Friday, August 26, 2011

Our Week in phone pics

There are many days, with the best of intentions, I never take my camera out.  Since my cell phone is usually in my pocket or near by, many memories are captured on it.  While not wonderful quality, here is our week in cell phone pictures:

Last Saturday we spent the day on the boat with the Wertses.  A good time was had by all {in case you couldn't tell!}.



 On Sunday, it was rainy, so we were inside most of the day.  The boys played really well together.  Maybe too well.
Our $13 tent/ball pit, which was honestly played in every single day since Garrett bought it for Hudson for his birthday was the sole causality of the day.  And what the causality it was.  =(

On Monday, apparently nothing exciting {with the exception of the "nerd" post above} happened, hence, the absence of pictures.

On Tuesday, Garrett and I had a "date" {while Hudson ran poor Julia to death!} at his opthamologist...with a wonderful outcome.  After almost exactly a year of daily patching of his eye(s), they have improved enough that we NO LONGER HAVE TO PATCH!!!   WOO-HOO!!  The initial patching (6ish hours a day!) was to strengthen his muscles to resist the exotropia {muscles pulling his eyes out}.  He did so well with that, we were able to reduce the time per day at the beginning of the year.  Once we got moved and went for our initial appointment with the opthamologist up here, Dr. M put him in glasses, feeling that we had probably strengthened the muscles adequately, and hoping that the glasses - giving his eyes a sharper image - would help his brain keep the {now strong muscles} from wandering.  Apparently that was the case, because as of Tuesday morning, we are officially PATCH FREE!!!  {unless they start wandering again...but we won't go there!}

On Tuesday afternoon, during the normally peaceful/quiet/calm nap time, we had an earthquake!!  I was sitting on the couch watching something on tv and crocheting {more on that to come} when I started hearing a rumble and felt a shaking.  My first thought was that it was a truck outside.  Then as the sound got louder, my next thought was a plane crashing {as we live only 5 miles from Dulles}.  Then the whole house was shaking...and still I sat....wondering..."is this an earthquake??!"  ha!  We sustained no damage, but the pictures on the walls were rattling and left crooked, a few things fell off of G's dresser, and water was sloshing back and forth in the aquarium {the 75 gallon aquarium!!} enough that it was actually coming out of the tank!  {I just took the following pictures, but you can see how cocked the top picture - which I still haven't climbed up on the couch to straighten - is.}
Excuse me while I go straighten all of these.  This is now driving me crazy.

This shows the one corner of the aquarium...the black patch on the rear glass is where water went down in between the glass and the black background paper.  And you can see how low the water was to begin with!  Crazy. 


On Wednesday, our friends came over to play for the morning.  4 sweet boys {and a creepy looking Dora in the background!!}

There were no pictures from Thursday.  We ran a few errands and didn't do anything too exciting.  Except have a few battles of will.  I think I lost.  Oh, I did make a few superhero capes for our best buddies...pics of those to come!  Oh, and I was introduced to the use of Little Brother's bib as a hat.  "Look, Mommy.  I'm a lifeguard!"  ???  Maybe a visor?  I dunno.


And today, Friday, other than a spontaneous pattern lesson at breakfast, all was quiet.
I love how his brain works.


Happy Weekend, folks! And batten down the hatches...sounds like Irene is going to wallop the shore!



{I'm a couple days late, but I just came across this linky party over at Life. rearranged. yay!}
life rearranged

Monday, August 22, 2011

Disney Store Foul

I'm not a huge purchaser of Disney paraphernalia {mostly because I'm too cheap} but you can bet your bottom dollar I won't be supporting them anytime soon.

I just saw, via twitter, a link concerning The Disney Store's new line of Mickey/Minnie Mouse-wear.  At first glance, I thought - "Oh!  How cute! A visually imparred Mickey Mouse!"  Garrett always notices other children wearing glasses like he does.  And how cool would it be to wear "Mickey Mickey House" clothing showing the iconical mouse sporting eye wear? {it appears, upon further inspection, they are only offered in the girls department}

HOWEVER.  {and yes, that's a big however.}  Once I read the rest of the link, and then went and looked for myself, it became blatantly obvious I would NEVER be purchasing from this line of clothing and supplies. 

http://www.disneystore.com/nerds-minnie-and-mickey-mouse-hoodie-for-girls/mp/1287950/1000131+1000763/

If you click this link, you will see a hoodie.  A hoodie with Mickey and Minnie wearing glasses.  And being called "NERDS".  Every single item in this line {and even in the link address} sport the word NERD...insinuating children/people/mice who wear glasses are nerds.  And I don't know about you, but when I hear the term "nerd", it holds a negative connotation.

I'm just glad that Garrett can't read yet, so if he were to see these items, he could be blissfully unaware of what Disney is inferring.  I'm also terribly concerned with the potential bullying which could come from such asinine products.

I went to http://www.disneystore.com/ and in the upper right hand side, clicked on "Contact Us" and sent an email, basically saying what this post has said.  I know I don't have much of a following on here, but if you happen across this, I - and other parents of glasses-wearing children - would appreciate if you could take a second and do the same.  I certainly don't consider my 3 1/2 year old a "nerd".  He's a spunky, adorable little boy who happens to have a medical, visual imparment.  Anyone - especially a huge corporation marketing items directly to his age group - who insinuates otherwise makes the "mother bear" in me come out.  And come out swinging.

 
 
 
 

Saturday, August 13, 2011

How?

How is it even possible that this little guy...




. . . turns 3 1/2 today??!





Tuesday, August 9, 2011

{Random} Tip Tuesday

Just a little tip.  A tip learned from personal experience. 

One should never install (or be pleased when landlord installs) metal mini-blinds in a 3 year old's bedroom. 

Why, you might ask?

Well, because when one 3 year old does this most days after nap:



...the metal blinds end up looking like this:





Tip Junkie handmade projects



Saturday, August 6, 2011

6 years

6 years


2,191 days
52,560 hours
189,302,400 seconds
5 addresses
2 states
2 babies
1 boat
2 boat engines
4 dogs
1 cat
9 weddings
6 funerals
4 jobs
7 automobiles
2 deer
a thousand tears
a million laughs


Happy Anniversary, Babe.  I can't imagine walking this road with anyone else.
I love you.




Photo Credit: Scott Holloway Photography