Dragonflies and...

Chipmunk: Mommy! There's a dragonfly! Take a picture.

Me: Um, okay. I'll try.



Chipmunk: Oh! There's another one! Take a picture! Take a picture!



Chipmunk: And that one, too!

Me: (Sighs) Honey, we're here to watch soccer, NOT the dragonflies.

Chipmunk: Okay, okay.

Yup, it's that time of year again...



…a little bit of watching dragonflies, and a little bit of watching soccer.

In the Sun

I have spent the past hour on Amazon searching for the following: umbrellas, canopies, tents, umbrella chairs, pop up canopy, etc. Why? I'll give you a hint...





Today was opening day for soccer in our area...and boy, was it hot.

After sitting in the sun for two games, I'm amazed I haven't shriveled up like bacon.

This is apparently our every Saturday from here until mid-November.

Okay...back to searching...

Looking for new members to join SGFMWLTWTKD

S = Support
G = Group
F = For
M = Men
W = Who
L = Lost
T = Their
W = Wives (sig. others)
T = To
K = Korean
D = Dramas

I know you are out there.

Lapsus Linguae

After bringing home the new sewing machine...

Husband: Are you happy you have a sewing machine again?

Me: Yup. It's nice.

Husband: Now you can finish all your crap.

Me: Crap?

Husband: I mean...CRAFTS. Not cra-ap. Cra-afts.

Me: Right. You mean like how you play Star-crap? Oh, I mean Star-cra-aft.

SGFWWLTHTS2

S = Support
G = Group
F = For
W = Women
W = Who
L = Lost
T = Their
H = Husbands (Sig Others)
T = To
S2 = Starcraft 2

Apparently we need to start this come July 27th.

Sigh.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

Actually, it's kind of nice having rain...

A Fair Moment

There was a series in August that ran on The Kitchn about street fair food. As I read recipe after recipe on foods like funnel cake and frozen lemonade, it reminded me that our county fair was soon approaching.

Today we finally got to go.

Of course, some people go for the food.



As often as I tell myself that I'd like to try something new when we go to the fair, I never do. That deep-fried cheesecake on a stick will have to wait for another time. Although you can tell what the new "it" fair food is by the number of vendors selling it. These signs were everywhere:



Our kids were thrilled by anything furry.



A crew of baby goats came running when Bear came to see them. They were clamoring for her loving pats.



Anytime Chipmunk saw anything remotely animal, he'd scream and point.



There was a neat robotic dinosaur exhibit that we visited.



Chipmunk wasn't much into the display. Instead he spent his time brushing for fossils.



Other than that, Bear rode her first ferris wheel and loved it so much she wanted to go again. Chipmunk had to stick with his acrophobic mom and enjoyed amusements that were much lower to the ground like the train (or as Chipmunk likes to say "Choo Choo!").

Anyway, if you'd like to see more of how we spent our time at the fair, you can see them here.

Until the next fair moment.

Playing Games

So the other day we went to the market with my sister and I witnessed this...

Bear: I know! I got a good idea! Let's play a game!

Auntie: What? (Meanwhile Bear comes up behind her and hits her on the rear end)

Bear: Let's play butt tag! (Giggling and runs away)

Auntie: Bear, I don't know if I want to play this game.

Bear: Come on, Auntie! Touch my butt! Try to touch my butt!

Auntie: Who taught you this game?

Bear: I don't know. Come get me! Touch my butt!

Seriously, who taught her this game?

Ballerina Moms

Taking Bear to ballet classes has immersed me into a whole different culture that resides within the confines of dance studio lobbies. I feel like an alien in a strange land of pink tutus and shiny tap shoes, where the most common greeting is, "so which one is yours?" as the well-groomed parents look through the plexi-glass windows pointing at their pint-size progeny. It's where they talk about which ballet teacher is the best at teaching technique to three year olds and compare which child seems to have the most elaborate hair-do. They share about the other extracurricular activities their children participate in (hip hop, gymnastics, soccer, voice lessons, piano, drawing etc.) and then discuss the ramifications of what would have happened if they didn't make it into "this class.". Their cell phones are abuzz confirming play dates and they rapidly discuss with each other which children's museum has the best technologically interactive display to engage their budding geniuses.

