Oh... Just some more love for the big day!

So sweet that Valentine's Day!

We just got back from having dinner with Mom & Pete which was, like always, so nice. Zane had a fun day with Mimi and got a tool box for her house for Valentine's Day.

Paul woke up this morning with a gift from Zane waiting for him. Zane got Daddy a tee-ball set for the back yard. He opened it very early this morning before leaving for school so of course couldn't play with it. Then when he got home the little man was still with Mimi. So, after dinner (we got home at 8:30pm), Paul was still SO excited about playing tee-ball with Zane that he immediatly set it up in the house as SOON as we walked in the door



I on the other hand was presented with the SWEETEST Valentine's gift of all when Paul got home from work. It is a framed poem, or better put, a collection of haikus. Ten of them as a matter of fact. One for every Valentine's Day we have been together.

He wrote it throughout the week last week and went and got a beautiful frame for it. I thought I would share the haikus with all beause they are so fun. Some most will understand, but some most will not. That is ok though. You will probably enjoy anyways...

ten valentine haikus

the morning light seeks

refuge between your freckles

and waits there, and breathes.

tiny hands tugging

carrot-stained fabric - the boy

wants to kiss your lips!

my toenail scratches

your calf. a quick gasp of breath.

it's okay, you say.

the fax machine whirs

to life as the last warm breeze

dies in the backyard.

we can't see the moon.

the clouds hover patiently

like silent geckos.

lucinda williams

mourns her goddamn innocence.

we sway in the dim light.

almost there. dad sings

a hairband ballad. mom feeds

the babe from her breast.

stumbling to the crib

at three a.m. - you mumble

thank you. i'm humbled.

beets and rainbow chard

litter the cold garage floor -

neighborhood heroes!

i whisper softly

in your ear: library.

you roll your eyes and smile.

(paul moonhil)

I am sure I don't even have to express how moved I was. Now to find the perfect place to hang it...

Happy Valentine's Day (again) All!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

As you all can see, I have managed to get that last post broken down into 4 different posts and as far as I can see... ALL the videos are working. WHEW! That was quite and adventure! I guess I tried to cram too much into one entry so in the future when things look so choppy, well that is why. Don't want to have to re-do so much EVER again!

And what a happy day it is!! I love the feeling of Valentine's Day! It is such a sweet day to tell all your friends and family how much you care about them. It is not just a day for "lovers" but a day for all the people you love. I remember quite a long time ago when I was in high school (well, not THAT long ago) when I was so amped up and worried about getting my boyfriend at the time something for Valentine's Day. I was so into it that I never got anything for my Mom and brother. My Mom FLIPPED out on me and was so upset that I just forgot my family on Valentine's Day! She was right to do so. It is such a cool time to honor your loved ones... that boyfriend is long gone but my Mom and little bro, well... are ALWAYS there. I love them so much.

So, to all of you out there... Happy Loving Day!

Zane got special deliveries already today from his Nona (a kissing bunny book with a sound built into the book of a kiss), a froggy Valentine from his Aunt Lala, and a puppy Valentine from his Gramps and Grandma. Zane left a Valentine gift for his Daddy this morning of a tee-ball stand for the back yard so that he can teach Zane how to hit the ball (Paul has been known to rig up one with a big stick of bamboo and a bucket of dirt for Zane to hit!). I know that Mimi said that she has something sweet waiting for the kiddo when she got him to her house (today... Thursdays are Zane's Mimi Day and Mommy's Work Day). Can't wait to hear later what kind of Valentine's Day Zane had hangin' with Mimi!

I am working quietly listening to WNCW in Boone, North Carolina (my favorite) and eating some Green & Black's Organic Chocolate while I get some work done (and blogging :). LOVE the Green & Black's chocolate... highly recommend these three flavors:

1.Espresso (oh so good!)

2. Mayan Gold (that is what I am snacking on right now. It is dark chocolate with orange and spices)

3. Ginger (dark chocolate with pieces of crystalized ginger!)

THE BEST!!

