Sunday, October 24, 2010

Couldn't Resist Sharing...

So, my backdrop was kinda lame but my two subjects are pretty adorable. We made an impromptu stop at the pumpkin patch and thus did not have our camera... grrr... The front sidewalk was good enough.


Take a look at the love in this one.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Ms. Katie and Irakli are MARRIED!

Ms. Katie has been a big part of our lives over the 18 months.  We pulled Sawyer out of daycare at Frog Hollow about a year and a half ago.  We worried over the summer about finding the right place to help us raise him while Steve and I would be working during the school year.  We feel so lucky that we found Ms. Katie.  I know that when Sawyer first started daycare I hated the fact that I was leaving him at a place where people who didn't even love him were getting his best hours.  We interviewed many providers over that summer and when I was at wits end, crying at the computer, checking ads for daycare providers, we found Ms. Katie.

She blew us away with our first meeting and we worried it was too good to be true.  We got a chance to meet a parent who found her indispensable to the point she was willing to drive all the way across Iowa City and to North Liberty to keep her child in care with her.  We got to see Katie caring for children and witnessed her sensible approach to discipline. She amazed us when she orchestrated healthy snacks with 8 children sitting around her table and managed to engage all of the children in meaningful conversation and learning time. When Steve and I leave Sawyer and Veda with Ms. Katie each day we are confident that the time they spend there is with people who love them and who enrich their lives.

I think it was last October when Katie told me about the new man she met.  Their romance unfolded very quickly and I worried about her at first as she fell hard, fast.  She assured me that she had checked him out thoroughly including a legal background check.  When the time was right, she introduced him to the daycare kiddos.  They instantly loved Irakli.  It is so sweet that when they see him they each light up and jump up and down shouting for "Uncle Broccoli."  Sawyer and Veda were honorary attendants in Ms. Katie and Irakli's wedding this weekend.  Their outfits matched perfectly with about 15 other kiddos, it was pretty precious.  Some favorite shots from the day...
Sawyer's got swagger...

Sawyer was so proud to wear his special outfit and got the sweetest shy smile on his face when Katie gushed over how handsome he was.

Ms. Katie and Veda with Sawyer's magic wand in the way!

Sawyer and his good buddy, Jacob. Tarryn is in the background.


Post wedding family shot...

Friday, October 15, 2010

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Shear Exhaustion...

This has been a lovely day.  It punctuates my exhausting week perfectly by being equally exhausting.  Tonight, I believe I will leave dishes in the sink.  I can barely move.  It is pretty sad when you wake up in the morning already looking forward to the next time you get to sleep.  Desperately, I hoped I would find a window of opportunity to lie down for a nap.  Who am I fooling though, I wouldn't be able to sleep because I am a total control freak and can't help but have my ears tuned into everything that goes on even while lying in bed.  I will hear the T.V. on and think to myself, "Is that Tosh.O I hear out there?" or "How long has Veda been laying in that swing?  Seriously, is that Sawyer playing in the toilet that I hear?"  Lord help me.

I am so exhausted in fact that I nearly never came back around to the first sentence I typed here.  Gotta love a day that starts with hearing happy noises coming from the co-sleeper and looking into the eyes of a baby who clearly is joyful.  Then sharing time with family throughout the day.  Sawyer made me proud so many times today just by being himself.  He is just the best helper a mommy could ask for.  I love spending time with him.  We hit the grocery store today.  He asked for pineapple and blue corn chips.  I ended up buying him a huge bag of M&Ms for being such a sweetie and doing just what I asked him to.  When it came time to check out, all I could find was a big bag of M&Ms.  They haven't been opened yet.  Sawyer was content just to hold them in the car on the way home. :)  This afternoon we took off for the mall and the Children's Museum.  I had to brave it part of the time by myself with both kids.  Shouldn't be a big deal but I am kind of a wimp about being out with them both on my own.  I avoid it, why would I put myself through it?  Well, I ought to "put myself through it" so I can be surprised.  So I can get bites of ice cream from my generous son.  So I can hear a woman at a neighboring table tell me she is impressed by my little boy as he cleans up after himself...  After reading this, perhaps I need to explore some inedible rewards...