20 Jun
We celebrated Bryan’s birthday last week with the traditional breakfast sandwich, a stack of presents, and visit from his parents.
When Bryan saw his gifts, he picked them up one by one, shook them, and said, “Shoes, shirt, shorts, shorts, shirt, gift card, and…liquor, but I’m not sure what kind…”
He was right on every count.
Next year, I think I’ll leave them unwrapped!
19 Jun
Happy Father’s Day to all of the wonderful dads and grandpas in our lives—and special wishes to the one that makes me so happy to be a mom.
6 Apr
After a rather hectic day yesterday, I came home to what I affectionately refer to as the second shift. The girls were in rare form, and despite the fact I was obviously on the phone, they barraged me with questions and requests. My favorite was this exchange with Olivia:
Olivia: “Mom. Mom. MOMMY. MOM. Mom. Mooooooom.”
Me: “What?”
Olivia: “What is that?”
Me: “It’s a bug, Liv. I’m on the phone.”
Olivia: “Why is it a bug?”
Me: “What?”
Olivia: “WHY IS IT A BUG? Why, Mom, why? Why is it a bug? Why?!”
Me: “Wha…I don’t…it’s just a bug. Seriously, phone…”
Olivia: “But, Mama, WHY is it a BUG! WHY!
As I relayed this to Bryan later, I was hoping he’d commiserate about about the exasperating nature of the question. Instead, he responded:
“It’s a bug because it has six legs. And an exoskeleton.”
11 Feb
Bryan and I started dating 16 years ago today. Some say you end up hating the things that initially attracted you to a person, but my fondness for bad jokes only seems to grow with each passing year.
22 Jan
(You’ll see why that title is appropriate in a moment…)
Every two years, Gramma and Grampa dig and process horseradish. This year, Bryan helped with the digging, and the grandparents sent some roots home with him to process on his own.
So, late one night last month, he set to it, taking photos of the task along the way. Here are the pre-processed roots, which he had soaked in the garage for a few days prior.
Then, he peeled the roots. He said he started with 36.5 oz of horseradish root. After he cleaned and peeled it, he had 22 ounces left, or about 60 percent of the starting weight.
From Bryan: I blended the horseradish with some water (just enough to allow for blending) and a pinch of salt. After blending, I let it sit 10 minutes (I read on the internet that the longer it sits, the hotter it gets, up to a point). Two to three minutes was recommended for mild, about five minutes for medium, and eight minutes for hot. Ten minutes seemed about right to me. After that, I added some white vinegar to get the consistency right.
All in all, it’s very good and pretty hot. Not too bad for a first attempt, anyway. I made it without safety glasses or ventilation, but it was only two batches in the blender, so not too big or dangerous of a job. The only cringe inducing moments were after the 10 minute period when I opened the top of the blender to peek in and add vinegar. It’s probably best to stand back a foot or two from the top of the blender, to not breathe in the fumes directly.
By this point, the entire house smelled like horseradish, and Bryan, perhaps fueled by a combination of the pungent fumes and large quantities of bourbon, continued to snap photos using the camera’s timer function.
Thanks, Gramma and Grampa, for sharing—we will enjoy this in the months to come.
3 Jan
Olivia, who informed me this morning that she was NOT A BABY, started preschool today. She is joining Ava at the new Montessori school, and she seems pretty darn excited about it. She did ask if we were going to Diane’s later today, but when I said no, she didn’t protest. I packed up a spare lovie and her little pink teddy bear with her nap-time bedding, just in case she wasn’t feeling quite so grown up come afternoon.
Ava is such a fabulous big sister, and it’s a relief knowing she’ll be keeping an eye on the little one during the day.
Ava even came with us to drop Olivia off in her new classroom.
Olivia is wearing a jumper my mom made—I thought it was perfect for the first day of school. I’ll post an update tonight!
UPDATE: When I picked up Olivia tonight, she came running at me yelling, “Mama, Mama, Mama!” Then she said, “I am so glad you picked me up.” Apparently, she’s not aware of the center’s rather strict policies in that regard.
Her teacher reported that Olivia had a great day, never once asking for me. (My response: “Um…thanks—that’s good, right?”) She didn’t nap, but otherwise, she seemed to do quite well. Here’s hoping tomorrow goes as smoothly.
1 Dec
One of the benefits of holding birthday parties in Nebraska—especially over Thanksgiving weekend—is that most of our family members are able to attend. Here are a few shots of those who helped Olivia celebrate.
Bryan and his dad, Doug:
Gramma Great, our generous hostess:
And our gracious host, Grampa Great:
My mother-in-law Karyl and sister-in-law Jess:
My sister-in-law—the newly-minted Dr. Capp—as well as my nieces, Sylvia and Hazel, and Ava.
Hazel seemed to be quite fond of Ava—and Ava was DEFINITELY fond of Hazel.
Hazel’s twin, Eliza:
Aunt Katie joined via teleconference from Boston:
Mom had a chat with her, too:
Here’s my stepdad Dave. (Happy birthday to you, Dave!)
And here’s a self portrait of the proud parents:
And some of our littlest guests, including Wyatt, who’s about to turn three as well:
And Leo, showing off the treat bags:
And my newest niece, Sylvia, who is a month old today. Isn’t she gorgeous?
Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate! More party pics coming soon.
22 Sep
Olivia was the first one out the door this morning, and when she rounded the car, she started yelling, “Oh! Look, a turtle! GET IT, DADDY!”
I have to admit I thought she had confused her animals, but she was right—there was a box turtle slowing making his way across the driveway. Bryan scooped him up so the girls could get a closer look.
After a few moments, Bryan carried him to the yard and pointed him in the right direction. He’s one of the nicer visitors we’ve had as a result of the waterway behind the house.
11 Sep
My mom said this out loud on Monday morning, shortly after Bryan and Grampa headed down to a nearby inlet. She was right!
Of course, the direction of the wind didn’t seem to cause Bryan too much trouble the day before…
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