My famliy...

My Valentine Boys

Oh also, the spell check on the blogger for me does not work anymore (very frustrated, but hey, what can I do? It is free!) so excure the spelling errors. I just don't have the time to comb back through everything.

Lookin' back at the good times: Part 4

Dinner with great, new friends...

A yummy and wonderful dinner tonight with Tiffany, Brian and Brianna. Aren't they cute sitting on her couch eating cookies together?!?

AND, yes I did not forget about the talking part... He is so cute! He is now trying to imitate just about everything we say. His difinite words are DOG, SIT, & DADDY. Tonight while I was getting him ready for bed he was holding his stuffed monkey and pointed to his eyes and said "eye" which totally floored me. Then that was followed by him grabbing his shoes and going to the bed to sit down for me to put them on and saying "shoes." THEN he grabbed the ball that was behind him and looked right at me and said "ball!" It was just one thing after another! This is just the beginning and everyday we expect more to just roll out of that cute boy!

Zane has figured out how to play the symbols that Gramps and Grandma gave him for his birthday!

Lookin back at the good times: Part 3

Our friends Mindy & Luci brought over a kiddie pool for Zane. I took him out the other day and he seemed to enjoy the new toy!


Blowing Bubbles...




A beautiful Saturday with my favorite people...




We decided we needed to welcome the weekend with a fun and relaxing morning with a peaceful breakfast at First Watch followed by hanging out on the beach playing in the sand & surf. It was a beautiful morning. Exactly what we needed. Followed by a peaceful snooze for Zane.

Lookin back at the good times: Part 2

Dinner Wed. night. Co-op inspired. Good for the body and soul.

Carrots Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar & Butter

Eggs in a Nest with Swiss Chard
one of our quick and yummy favorites.

A healthy, quiet dinner for three. Eggs in a Nest, Fingerling potatos with butter and salt, Balsamic Carrots, and Sweet Potatoe Corn Muffins. "This meal is brought to you by the Green Village Co-op."

Pitting cherries for Zane to devour and I was even able to enjoy some with yogurt!

A nice hot cup of tea while curled up on the couch with my honey and the babe all tucked in.

I finished making a re-usable Swifer cover and some dish sponges. They are a fantastic idea from our great friend Sara. They work REALLY well and you can just throw them in the washer and dryer! Great for the earth and great for us! In fact, Paul and I both agree that these sponges work better than the ones I was buying at the store. And really, let's be honest. Those sponges that sit by your sink just breed some heavy bacteria. These you can throw in the wash every couple of days. I definitly plan on making more soon so we have more in rotation.

Lookin' back at the good times: Part 1

(The beginning of the re-do! We will see how this goes. After consulting with my amigo we came up with the idea that I was trying to include too many videos in one blog entry. So, I am going to break this down and see if I can share all these fun movies because I know that is what folks are lovin'. I am trying so bear with me. They may not all get up tonight so I will try and finish in the morning.)

---------------

After a long and stressful week for various reasons, I wanted to sit back and look through some video and pics and enjoy and appriciate all of the good and fun things about my week.

We ate good and healthy meals which is always something that make me VERY happy and of course makes me feel good. Played with friends. Blew bubbles in our new pool. Cooked with my boy. Had a fantastic family day at breakfast and the beach. Finished fun household crochet projects. Had dinner with fun new friends. And Zane is TALKING!!

Nothing like a couple of CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY kids to make you smile!


Wed. Morning: Making Sweet Potato Corn Muffins



Zane really liked having his own cutting board and I gave him a little cheese spreader to cut up a banana. He was concentrating so hard!

Spikey hair and fantastic shopping.

Zane out to eat... he decided the food was better off in his hair. I personally think it does look much better!






