1/4

it seems as if i barely blinked and one fourth of gibson's first year of life has already flown by. where did the last 4 months go?

he had his 4 month check up today with the usual round of shots (not my favorite part...and i'm sure he would agree).

he has managed to maintain his weight at the 90th percentile: 17 lbs. 12 oz. it's no wonder that he's in some 6-9 month clothes already. but his height dropped a wee bit to the 75th percentile: 25 inches.

maybe he can be a sumo wrestler when he gets older? i mean, just look at those cheeks! and you wouldn't believe the rolls.

thai hut lives!

there used to be a little thai restaurant 5 minutes from our house that had some fantastic thai food. and i mean f.a.n.t.a.s.t.i.c. really.

after coming from seattle, it was hard finding good thai food in the cleveland area. then, thai hut opened a few years ago. and we were pleasantly surprised.

then much to our disappointment, we found out last week that this neighborhood restaurant had closed up shop. it was a sad day.

but i seemed to recall one of the servers telling me the last time we were there that they had opened another thai restaurant on clifton blvd., in cleveland. so we took a quick drive down clifton...and whoomp there it is.

the asian grille.

the menu choices were an exact replica of thai hut's (with the exception of the deep fried tofu. but we got them to make some for us anyway, even though it was not offered on the menu). even one of the servers was from thai hut, and remembered us (she asked about emma and was excited to finally meet gibson). similarities aside, the asian grille does offer a larger space, so that when you're hauling a car seat inside the restaurant you don't feel as if you've taken up 1/2 of the seating area.

so after a brief mourning period for thai hut, we're glad to discover that it lives on at the asian grille.

happy news

me: hey emma, later today after your nap, pap is going to pick you up and you're going to spend the night at gram and paps, okay?

emma: after my nap i'm going to gram and pap's?

me: yes.

emma: woooo...that's cool. and tyler is coming?

me: yes. and benjamin too.

emma: and mommy and daddy are not going to come?

me: no. mommy and daddy are going to stay here.

emma: yeaaahhhhh.

me: are you excited?

emma: yeaaaahhhh! woohooo...thaaaat's cool.

i'm so glad she's excited to not have us around...already, at the young age of 3.

(almost) wordless wednesday :: too cool?

perhaps he thought he was getting "too old" for that kind of stuff now that he's pushing 13 years old. that's why he didn't bring his swim trunks.

but after 5 minutes, the shirt was off and it was full body immersion in the kiddie pool.





































more wordless wednesday here and here.

a million words or less...

during the first week of school, tyler came home with a bright yellow sheet of paper and handed it to us.

"here. this is your homework," he said with a smile that almost looked like a smirk (i think he thought it humorous that mom and dad got homework and he didn't).

our assignment:

in a million words or less..tell me about your scholar...tell us what you think we should know about your scholar. you could tell us some of your scholar's interests, strengths, areas of need...basically anything you want.

we didn't use a million words, but i thought i would share with you what we submitted to his 7th grade teachers (i think they should do this every year).

Perhaps a million words would not be enough to fully describe all of our son's characteristics and mannerisms. We see him as a unique individual, and words are not sufficient to clearly express how much we love and care for him. The following is our attempt in providing you with a summary of some of Tyler's special qualities.

Since Tyler was a little boy, he has always been filled with a vivid imagination. This particular creative energy especially flourishes when he is doing something he enjoys, such as working with his Legos. The time he spends building and creating with Legos is when we notice his imagination taking flight. Unlike his Uncle Jon, who opts to keep his vast collection of Legos according to their specific sets, Tyler purposefully mixes pieces from different sets to design one-of-a-kind structures, describing in great detail the specific functions of some of the pieces.

However, when doing an activity he does not find interesting or perhaps too difficult, his creativity comes to a standstill as he fails to put forth his best effort. It is most noticeable when it comes time for Tyler to complete class assignments that he may find tedious or challenging. Instead of putting the same amount of effort and commitment into his class work as his Lego creations, he is often easily frustrated by the assignment and quick to pass on the challenge by completing the work half-heartedly and as quickly as possible in order to move on to what he deems as more enjoyable activities.

Tyler is a well rounded and social individual. He is active in the school band, our family bowling league, and tae kwon do. He also serves at our church by assisting in the children's nursery and setting up and tearing down before and after the service. He genuinely cares about people and enjoys the company of others. He seems comfortable in relating to people of different ages and has much to add to a conversation once it continues in a direction that interests him. At times, he takes this social quality to a fault by allowing his joy of conversing to manifest during inappropriate times.

In regards to school, we feel Tyler is extremely capable of completing the work assigned to him when he puts forth his best effort. Directing, and at times redirecting, his energy into his studies is a task that can be challenging. Areas of opportunity for Tyler lie in his organization skills, time management, attention to detail, and effort. The keys for success in these areas are to follow-up both at school and at home and making what he is learning both practical and relevant. We consistently check his planner, progress book, and work every night to ensure that he has completed the assignments to the best of his ability.

We think Tyler is a bright young man who is able to achieve anything he puts his mind to. With the full support of his family, he has the potential to succeed in all areas of his life, including school. Although this is merely a small glimpse into Tyler's personality, we hope it will be a starting point for discovering who he is.

laborless labor day

a little cook out. a little water. a little family. a LOT of fun.













































































































thanks gram and pap for opening your home to a fun, laborless, labor day holiday.

a little conversation over play-doh

me: you know what's missing in this house? some music!

[i head over to pick out a record]

emma: no. i don't want to listen to that one [referring to the pogues record in my hand].

me: oh. which one would you like to listen to? how about the clash?

emma: yeah. i want to listen to the clash.

daddy would be so proud.

multiples :: the follow-up

no, no. i didn't get my clones.

as soon as i hit "publish post" on my last entry, i heard gibson awaken crying.

i went upstairs feeling exasperated...we've just been off today. and when we're off, there's a lot more crying and crankiness involved on his end (and perhaps mine too).

but as i held him, looking at his smiling face the minute i picked him up i realized that i really didn't need clones (not that i would have gotten them anyway).

it seems the first thing i do when i'm feeling exhausted or frustrated or stretched to beyond what i think i can bear is rely on myself for strength. i rely on myself to figure things out. but really...i can't do it all on my own. it's impossible (hence my last post on needing clones).

as my dear friend a.m.i. reminded me:

these are the times we should celebrate, because it forces us to rely on God to multiply and bless our time, productivity, etc.

how quickly i forget in the heat of the moment that i should be turning to God for guidance. for strength. for patience. for endurance.

for everything.

multiples

i'm not a fan of cloning.

in fact, i get a little freaked out reading stuff about how cloned meat could be the thing of the future in supermarkets. hmmm. i don't know. it just doesn't seem natural to me.

but on days like today, the idea of cloning doesn't sound so bad.

how about cloning me?

if i could just have multiples of me. i wouldn't ask for much.

just 4.

one for the kids, one for my husband, one to manage the household, and one extra just in case an area gets a little crazy.

and everyone's needs would be met. and i wouldn't feel so bad when i have to spend 40 minutes soothing a cranky baby while i leave my 3 year old unattended.

as it stands right now, there is only one of me. i really don't think it's very functional.












maybe all mothers should come in sets of 4?

are you for real?

what do kelly clarkson...





















and my handmade cards have in common?





















love at first sight.

well, at least i think so. i just got an e-mail for amanda at lilly's handmade chocolates and she told me that ms. clarkson just bought the last 7 of my cards last night.

wha? who? really? wow.

(i wonder if she loved the mike as much as we do?)

now i'd better get off cloud 9 and start making more for the store.