seven.

...so a few weeks ago, we celebrated landon's 7th. and by postponing the celebration here on this little blog...maybe that was my way of not accepting that the boy is really 7. seven. all of his bits and pieces including that great big heart of his are indeed seven. how is it that my smallest is this big? all that i can do is plead...has anyone gotten closer to figuring out how to make time slow down or better yet, stand still?




our celebrating started early in the morning when the sun was just making it's debut on this hot august day...tradition in this house dictates one gift before school...just one little treat to tide over the tingling anticipation of unravelling all things wrapped in pretty packages all snug in their bows...




he had no idea that his little treat...his before school goodie was the grand prize...the itouch he has begged and pleaded case for since first laying eyes on his brothers...mama did good...

we celebrated simply just as we did for mikey...and again, we did it well. simple does not mean missing out or forgetting about the little things...because those are the best bits of a celebration...the you can count ons and of course you'll wake up to a decked out house of streamers and cut out birthday numbers...

surprise balls full of trinkets

unwrap the crepe paper balls to find

trinkets hidden in layers
big hit with the littles

birthdays mean celebrating the years of life under your belt, the years of life to come and everything wading between...and just when i stop to realize how fast it is all swooshing by...i am seriously thinking that we need to start celebrating more often and even bigger...how about a half birthday celebration?...

...because when i was pregnant with my first all those years ago, and every other mama that i talked to about motherhood said the same thing, "...enjoy it, it goes by so fast." ...and i listened but never absorbed it in my chest where all good bits of advise and memories burn inside of me...and it has. it has gone by so fast. so now...i live and breathe in my motherhood more than i ever had...and birthdays are up there on the tippy top of the scale of when i feel that burn the most. when i witness how a little effort mixed with streamers and love can take my littles so far and make memory of such a day. and i know and breathe this because i remember these days when i was a little girl...and the little efforts from my mother still sit on the shelves of my memories...ready to pull out and replay whenever i need them.

and boy was it a day for making memoris.

do you see how small he is in that photo on the right, smack dab in the middle of brother and sis?

the children crowded around the table to eat pizza and nosh on candy and special treats...bites of chocolate and popcorn interrupted only by joke telling and laughing...

and when i ask my little guy who is now officially 7 for a few photos for the books...he lets all of his good sweet love wash over me...he doesn't grant it in meager doses...he opens up the gates and lets all of that seven year old love and affection out...there is no shame in loving on your mama when you're seven. this changes, i know. i have a 13 year old who has replaced hugs in public with the fist bump. fist bumps are good too...when you can still get a hug at home.

dear sweet landon...

keep those big blue eyes open and see it all...take it all in and know how you are loved...before grandpa roger left this big green earth...he told me that you were so curious in your world and that it would lead to something special. i am so eager to see what that is. you are inquisitive and wondrous and special and right now, you are laying on the floor below me singing secrets. it doesn't get any better than that. you are smart and funny and incredibly sensitive...a powerful combination for the world ahead of you. i love being your mama...i love our reading time at night and all of the questions that you throw out into the void daily. i hope you always feel how loved you are. thank you for always asking for just one more kiss goodnight, wishing me good days when i drop you at school in the morning and for telling me that i smell good.

love, mom

happy birthday, buggie.

our weekend was...

...extraordinarily ordinary...and that means it was pretty great. while the mr worked all weekend, the littles and i spent most of our time indoors...in our home...in our comfort. i am a homebody and my children follow suit. i have no shame to admit this here. it is as much of who we are as our eye color and fingerprints. when the temperatures are still reaching 107 degrees and the pavement holds the heat so close because she is afraid that if she let's it loose for a moment, it will be gone...then it is fairly easy to declare it a lets be home kind of weekend.

and that's fine by me. and by him.

my 3 reasons to find the extraordinary in every day...worn right there...around my little neck.

and when it was time to sneak out of our walls for just a bit...we headed to share time and coffee with sister and cousins. catching up and running wildly through starbucks were on the agenda and happily, we have checked both off the list. respectively.

and if this girl gets any prettier...there might be some trouble. i can declare that. i am her mother. and that means i am lucky. and maybe so is she. because nobody could love her like i do.

