheese, apple, berry (sounds like bey-ee), baby, baba (sheep), boa, no, yeh, uh oh, anna, annie, bubble, pool, bee (means ant), hat, doo-doo (means shoe), poopoo, peepee, night night, hi, bye, star, moon, choo-choo (sounds like too-too), up, high (for swinging), ball, balloon, woof (means dog), bear, egg, nanny (candy) nana (banana), help, MINE!, drive (sounds like dive), bike, aguagua (water), out.

I'm back

In case anyone is checking my blog every day (for funny stories, new pics of the kids, and product giveaways), here are some funny stories, new and not-so-new pictures, and, sorry, no product giveaways yet.
Nana, you will appreciate this one. Especially since you're probably the only person reading it! We sometimes sing the kids a lullaby that Todd remembers from his infancy, the one about Blanket Bay. Oh, I don't really know all the lyrics, but it begins with being wrapped in a cozy blanket and ends with sailing away to Blanket Bay. One night last week, Trevor and Noel were wired and taking forever to get to sleep (they're sharing a room now so they can really get each other going). One or another of us would have to keep going in and saying go to sleep, time for bed, close your eyes, etc. It was one of those nights when a third parent would've come in handy. I said "get in your boats, it's time to sail to Blanket Bay." Trevor decided it would be a race, and of course his was a speedboat. Fifteen minutes later, Noel was still yelling "mama, mama" so I went in to tuck her back in one last time. Trevor was sleepy but still awake, and as I left the room, he said "I still have not yet found Blanket Bay."
A few pictures from Trevor's birthday. He did a 1/4 mile run in the morning, and celebrated in the afternoon with a few friends. Todd painted the beautiful dragon. For his birthday dinner, he chose "beans, rice and cheese."

I don't know if this is as funny as it is disgusting.

We have had lots of runny noses around here lately and I said to Noel "go get a tissue." Well, she went straight to the bathroom waste basket, opened the lid, pulled out a soggy wad of used tissue and very proudly wiped her face with it. YUCK.

Birthday Week

Help! I'm addicted to Ebay!

...So I've officially added it to "my favorites," my eyes are fogging over from staring at the screen for hours, and although I've only bid on and purchased one item (so far), I'm starting to abbreviate everything (EUC, NIP...) and use words like "webinar" in everyday conversation. I admit it was craigslist for awhile, but it was a kind of drudgery, like an alcoholic compelled to drink two six-packs of Busch every day. Nothing good ever came of it. I haven't even looked at craigslist since this afternoon!
Gotta run, an auction is ending.

Trevor the politician...or maybe used car salesman

Todd's department at work celebrated its 100th birthday last week and we took the family to a dinner event. The kids behaved very well for the most part. Trevor sat through dinner without too much fidgeting, then it was time for the speeches. The department head (ask Todd for an impersonation of her husky voice if you want a laugh) began the lengthy introductions. Here's how it went: she delivered her punchline, hahaha polite laughter...two beats...Trevor's fake and hearty chuckle (loud) followed by sincere cracking up. And so it went for several minutes. I am just about to fall off my chair thinking about it now.
We did not stay for the speakers.

Date Night

My apologies for no new pictures; the children are adorable and sweet, but somehow we cannot locate the charger for our camera battery. You'll have to trust me that they're cute. Trevor's latest hobby is making great piles of stuff--toys, books, clothing, framed pictures, pillows--piling it all up and calling it something, like a barricade or something, I'm usually too annoyed by then to care much about the creative process. Although I admit I had to laugh today when he took a painting I recently purchased at a used art sale and stacked it on the piled-up couch and called it the gummer. Noel's favorite activities now involve crawling quickly toward the stairs, chewing on electrical cords, putting shoes in her mouth (she also likes the little white thing from the bottom of the toilet), wrapping my purse strap or any other ribbonlike object around her neck. She wouldn't last twenty minutes on her own. She also loves the baby swing (whew, she's restrained) and makes a happy noise when I ask if she wants to swing. She points at airplanes in the sky and waves at everyone. What a cutie pie.
Last week was our anniversary and we celebrated the beginning of our sixth year together by going out on a date. It works like this: You hire a sitter and leave your children at home while you go do stuff you wouldn't normally do with children. We went out to dinner* and then it was a toss-up between going to home depot to look at flooring samples and taking in a movie. We went with the movie. A movie theater is a series of large rooms filled with soft chairs, and in each room there is a different movie which is projected onto a large screen. Sometimes people eat popcorn and drink pop. I might do it again; it's cheaper than a new floor.
*Dinner out is something you can do with children, but it's usually about getting to the end of the meal so you can leave before your 3 year old asks you to take him to the bathroom for the fourth time. I guess Block 15 does have pretty nice bathrooms. Plus minors aren't allowed in the bar area of Aqua, where you can get a fabulous meal off the happy hour menu, plus two beers for Todd and a weird rooibos-infused cocktail for me (not recommended) for under $30.