New Year, New Skills

My two year old eats with chopsticks. Is that weird?

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Visit Megan at Mental Inventory for some New Year's Theme Thursday fun!

Perspective

Then...

Now...

And now...

Hey look! Feet!

Visit Megan at Mental Inventory for more Theme Thursday!

Theme Thursday: Grateful

Can I even begin to describe how lucky I am?

No I can not.

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Visit Mental Inventory for more Theme Thursday!

Daily Routines

Maggs is getting much better about sleeping. In fact, last night she only got up once! But her daytime sleeping is still erratic at best. Usually she'll pass out in my arms, but when I try to lay her down she wakes up again. So imagine my surprise when we found her totally asleep in the gymni the other day!

Allison was here, and she was upstairs putting Sam and Lucy down for their naps. I was in the kitchen getting dinner started, so we were letting Maggs play for a while. She doesn't get to spend much time down there because with my other two running around like a herd of rhinos, I don't find the floor to be the safest place. She didn't fuss or cry, she just fell dead asleep. I carried her up to her room and she slept for three hours! I can only hope that a three hour nap becomes a part of our everyday life!

For more of everyday life this Theme Thursday, visit Megan at Mental Inventory!

Imagine...

The hearts this one is going to break one day! Did you see the shoes? Thanks to my dad for snapping this photo of my Lulu!

Visit Megan at Mental Inventory for more imaginative Theme Thursday photos!

Fall in a Puddle

It has been raining so freaking much here I'm starting to grow gills. The trees are just an amazing array of colors, and we only see them from through the windows. We had one nice day last weekend and were rewarded with three more rainy ones afterwards. Luckily we all got outside when we had the chance, and of course I had my camera in hand! The clear blue sky and neighborhood tree transformed this puddle in our driveway into something sublime!

For more Theme Thursday visit Megan at Mental Inventory!

On the Move

All this week, with SOB being home, we've been trying to do fun things with Sam and Lucy when we get a few minutes. It's been nice for them to get some one-and-one time with mom or dad, and it helps them burn some energy so nap time and bed time aren't as tough for us.

The other day Maggs was napping so I took Lulu to the playground before picking Sam up from school. She was so excited to have the place practically to herself.

I swear to god, this child could be a Breck girl. I love watching her hair blow in the breeze or bounce when she runs. I'm sooooooooo glad I never cut it!

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For more bodies in motion, visit Megan at Mental Inventory for Theme Thursday!

New Faces

Sam, day 1

Lucy, day 2

I can only hope that sometime in the next day or two I have a new new face to add to the list!

For more sweet Theme Thursday faces, visit Megan at Mental Inventory!

Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes!

First there was this:

And this:

He wanted to make sure his backpack was in the shot!

To say I was anxious about Sam going to pre-school would be an extreme understatement. In the spring, when he was at the old school, his teacher starting filling my head with worries about his 'concentration levels' and his 'physical impulse control issues.' She was a lovely girl who had just graduated and had all of this book learning in her head, but maybe not quite enough experience in dealing with three year old boys, I think. But her words got inside my head, and all summer I had nightmares of Sam getting expelled from Montessori by day three.

Needless to say, that is not the case. He seems to be loving it there, and all reports from his teacher are overwhelmingly positive. He comes home every day singing a new song and doesn't hesitate to tell me about his day, which was something he had trouble with last year. I think the structure is doing him a world of good, and he has been much more well behaved and sweet at home as a result.

On to the girl baby!

Something clicked for my little Lucy in regards to her new bed. In just one day she went from this:

Sweet but defiant child who thinks her bed is a place to hoard books and not for sleeping. Ever.

To this:

Can you see that passed out little girl up there? Maybe she realized how comfy and cozy it was, or maybe she just got too damn tired, but after three napless days, she collapsed in her bed and hasn't given us a problem since. Hold on a sec while I find something wooden to knock on furiously...

With all of these changes going on, I can only hope I'm next.

Here are V 1.0 and V 2.0 for comparison!

I still have thirteen days until my official due date, and while I know that isn't set in stone, I am just about ready to move on from this state. This hugely enormous, uncomfortable state. This state in which peeing my pants has become a routine thing, since this baby is sooooooooooo loooooow. I am ready to transition from being pregnant to having a newborn again.

Speaking of transitions, don't forget that next week Theme Thursday will be moving to Mental Inventory, hosted by Megan. Make sure you stop by and say hello!