and then wouldn't you know it. saturday night, the passed down trains and tracks made another debut right in the entry and all 3 of my littles played together. i don't know the last time that they all had interest in the same thing at the same time. those days are fewer and fewer as they grow...so i did what i had to at that moment. i breathed it all in. deep down to the bottom of my belly. i sat and watched them build and construct. and then take it all apart until the bits and pieces were built into something new. not one fight during that hour. not one.

i love that my boys are sitting in the exact same way.

nothing amazing or extra special happened this weekend. it was routine. but there was beauty made from the routine. if i look at it in a way directing myself to find it...it's there. it's in the time i layed on the sofa with morgan. just looking at her and really seeing how big she has gotten is enough to stop me right in my tread so that i can memorize everything about the way she is today. her long hair that is as golden as sunlight. pale skin with the leavings of freckles on her nose that take me right back to afternoons spent in the sun this summer. this girl, i tell you what.

little moments like glittering stars with morgan today. and to have her quietly say to me, ''everything is prettier with glitter.''

so i sit typing tonight with landon snuggled in our billowy bed watching a movie while narrating every bit so that i won't fall behind in watching it. i just checked on morgan and she is stowed away in her very pink room, surrounded by paper and colors, sketching yet another owl picture for her book. mikey is hunkered down in the spare room with headphones and a computer behaving like today's teenager for the first time this weekend. i think he is battling what bad guys remain in his star wars game. routine and beauty.

and i haven't even mentioned the best part. we have a bonus day tomorrow. no school. no schedule. just open hours to turn into whatever we want.

3 cheers for labor day.

hip hip horray!

sewing class

a few weeks ago...i was driving home from the grocery store

when i looked to my right and saw a sign over the white gate that

sat in front of the blue house on brown rd.

i knew this house in passing...it was next door to the montessori school that

mikey attended years back...

the sign read...

sewing lessons for girls 8 and up...

that's when it began

i jotted the number down on the notepad of my itouch and called immediately when i got

home...

i was so excited after my conversation with the instructor and couldn't wait to tell morgan..

she was now signed up for sewing lessons

for the past 2 years...morgan has looked at my sewing machine that sits in the garage next to

mr c's tools and

has asked me to teach her to sew...

isn't that sweet...

yep....there's only one little problem with this

i don't sew

at.all.

nada.

zip.

zilch.

and none.

i would really love to learn to sew...

my sister and mother tried to teach me their skills once and i didn't work out so well...

i don't think i have the patience to work with the machine that my parents gifted me for my

birthday about 7 years ago...

the machine and i just don't get on so well...

so...

since i lack any skills or patience needed , but do have a checking account...

i decided to pay up and let someone else do the work...

morgan had her first lesson this week...

she was instructed to bring her own fabric and ribbon for her first project...

a sewing bag...and she would begin it only if her teacher thought she was ready

i dropped her off to class, met miss diane, chatted for a minute and then headed home to start

dinner...

{not really, but that sounds better than home to sit on sofa with the mr and the new pup}

45 minutes later when i returned to pick her up...

i found her ironing her fabric and readying to sew her bag...

really?...already?

i love that her first project is an accessory...

first...she practiced on the machine sewing straight lines on paper...

after only two run throughs on paper with straight lines and ovals...

she was ready to work with her fabric...

i'm pretty sure i would still be trying to thread the needle at this point...or i would have been

swearing at the sewing machine...but not this girl...she was sewing her bag and doing it well.

...i don't want to put any pressure on her...but i could see her giving marc jacobs and

christian dior a run for their money...and you can even through betsey johnsons crazy name in

there...

and when she is on the runway in new york city during fashion week...she'll stand up after her

first show and thank her mother for signing her up for sewing lessons years back...

you're welcome, morgan.

and then she'll say...