Having little grasp of words such as "Nanny" or "Spare Moment", I stand off to the side and quietly wait (er...run after the elusive and quick to wander Chipmunk) while the other ballerina moms "ooh" and "aah" at their children stumbling through grand jeté and échappé sauté. Then as the clock strikes 10:40, we rush in to change our dear daughter's shoes so another 20 minutes of shuffle hops and taps can proceed. And the moms watch with stars in their eyes imagining futures of standing ovations and encores, delighted at their child's interest in art and culture.

Then the teacher dismisses and all the girls run out of the dance room prim and proper, hairstyles intact, with beaming smiles on their faces. Their mothers pick up their brand name tote bags and receive them with open arms and bottles of water and ask them how their ballet class went while escorting them towards their minivans headed for the next enlightening destination.

Meanwhile, Bear runs out of the studio, with her ponytail falling out, secondhand leotard, a ruffled Sonja in one arm and a freshly printed ladybug stamp on the other and proudly announces, "I love ballet class!" I in turn respond, "I'm glad you had a good time."

Daddy, Buy this!

Going to Costco is not just a shopping trip, it's a family outing for us. Two kids can sit in the cart comfortably, partake of yummy samples and watch as mom and dad ponder whether it's worth buying 300 diapers at a time. Bear enjoys the ride and has happy thoughts of hot dogs. Chipmunk loves the ride as long as his sister is sitting there next to him, sharing her hot dog.

Today, I parked the cart and stepped a couple of feet away when I heard, "Ooooh, wow! Daddy! Daddy! Come buy this! Buy this!"

Matt was a little confused and said, "What?! Do you know what this is?"

Bear smiled, nodded and said, "A Drum box! Buy the Drum box!"

Apparently I parked the cart next to a large pile of Guitar Hero:World Tour boxes for the Wii.

So we bought it...just kidding, we didn't. But that sure would have been a fun ending to this story. Oh well.

For the Smiles

I've decided that putting in the effort and taking our kids on special outings is beneficial for the whole family. The kids get to take in some culture, fun and some fresh air. The parents get that warm fuzzy feeling inside when they see the tremendous smiles on their kids faces.

This week we went to the County Fair. Some highlights:

Bear's First Pony Ride



We were standing by the pony ride deciding where to go next, when Bear turned to Matt and asked, "I ride pony?" Uh, okay.

Seeing all the Animals



Her favorite was by far the bunny ("pet bunny like Curious George?" she asked). She also got to pet a bearded dragon, see some turtles, ooh and aah at the baby farm animals, and visit with some tarantulas at an insect display.

Hanging Around



Chipmunk was dying to get out and move around. Unfortunately, the fair doesn't have too many places for babies to stretch their legs. He had to settle for riding in the sling wrap with me. I can't tell you how many times people stopped to say hello to Chipmunk. He got more attention than some of the displays we visited.

Fried Foods

When at the fair, you have to eat fried foods.



We stuck with funnel cake. but deep fried artichoke hearts and deep fried cupcakes did pique my interest. Gotta love that fair food!

Trains

Once again, Bear rode a train. A carnival train, of course.



There was this really neat model train exhibit, too. It was impressive and I wish I had gotten some pictures of it.

Ah, the County Fair.

That's A Sport?

I'm sorry, but I don't understand how synchronized diving is an Olympic sport. Can anyone explain to me why they add this to the official roster but take away baseball and softball?

Outdoor Babies

My kids just tend to do better when we go out. I just have to bite the bullet and pack up the car everyday so we spend some happier moments out of the house. Bear seems to be happy wherever we go as long as Sonja is there with her. Chipmunk seems to like being in outdoorsy settings. Today at the Farmers' Market he wouldn't nap, but was enjoying himself and laughing whenever the wind blew upon his face. Funny baby.

I just have such a hard time motivating myself to pack them both up into the car with all their numerous necessary accouterments.

Here's our morning at the park on Monday.



Bear enjoyed climbing. Although Dad was helping her, she would periodically yell over to me, "Yook, Mommy! Climbing!"



Why don't parks have sand anymore? What is this wooded junk covering the playground floor? Regardless, Bear seemed to enjoy throwing it around.



Chipmunk enjoyed the park in his own way, feeling the wind blow into his face.



The clouds were looking a little ominous after a while, so we couldn't spend too long, but at least our babies got to have some outdoor time.

Bear the Artist

Bear and I were coloring the other day. She picked up her purple crayon and started drawing. I asked her, "What are you drawing?"