Theme Thursday: Week 23

We just got back from an impromptu and a lengthy trip to Ikea. A few weeks ago Lucy climbed out of her crib. Well, she actually fell out of her crib, and scared the crap out of me in the process. Since then, the little genius has figured out how to climb out her crib with relative safety instead of just heaving herself over the rail. She seems very pleased with herself. Since we can't seem to contain her, we decided not to fight it. So as I type SOB is upstairs assembling her new bed, which will be cramped into her room for a few weeks until the baby transitions to the crib and we do the big room swap of '09.

Speaking of transitions, this will be the last week that Theme Thursday will be held at The Cheese Party, at least for a while. The lovely and talented Megan from Mental Inventory will be taking the reins so that I can more easily (HA!) manage the transition from two kids to three. Make sure you check in with her next week to get the theme!

Speaking of themes:

Week 23 Theme: Transitions

C'mon, it was too easy! I have lots in mind for this week. I hope you do too!

Unseasonably Seasonable

Today in Philadelphia the high is 66 degrees. In September. We've been sleeping with the windows open and even having to wear jackets occasionally. Last year it was hot as all get out and we were still getting tomatoes deep into September. I can't recall a time when we've had this kind of weather at this point in the year. It's turning my world on it's ear, to be sure. Not to mention forcing me out to buy the kids long pants before I was planning!

With all of this cool weather, it's hard not to start thinking about fall. Throw in all of the Halloween displays I've seen about town and the dozens of school buses riding by every morning, and you can see why we're firmly in autumn mode here at The Cheese Party.

Our pumpkin is thriving, for now. I still have to check it daily for bugs and whatnot, but it seems to be doing well. The kids love to watch as it turns from green to orange.

Some of the leaves on our rose of sharon bushes are starting to turn, as are the leaves on our neighbor's Japanese maple. The rose of sharon bushes turn one leaf at a time, and it's easy to count the passing of time via the leaves.

And the blush is on the apples! Most of them are pocked and a little yucky looking, but we think it might just be a surface issue. We brought one inside the other day to wash and taste, and while they're not quite ready, they look pretty good under the skins.

But in the midst of all of the seasonal change, my hydrangea put out some new, bright pink blossoms. What a lovely surprise, especially since they had previously given purple blooms. I was, well, tickled pink!

What fall photos do you have to share this week? Are the seasons changing rapidly in your neck of the woods, or is it just us? I can't wait to see!

Theme Thursday: Week 22

This morning I was playing with the kids in the backyard when I noticed more than a few bright orange leaves on our neighbor's tree. The sunsets are coming quickly and the mornings are cool. Big yellow school buses pass our house each morning again. It's that time of year again.

Week 22 Theme: Fall

Be it literal or figurative, I know you'll all come up with something fantastic!

Whimsy

I had a lot of great ideas for this week's post that didn't come to fruition. For example, following in Miss Zoot's footsteps, I was planning to take Lucy out for a walk in her fancy dress-up dress, but she wasn't feeling entirely cooperative. And I took a bunch of shots of one particular subject, but I decided that they would make a better post on their own, rather than being Incorporated into Theme Thursday.

Luckily, with a two year old and a three year old, whimsy is often just around the corner, even in the most routine of settings. You just have to listen...

This is Sam the train, riding along the rails of our local playground. The exact same one he soiled on Monday! After he's had his fill of the slides and swings, he'll walk the wooden perimeter for as long as I'll let him, pretending to be a train.

This part of the playground has a bunch of tunnels that all lead to a central 'room' that my kids think is a spaceship. Sam often tries to chase Lucy away and then lure her back with a countdown to blastoff!

These are just a few shots from the same day. I was playing around a little and found the distortion in the mirror cool, and I was trying to mess with my face a la Apple's photo booth, but I was unsuccessful. This goofy shot of the slide worked out pretty well, though.

Last night we went down to south Philly for Wednesday Spaghetti and I snapped this photo of Lora's marbles, all present and accounted for.

And lastly, some early morning shots of our lone fairy tale pumpkin. We planted these purely for their whimsical appearance. Sadly, our yard seems to have more than its fair share of pumpkin pests, and the other two fruits that were growing along side this one have been completely decimated. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this one lives to see another week or two. I practically baby-sit it, looking for squash bugs or anything else that might be tempted to take a nibble.

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Was there some whimsy in your week? Share in the comments!

Theme Thursday: Week 21

As we're sitting here on this rainy Saturday morning watching Alice in Wonderland, I'm compelled to designate a youthful theme. My in-laws are visiting, so I'm going to make it short and sweet.

Week 21 Theme: Whimsy

See you Thursday!

Passageways

The city of Philadelphia is filled with little tiny streets and alleyways. There are some parts of old city where you could imagine a horse trotting down the narrow cobblestones, because the road isn't wide enough to accommodate anything larger!