A couple weekends ago, Beth and I took a trip sans kiddos to the Ikea they just recently oped in Sunrise, FL. I was an Ikea virgin up until now. Boy was that place FUN!! I went to search for a comforter for Zane's bed and a little kid size table and chairs. I of course came back with so much more but found everything I was looking for. One day, the pics of the table and chairs will be posted but it needs to be stained or painted first.

Zane all cuddled up in his SUPER COMFY new comforter!!! It is SO cute and looks SO good in his room. He also likes to point to all the animals and wait for you to say what they are and he loves to make a monkey sound when he points to the monkey!

This is why we do it...

A few pictures as to why I still love doing the organic produce co-op with our friends...

Two weeks ago we got some snap peas and Zane loved it when I opened them up for him and he could eat the peas out of them.

Today we got blueberries which is a BIG favorite for both of the boys. I think they went through about 2 pints of blueberries in one day!

Oh the goods... butter lettuce, beets, turnips, carrots, fingerling potatoes, grape tomatoes, red navel oranges, fuji apples, and blueberries... YUM!

... and I just have to fire up the oven and bake all my big and beautiful beets! They were huge and the greens were beautiful and washed and wrapped up and put in the frig.

All cut up and in the frig for quick use for salads and anything else that crosses my path!

My Blues Men

This was my dinnertime serranade and I just had to share immediatly with all... they are so darn cool! (And yes, that is Zane playing the harmonica! It is just so cute!)

Bon Appetit

On Wednesday night Zane was so very sleepy but we really try and keep him up until between 8:30 and 9pm so that he sleeps at least until 7am. So we typically end the day with lots of playing with puzzles, books, his kitchen, or stacking blocks to wind down his day. On this particular night I was vegging out on the couch reading my new, and oh so wonderful, Bon Appetit magazine (thank you so much Varrell for a wonderful gift!). He was getting so sleepy and he came up to me and wanted up on the couch with me. He got up their and snuggled in right next to me and just lay their while I read the magazine to him. I read to him a section highlighting a some of the wonderful winter fruits and vegetables and how to store them. Sounds fascinating, right? Well, that is the stuff I love and the article really presented it all beautifully with these great drawings of the vegetables.

Anyway, Paul took this video of us and about 60 seconds after he ended the video, Zane was fast asleep snuggled up next to me on the couch. Oh, it was so sweet. I carried him off to bed and tucked him in. He was so quiet about it and so cute!

Also, Paul is so sweet at the end of the video. Listen to his sweet words. I do love him so.

So, thank you Varrell for the wonderful bedtime reading material! Maybe Zane will be a wonderful chef one day!

What a lovely day...

Today Zane and I stopped by the beach after taking care of some errands. It was such a beautiful day to go. He is still sleeping soundly after playing hard at the beach!

Videos from November

Some lost videos that I just came across...

These were taken back in November but I just thought they were so cute that I have to share.


Zane loves to arm wrestle! He is always testing his strength around here. He is quite the muscle boy!



A couple videos of a "Boy and His Dog." Like I said, these are a couple months old, which in toddler time is huge, but I just thought they were so cute!
And the Ruffy we speak of is a stuffed dog his Great-Uncle Mark got him for his birthday. He loves the thing and any time you ask him "where is Ruffy?", he will run all over the house until he finds him! He will then tackle him with big hugs! Sometimes, if you are lucky, he will bring him to you!

Dylan Doggy I


Dylan Doggy II


Ruffy in the Tee-Pee

The Man Flu

My lovely and hilarious Aunt Margaret sent this in an email to me and I just laughed and laughed. I just felt the need to share it today. No offense men, but sometimes this is just how it goes... and we love you dearly! :)

Messy Monkey

Our little messy monkey...

A Weekend at the House of James

Last weekend with Sara, Sam & Maya at the Lowry Park Zoo (Tampa).

Maya has this rockin' cool car that Zane LOVED so much. He was so funny because he just loved getting in and out of it using the door and then he would stick his head out the front window and just give us all a BIG smile and giggle.