"I color happy face!" Bear said with a smile.

Then she pointed to different parts of her drawing and pointed out the eyes, the nose, the mouth and the hair.

I was impressed. Can you see her happy face in her drawing?

Mommy and Me Time

Since Chipmunk needs to be held a lot, Bear often has to do things on her own. She's a trooper though and doesn't seem to mind too much that I'm always carrying the Chipmunk around. Because of that I've been trying to find some special time for just the two of us to hang out and have fun. There is this span of time in the late afternoon where Chipmunk is sleeping and she's ready and refreshed after her nap that's perfect for some Mommy & Bear activities.

Today's activity was egg dying. She was so excited as I was diluting all the dyes, it was a task keeping her from spilling them. I even pulled out the non-washable crayons for her to color her eggs with. She was so thrilled that she slammed a couple of the eggs on the table and cracked them. Whoops.



Here are her eggs. She's so proud of them and even adorned them with stickers later on.



I tried to get a nice picture of Bear with her eggs, but she developed a "camera smile." You know, the ones kids force when they say "cheese." Unfortunately, her fake smile makes it look like she's in pain in most of her pictures.

Despite the look on her face, I think she had a good time.

Entertaining ourselves

When you're sleep deprived, you've got to entertain yourself somehow.



Thanks, Matt, for making me laugh.

Times sure have changed

Matt and I went to a wedding last weekend. It was great. We got to see a good friend from college tie the knot with his longtime love. Beyond that, we also got to see some other friends from our college days, some we haven't seen since college.

You have to understand, we had some interesting college days. I won't go into details, but some of the people we knew were legendary in a sense. They weren't necessarily a legend, but the stories about them were. For those of you reading who went to college with us, you know the people and you know the stories. Some might say "crazy," but to us they were the stories that made us laugh over dorm meals.

Yet, there we all were sitting at two tables at a wedding. Some of those old stories did come out again for us to chuckle over. This time was a little different though. Proud dads were pulling out their phones and PDAs to show off their baby boys and girls. Others shared how they became doctors, businessmen and assistant principals since we last saw them. There were some who moved far, some who bought homes, and some who became newly engaged. Times sure had changed.

I was totally bewildered when I witnessed a group of guys sitting around recommending books on baby sleep training...

...and then they started talking about how excited they were for Starcraft II to come out and discussing when they could get together for a LAN party.

I guess times haven't changed that much.

Ode to the Sticker

Stickers, stickers everywhere,
On my pants and in my hair.
Oh, just how did they get in there?
A little toddler put them "dare!"

As we walk from room to room,
those little stickers cling to our shoes.
We constantly find them on our feet,
Little hitchhikers that give us the blues.

Oh, but how these stickers bring such joys,
it's better than all her other toys.
On long car rides, she sits without noise,
Sticking stickers that she enjoys.

And when the day comes to a close,
And it's bathtime in our little household,
Dad has the task of removing those
Sticky little stickers that are on her clothes.

Ah, yes, although we tire of these,
thousands of stickers, we are pleased,
she does enjoy them and even asks, "please."
And the time seems to pass as if a breeze.

So perhaps one day you may find,
yourself at our home, keep in mind
that you watch just where you step,
because those little stickers will find you yet.

Speaking of which...

I was sorting through our pictures the other day, and I happened to find something rather disturbing...



I had to confront the guilty party at once (ahem...Dad) and ask him why there were pictures of Bear playing St@rcraft.

He said he needed to get her started early.

In the News today... "My life for Aiur" (by Padawanlee)

I very rarely post or blog, Momma Bear seems to have this blogging all under control. I guess I'm not much of a blogger unless something random catches my attention...like a story about an unlucky nectarine or what inhabits the freezer. Today as I was getting my daily fix of news I came across this article that invokes memories from my college days...well, what I can remember of them. I shared this article with Momma Bear and all she had to say was "I guess I won't see you for a while". Now why on earth would she say that?

Well anyone who knows about or is a fan of (or shudders) at zergling rushes or remembers the declaration of a "Nuclear Launch Detected" will eventally hear about the announcement of the unveiling of St@rcraft 2. Until it actually does come out (who knows when), Momma Bear and all the other significant others who lost their loved ones to the original game, can rest assured that they will still be able to see us as much as they want...at least for the time being.