Up in center city, there are plenty of little streets, though some might argue they aren't quite as quaint. I've always enjoyed the kind of 'light at the end of the tunnel' effect you get from such tall buildings surrounding these narrow passages.

I know it's not typical, but even in dirty puddles there can be some kind of beauty.

Our time in the city on Monday was brief but fun. We got to meet Heather, and the kids got to enjoy a part of the city they've never been to before. There were experiences to be had, rites of passage, if you will, for both kids. Sam had never before had the pleasure of chasing around a flock of pigeons.

If you can imagine, the look on his face was something between shock and joy and fear. He enjoyed himself immensely!

Lucy, at the ripe old age of two, has finally figured out that pennies are for making wishes, and not for snacking. Thank god.

Wishes a-plenty!

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What do you have to share today?

Making Up for Lost Time

A few weeks ago I spent some time in Center City with my husband. Today I am heading back down there with my kids to meet someone who inspires me. With last week's sickness and the birthday party extravaganza this weekend, I didn't take as many photos as usual, so here are a few from that last trip into the city that I liked but never posted.

Visit Tracy Clark Photography for more of the best.

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I also forgot to discuss this week's theme with you! Sorry about that. In keeping with the birthday tradition and time marching onward, here is this week's theme:

Week 20 Theme: Passage

See you all Thursday!

Two of a Kind

I had all these grand plans for this week's Theme Thursday. I was going to take my camera everywhere and snap as many photos of coupled items as I could find. Then I got hit with a double whammy: the summer cold (for me and Sam) and a massive heat wave. I've barely left the house since Saturday. I've barely left the couch since Tuesday. Luckily I was able to find a few shots that fit the bill.

The two ladies of the household, at least for the time being. This was one of the only shots from our photo shoot that came out even marginally acceptable. Luckily it was a sweet one!

Here is Sam on his new two wheeler! We've been meaning to buy him a bike all summer, and we finally got around to it. He loves it, as you can plainly see. His sister is a little pissed, but she'll live.

Especially if he keeps pushing her around on his old tricycle! I can't get my two kids to sit together for a photo, so I have to catch them on the fly!

Here are two little ladies at lunch. Lucy and Lily are only five months apart, and their younger siblings will only be about one month apart, so I'm hoping for more fun lunch dates to come! Even if some of the diners will be eating at the milk wagon.

And finally, from our one single trip out of the house since Monday. A pair, salt and pepper. Yesterday afternoon SOB suggested we take the kids out to eat if I could muster up the strength. I was only too happy to oblige, if it meant I didn't have to make dinner! We went to a diner nearby, and even though SOB was a little mortified at my constant clicking, I took a bunch of photos before our food arrived. Especially of the table condiments. I couldn't decide which processing I liked better, so I thought I'd put it to a vote!

What did you find two of this week? Hopefully at least two minutes to play along!

Theme Thursday: Week 19

Next Saturday is Lucy's second birthday. Right now she's sitting with her brother watching SuperWhy and correctly identifying multiple letters of the alphabet without prompting. Two years ago she was still encased in my belly, and I was huge. Take a look. I'm not quite that big yet, but give me six more weeks and we'll see.

All week we'll be preparing for her big birthday party, so with that in mind I give you this week's theme!

Week 19 Theme: Two

Could be something simple, could be something more complex. Either way, I'm sure you'll all come up with something great!

Sing a Song

I grew up in a very musical family. Every time we took a car trip we listened to musicals and rock n' roll and folk music and big band and pretty much everything in between. I took piano and voice lessons, and my brother played the guitar.

While my piano now resides in some distant family member's basement, my brother is seemingly never without a guitar. Unless he's letting some other distant family member play with it!

He especially gets a kick out of seeing Sam with it.

Taken with my iPhone, using the ShakeItPhoto app.

But lately, we've been graced with a different sort of music...

Ever since we've put up the bird 'seeder' (as Lulu calls it) we've been getting tons of singing visitors. First we had this mama Cardinal come by for a bite to eat.

Less than a minute from when she left her boyfriend showed up. At least, I'm assuming that's her boyfriend. I don't watch soaps, so I construct elaborate social lives for the creatures that live in my yard. These pictures were taken through a window, so they're not as sharp as I'd like, but I love how both birds looked right at me like, 'What's your problem lady? I'm just trying to have some lunch here! Bug off!' They're a match made in heaven!

What kind of musicality do you have to share this week?

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Also, don't forget to check out 50 Faces @ 50mm if you have a few minutes to spare. It's in its infantile stages, so any feedback would be appreciated!