what does this mean?

z requested to have a dance party this morning, so we danced to buble. then he created this. ???

to j, who is at work: just relax!

s can now shake her head no!!!!

money pit

the awning is taking a little break...

 i returned from school supply shopping on sunday - a frustrating sort of shopping - to find that our retractable awning had fallen down off the house. luckily nobody was hurt. i've been spending too much time since trying to get the situation solved. it is currently removed, and the roof is partially fixed. the roofers didn't have shingles to match, so they'll be back tomorrow. with my luck, they'll return right when the kids are trying to nap. they totally ruined naptime today. the roofing company will supposedly pay to have an awning company reattach the awning, at my request. i had someone from an awning company come out to look at it first, then had a building contractor look at it, and then i contacted the roofer. on top of everything, j has been working late, as he's been swamped at work. this has been solely my responsibility to solve, right in the middle of scheduling madness. this week had better improve.

ummm... that doesn't look right

ya missed the rafter - sorry fascia!

spooky garbage

our trash can is glowing. it has a flash light in it that is turned on. earlier this afternoon, before z's nap, he was sitting on the potty - pooping. grandma was with him. she asked him to take off his shorts, as it was time to get changed into his pajamas. z got mad, and threw the lit flash light into the pooped-in toilet. grandma fished it out, and it got thrown away here. that was around 1pm today. it is still lit. how long do you think it will last?

so cute.

this past weekend, s took her first steps by herself. she is by no means walking, but every now & then she gets brave & tries to walk on her own.

z had his first bee sting on sunday. we were at a bbq, & it just happened out of nowhere. he handled it well, and didn't have any allergic reaction, not at least this time.

s had her 9 month appointment last wednesday. she climbed from 70% in height to 90% - she's grown a lot! she's still 92% for weight, & 99% for head circumference. her iron levels are perfect, and no lead showed up the blood test.

s & i camped out this past saturday in the back yard. she did a great job! she slept until 5am, & i nursed her. we cuddled a bit & just passed the time, and she went back to sleep until 8am (and so did i). z & j camped out sunday night.

i just saw the porch motion sensor light get triggered. i looked out & saw a cat, and then noticed it was our cat, persia!!!! i have NO idea how long the poor thing was outside, but it's amazing she was hanging out there. usually cats don't come back if they're not used to going outside, or they'll hide somewhere on the property, too scared to venture out, but not knowing how to get back in. she probably has all kinds of stuff on her now (fleas, etc). grrrrreat.

on monday night, one of the spigots outside broke (the pipe burst), so there was a huge flood of water (unbeknownst to us for awhile). j managed to turn the water off to the house for the night, until a plumber came the next day. that was a whole mess that would've been nice to avoid, but at least it's all taken care of now.

i think s is teething again. she had two great nights, and then last night i had to get up twice with her. i am SO tired! there are more pictures to post, but right now it is time for bed.

baby s

she's a cutie, eh?
she likes to have little "humming" conversations with me when she's nursing. she also sticks her arm behind me as if she's hugging me. she now has eight teeth, as of a few days ago. her lower left one finally poked through. i noticed she was sticking her finger in the back of her mouth today. the dentist said her molars would come in next, so i wonder if those are starting now.
z is still cute, too. the latest thing with him is that i make him get ready by himself for his nap. i used to have to count back from five a bunch of times, but he's getting better at doing it himself.
uncle e & cousin n came for a visit this weekend, so we stayed busy visiting with family. we went to the childrens museum, went swimming - ne'er a dull moment!

survival.

this week has been really busy. j is getting swamped at work, and has been getting home after i've started both kids' baths. while it is fun to have the opportunity to spend more time with my kids (with my lighter summer schedule), it is way more exhausting than teaching (well, most students anyway). the past two evenings, i've indulged in a gin & tonic. just one each evening. last night it helped relax me enough to get through the family story time at the library. tonight it helped me get dinner cooked & served, with energy left over for playing outside. z was very sweet tonight - he said "i love you" twice, unprompted. his behavior was less than angelic - he had a couple time outs, but i got through dinner without majorly losing it (unlike before the kids' nap time today). he also wanted to wait for me to finish s's bedtime so he could say goodnight & give me a hug. for a kid that isn't so verbal and outgoing with feelings, it's a big deal. he did a very good job of voluntarily riding his yellow bike, and managed to do it without toppling over.