Did Your Mothers Ever Make...

these?



It was a good day when Mom made a cake and had left over frosting; we would come home to a plate of these. I keep calling them these because they don't really have a name, except for left-over cake frosting in the middle of two graham crackers yumminess treats. What did you guys call them? If you have never even heard or seen these tasty vitels then I am tremendously, terribly sorry for you. Call your mother right now and tell her you got gipped; you missed out on one of childhood's most delightfully delicious experiences. Then come to my house and I will make as many of them as your little tummy can eat, and will wipe all your "got gipped" tears away. ;)

It is 2:44pm our time. We are currently still in our pajamas. On this New Year's Eve day we have done nothing noteworthy besides put Christmas away, watch cartoons all morning, and eat these. I am feeling homesick. Funny how something so small can bring back a plate full (pun intended;)) of resplendent memories.

I hope Gunnar remembers the days we stayed home as a family. The days where nothing else mattered but each other.The days we had nothing pressing to do so we could stay in our pajamas. (or he could strip down to his diaper without being repremanded ;))The days we snuggled on the couch together watching shows with theme songs that gave us ear worm (Da-Da- Dora, Da-Da Dora, Swiper no Swiping, Swiper no Swiping, Oh Man...Dora the Explorer!) The days we laughed at each others jokes, smiled at each others smiles. The days we held hands, gave lots of kisses, and were close.

I hope Gunnar remembers these.

He forgot about the cookie and just went full-throttle with his hands. Can you blame him? That's Fluffy White!! There was something green on the screen at the time giving him those lovely highlights!! ;)

We will be brusing teeth tonight for sure! What? You guys never miss a night?

I don't know what's sweeter, the boy or the frosting.

Delicious! Kentucky Fried Chicken is not the only thing that's finger lickin' good. So are these.

He didn't miss a bit!

I love those little fingers.

My sweet, frosted boy.

New Year's Resolution: To Just Be, Present, Sticky or Not

I love you Sticky Face- xoxo Mommy Mom

The English Teacher In Me Can't Help It...

My girlfriend, Olivia, who has to be one of the most brilliant women I know (she is a published novelist who lives a charmed life eating lost of yummy baked goods in New York City. She wrote this book. You should buy it; it's good and funny and sounds just like you are having a conversation with her when you read it, which is what makes it good and funny.) shared this poem on her blog. I was really, really moved by it and wanted to share it with all of you. Read it. I would love to know your thoughts- No 5 paragraph essay discussing its profound imagery or its longing tone is due, just, consider it, and then let me know how it reaches you!!

It made me feel like hugging Jaren as tightly as I could still wasn't holding him tight enough.



Yellow Stars and Ice
by Susan Stewart

I am as far as the deepest sky between clouds
and you are as far as the deepest root and wound,
and I am as far as a train at evening,
as far as a whistle you can't hear or remember.
You are as far as an unimagined animal
who, frightened by everything, never appears.
I am as far as cicadas and locusts
and you are as far as the cleanest arrowthat has sewn the wind to the light
on the birch trees. I am as far as the sleep of rivers
that stains the deepest sky between clouds,
you are as far as invention, and I am as far as memory.
You are as far as a red-marbled streamwhere children cut their feet on the stones
and cry out. And I am as far as their happy
mothers, bleaching new linen on the grass
and singing, "You are as far as another life,as far as another life
are you."And I am as far as an infinite alphabet
made from yellow stars and ice,
and youare as far as the nails of the dead man,
as far as a sailor can see at midnight
when he's drunk and the moon is an empty cup,
and I am as far as invention and you are as far as memory.
I am as far as the corners of a room where no one
has ever spoken, as far as the four lost corners
of the earth. And you are as far as the voices
of the dumb, as the broken limbs of saints
and soldiers, as the scarlet wing of the suicidal
blackbird, I am farther and farther away from you.
And you are as far as a horse without a rider
can run in six years, two months and five days.
I am as far as that rider, who rubs his eyes with
his blistered hands, who watches a ghost don his
jacket and boots and now stands naked in the road.
As far as the space between word and word,
as the heavy sleep of the perfectly loved
and the sirens of wars no one living can remember,
as far as this room, where no words have been spoken,
you are as far as invention, and I am as far as memory.

Christmas is Over!!!

The day after Christmas always feels like such a bummer. I actually prefer all the build up to Christmas instead of the day itself. It just feels like such a tremendous let down. I told my sister-in-law and cousin the other day that I normally want to take everything down and get things back to normal as soon as possible after the 25th because I don't want to be reminded that it is all over. Does anyone else feel this way?

Not to be too humbugish though as we still have a few days left in December, I have decided to share a few more pictures from our festivus visit to see Santa.

I had been coaching G-man for a few weeks and had been singing him the "Santa Baby" song- you know the one where the lady wishes for all sorts of great and affordable things: a sable, a yacht, a deed, a ring. So Gunnar assumed since we had been singing that song so much that that was Santa's full name, Santa Baby, and he referred to him, in conversation, as such. He fell asleep in the car on the way; he didn't get enough rest and needless to say, wasn't too jazzed about sitting on the ole Santa Baby's lap.

He's scared here, not going big potty in his pants. Come on. Do you really think I would take a picture of that. No!!! I only want to immortalize the tremendous fear we imposed on him by taking him to see Santa; that's what I want to remember. Scaring the kid to death! Hahahahahhaha!

That dear little furrowed brow; we couldn't wipe it off his face the whole time he had Santa in view.

He even tried escaping.

I wouldn't let him go. I know. I'm mean; I don't get paid enough to be nice. :) Besides, we were making memories, dang it!

Look at that glare.