....it all started with a sewing bag.

and that friends, is how it all began.

steeler

ADOPTED

meet steeler...

the newest member of our family...

i wanted to name him winston but the children out-numbered me in votes and decided on steeler...

after mr c's favorite nfl team

i think when your significant other feels sort of bad that you have

been trying for a baby for almost two years and have only sore thighs and

negative pregnancy tests to show for it...he lets you adopt a puppy to you know,

cheer you up a bit.

it worked...
i'm all cheered up
we were able to adopt this guy over the weekend and i am in love
l.o.v.e.

i have had a few dogs to care for and they have all been big...huge dogs...and they have all been girls...this is my first time having a pup with dangly bits.
i have been mom to a rottweiler, and a german shepherd...
and we currently have our lab/chow mix, mandy who in my book is the perfect family dog...
at first...i was a little nervous to bring such a small pup home...but things are working out great...



this guy follows me from room to room and watches every move that i make
i can't get away with anything with him around
i think maybe that's why the mr brought him home to me...to keep an eye on things...
i might be onto something here
*****
in the past few days...i have tripped over him 64 times...
sent him sliding across the floors 57 times and i even accidentally stepped on him this morning...
he's tiny.
under 7 pounds tiny.
i'm not used to animals this small
the cats are bigger than him
but....
he's making his space in our family
mostly right between the mr and myself in the bed at night



i think steeler is mad at us right now because we took him to the
vet to have his you know whats neutered today...
i wonder if a bag of frozen peas works for puppies too?

and they're off...

the littles are back to school today...

the house is quiet...

and the routine is showing itself again

.....

still trying to get over how fast the summer went by...

i could have used a few more weeks...

that sleeping in thing was getting good

now what to do today...

me: simplified

simplifying. that is what we have been working on over here...on decatur street.

mr c and i have been engaging in long talks about future plans for quite some time now...we see ourselves in another house...a bigger home for our copious family...we see ourselves with complete and intentional financial stability...

we see ourselves retired early and vacationing with children and grandchildren...

in order to have those things and achieve those goals...we have decided to make movement now...and we are with full and uninterrupted intent...

.....

confession: this is harder for me than for mr c...

i am a spender...i love nice things...my taste...as my groom has put it...is a little expensive...

i have fallen victim to 'keeping up with the jone's' on several occasions...

i am an impulse shopper...i feel i need rather than want...

and i have put a stop to all of this.

a dead halting stop!

.....

we have decided together to make aggressive changes to the way we spend...

we are on a spending hiatus {somewhat hard for me to type...that sorta makes it official}

at first...

we agreed not to purchase clothes, shoes household extras and unnecessary items for 6 months...

6 w h o l e m o n t h s

then i decided to amend the new shopping hiatus and implemented a small but reasonable monthly personal spending allowance...

mr c rolled his eyes at me when i did this...i rolled mine right back at him.

.....

...as i transition myself into the saving more/ spending less system...i find that i am really jumping into the simplicity that accompanies this plan...

i have to be honest here...

we are grateful that we are not lacking or in need of anything...and

our closets and drawers and pantries are over flowing...

so when i freak out a little about not shopping...i really start to feel ridiculous and immature...

we have begun to clean out every room, closet, drawer, pantry and shelf...

we are ridding our home of the clutter...

purging is an amazing and cleansing feeling

it has led me to more space in our home...

it has led us to discussions and lessons regarding finance with our littles...

and in keeping honest...

it just feels good to make this change.

we know that our future plans will only come to fruition

if we start moving toward them today...

so this is my new journey...my spending hiatus.

i just hope nordstrom and starbucks don't go out of business while i'm away.

just a handful...

...that's how many days we have left until my littles go back to school...

...just a handful of days to enjoy the freedoms that come along with summer break...

i'm not ready for them to go back...

i'm really not...

summer has been so nice

and easy...

and just plain fun.

.....

we have crossed out half of our summer list and are hoping to get to a few more things

checked off before summer break fades into the school year...

.....

this last week will mostly be spent preparing for school...clothes

shopping...finishing the school supplies list...new back packs and lunch boxes...and i am planning to have a

special dinner for the children to mark the beginning of the new school year...something that was inspired by nienie...