It was funny though, once we got him on Santa Baby's lap he switched into quite the loquacious child. "A Santa Baby, a Nunnie a saurs, a Nunnie a ambulance, a Nunnie, a truck..." He knew just what to do when he took a seat on the old man's knee. He also managed to give the guy the bird; "Merry Christmas Santa, Baby! Happy Ho, Ho, Ho, to you to guy!! By the way, you should really use the money my parents just paid you to shave your mug; you've got food in that rug."

If you want to see the picture we selected, check out Jess's blog (in a few days). I asked her to scan it for me so we could send it to our parents through email. She told me she liked the picture so well she was going to post it on her blog too. ;) I am waiting for her to get it in the mail (I forgot to give it to her the night we got together to see a great film called, P.S. I Love You- Swank pulled it off. I was nervous at first, but she did it. If you are wondering or even care, the book is so much more emotional than the film and I cried 3/4 of the way through the movie. My girlfriend April cried at the start of the previews. Yea, it's that good.)Anyway, back to the real reason for the post... for some reason she doesn't always receive the things I send her in the mail. I hope she gets this one though. You will not want to miss seeing the snapshot we purposely chose and paid for.

After Santa, we promised him lots of things to help make him happy, like most accommodating parents right? You scratch our backs and do something that makes you feel really uncomfortable and scared, and we'll scratch yours by taking you on the train, and the carousel, and by feeding you any number of sweets your terrified heart desires.

He was all smiles when we left the "North Pole"

and headed home by way of Polar Express.

Anyone else watch this film and pretend to drive a train around your living room like 6 million times this past month?

I love that little smile and how happy he gets at the simplest things. I smile like that too when mac is having a sale or it's Nordstrom's half-yearly. I am just as simple as he is! ;)

A little love from his dad. I sometimes have to remind Jaren that he fell in love with me first, that I was around long before Gunnar. ;)

After the train we headed to the carousel. Gunny wanted to ride the orange tiger first,

and then the white tiger, of course.

Little Boy, I love you. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! I also hope you have enjoyed the decorations, because they are coming down, tomorrow.

p.s. My blog decorations are going to be boxed-up too. I am getting ready to launch a new face lift! Keep your eyes open for some changes.

G is for...

Gunnar

Glass

Goofy

Gum-shoe

(Doesn't he look like a little Sherlock Holmes, who was just enlightened to the missing piece in his most pressing case?)

Groove

(Gunnar's groove is slightly metro-sexual. I blame myself completely. ;))

Gas-Guzzler

(Gunnar wants this one for Christmas...)

and this one; he's getting neither.

G also stands for-

Good Friend

Holiday Hockey

Gunnar and I just added a new game to our repetoire: Holiday Hockey.

Sticks and pucks.

Collecting the gear.

mvp (We play shirts vs. skins. Gunnar is always skins. Do any of you seriously think I would play skins? Come on. Besides he usually has his shirt off anyway. ;))

Our equipment isn't the most reliable; it usually breaks after one game.

When we get bored of hitting "pucks" around the hard-wood we just roll smaller ones down the sticks. It's riveting athletics.

The puck hit me in the eye a couple of times; that was hysterical- for Gunnar.

He was so curious about were the little ball went...

Good game, team!

After our game Gunny decided to take some pictures of his own. Like mother-like son. He likes to take pictures too. I love his little smile in this shot!

Holiday Hockey proved to be quite aerobic. It was a good work out and some great fun with my boy.

Mommy Princess

Today, all day long, Gunnar called me Mommy Princess. (Where he got it, I don't know, but I made no motion to correct him. ;))

I hope he calls me that forever.

I love you- my little prince. xoxo Mommy Princess

Some Funnies...

A few Gunnar anecdotes to start the day.

(Yes, his shirt is off. Get used to it!)

Story the First:
Gunnie goes to pre-school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are putting together a Christmas Nativity for their school program. Gunnar has been given the very meek, mild, and humbling role of a sheep to play. Yesterday they had a big rehearsal for Thursday's performance. After school we were headed home. This is what he told me.

"Mom, Nunnie no a be a sheep."

"Gun, you don't want to be a sheep?"

"No!"

"Well, what would you like to be for the Christmas program?"

"A NUNNIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!"

Pefect! That costume is much easier to pull together.


Story the Second:
Many of you know that we have a fourth member of our family, Bobby, Gunnar's blanket. You also know that Gunnar can spot an imposter quite quickly. My friend Deanne gave me a blue blanket exactly like Gunnar's, same brand and all, to see if we could make a switch or at least have a spare. When he saw the new Bobby he gave it a look like, "hey, something fishy is going on here." Then he smelled the new Bobby and the original Bobby(whish usually has quite a distinctive fragrance) and was able to tell immediatly which one he had come with. The next day, since Bobby was in desperate need of a bath I decided to put both of the blankets in the wash. After they had been through "tumble class" I pulled out the new Bobby to see what Gunnar would do. He came running to it as if it had been a long lost friend. He embraced it, and I thought, "Great, the changling worked." Then he stopped dead in his tracks, smelled the new Bobby (the easiest way to detect validity in a blanket), then started feeling along the seam. He was so meticulous in his investigation, I could hardly contain the laughter brewing in my gut. After a thorough examination he looked up at me with serious and a bit fearful eyes and said,

"NOT BOBBY MOMMMMMMMMM!!!"

It was hysterical!! I told him to come and look for Bobby with me in the laundry room. When we opened up the dryer and he saw the true Bobby; all of the angels in Gunnar's personal heaven started singing!


Is the difference that obvious? Really? Oh. By the way, if you ever meet Bobby, don't be afraid to touch him; he's not really diseased.

Here's another sweet Gunnar moment. I took this during Thanksgiving break at the beach while we were there with his cousins.
I love this little boy so much!!
Gunnar- I am so glad I am your mom; you make my life magically wonderful! xoxo Mommy- Mom