.....

we have exactly one week to prepare and savour...

one week left of summer break...

what i'm wearing...

i must admit...i love when you ladies put together your style or what i'm wearing posts...

i have decided to jump on board and join the fun...

afterall...it's a good way to keep my look fresh and put a little more effort into it if i will

be sharing what i'm wearing...

so here it is...or rather...here i am...

i call this my birthday dress only because i wore it on my birthday shopping in san diego...

it had the wow factor in that when i walked out of the bedroom at the hotel into

the living room where mr c was...i got a big ol' wow!...

it's girly, ruffly and frilly...the 3 most important qualities in a dress in my book

today i wore it to run errands with my 3 little monkeys...

it's humid outside and only 94 degrees so i thought i would be the right

choice for a day that would be in and out of the car running to the library, grocery

store and of course, to starbucks...

the dress: urban outfitters in san diego {scored on sale for $30}

...

i paired it with my fav belt from target {scored on clearance for about 6 bucks}

...

the shoes: tory burch ballet flats {ok...they are pricey but sooo worth it...most comfortable flats of my life...and mr c just bought the black ones for my birthday...they are $195 and worth every penny...pinky promise}

.....

i must also mention that when i had this dress on in san diego...my slip did a peek a boo and showed itself...when mr c pointed it out to me so that i might fix it...his 15 year old daughter asked me what a slip was...i was floored...do girls these days really not know the importance of a slip?...

i never leave home without mine...does that make me sound old or what?

want to see what my sister is wearing...check her here

celebrating mikey...

....in a very low key way. it's been a few years since i have

thrown a birthday party for mikey. he has sort of outgrown them, but i do like to

recognize the day in a few special ways. i never want him or any of my children to look back and feel that their days were ordinary ones.

so..our day was scheduled by this guy. my teenager. i feel old just typing that...my teenager.

we had lunch at his favorite...and my favorite...p.f.changs...have you had their crispy green beans?...a m a z i n g to say the least.

mikey sat like this...with his head resting on the table playing on his itouch which was

his birthday gift this year...teenagers.

after lunch, we dropped mr c off at work and the kids and i headed over to

see the movie the sorcerer's apprentice...mikey's choice

we loved it...go see it...'nuff said.

.....

after our movie...sister and her boys headed over for a good ol' fashioned family party.

nothing beats a family party in my book...

the plan was to grill italian sausage for dinner...

i canceled that when the pouring rain made a visit and

soaked my new shoes and bag...not very nice...i had

not been to the market to pick up the sausage yet so we went to plan b:

we ordered pizza.

you can never go wrong with pizza at a birthday party.

none of the kids complained.

neither did the adults...even if it was just sister and myself as the adults

we made a kids only table...

we just used items from the craft pantry and added a few jars filled with candy...

the kids like it when the grown ups arent allowed to sit at the special table

it's kind of the 'im too old for birthday decor but i still want a little decor to celebrate' theme

sister caught some photos of the foxy birthday stud and myself...

do you know how hard it is to get this guy to even look at my camera?...

it would be easier to birth another baby without an epidural.

on second thought...maybe not...im strictly an epidural kind of girl...


what do you think of my new bangs...i went for the long sweepy

sexy bangs look last week...im still getting used to them...

i think they have magical powers of persuasion over mr c...i've gotten away with a few things

that make me believe this were true...

how about a funky photo...

so i offered to slave away in the kitchen for an entire

afternoon baking the cake of my boy's dreams but he begged and pleaded

for an ice cream cake from baskin and robbins

or maybe it was me who wanted the ice cream cake...

so i did what any good mother would do and put away all of the

ingredients for the homemade cake and headed out the door to buy one...

mikey asked for a vanilla cake with chocolate ice cream...

i brought home a chocolate cake with oreo ice cream...

should not have gone to pick up the cake with an empty belly and menstrual cravings for

chocolate in high gear

no one complained

so i didn't bake the cake but i did place all 13 candles on my own...

that counts for something, right
.....

i love this photo below...the kid was seriously thinking about what to wish for...almost as if he

knew it was going to come true

.....

i made a wish too...still waiting to see if it comes true

hands down... my favorite photo of this guy...peace out x's two

i am that mom who snuck a cheeky kiss on my boy...and i promised him i would not post it on

my blog...oops...youneversawthisphoto...

hope your birthday was as special as you mikey boy...

♥mom