Mr. Handsome Sports A Shiner

William is definitely a boy (not that we were questioning....). He climbs on everything, including kneeling on the back of the couch and waving to me, up on the dining room table (also waving to me), into chairs, onto beds, out the step to the garage, and currently working on his crib exit. On Thursday afternoon, August 28th, all that climbing finally got the best of him. Momma was reading a Nancy Drew (The Bungalow Mystery) with Sarah in her room, Willie was playing with KK and Izzy. Apparently, KK left the addition to get something from her room, and William flipped off the couch from a standing position, and smacked the corner of his eye on the corner leg of the coffee table. Now, if you have ever hit your knee on that thing like I have, (grrrr...) you know that you could easily never walk again. It is the hardest table, and the corner is ridiculously sharp. Needless to say, his eye turned black immediately and bled from where the skin split open. I mean, talk about turning a momma's stomach! He screamed bloody murder for a couple minutes then laid on my shoulder pretty much mewing like a hurt kitten. He was so sad. We tucked him in Sarah's bed leaning back on a pillow and turned on Baby Einstein, his magic cure-all. A drink of juice, and thirty minutes of Einstein, and the boy was good to go. The next morning, it was outrageously bad. A little worse yesterday. And today, not as bad! He's on the mend. And in a few days, we should receive the UPHOLSTERED leather storage ottoman we ordered immediately after it happened. No one, I repeat NO ONE, hurts "The Boy". And that includes tables. Bye bye, coffee table.

Big Boy gets dressed for the ballet by his sisters. Something about the necklace and the black eye and the diaper just makes an odd mix, don't you think?

A shiner for the boy. Let's hope it's the last one. Yeah, right. All right then, let's hope that split skin doesn't scar his adorable face.

Sarah, Photographer of William

Sarah is really into taking pictures lately, and here is her favorite subject.

He's a bit of a ham for her...he adores that big sister of his and if she wants to take 512 photos of him eating toast, then he is not about to stop her.

This Morning

Before they left for school, Izzy was looking all kinds of cute in her schoolgirl outfit so I took a picture. Yesterday we spent the day sorting through old clothes, toys no longer played with, and other just plain junk they have accumulated in their rooms. You can't really see it but behind Izzy are two very large garbage bags filled with toys, clothes, and shoes to take to charity. They did a great job and their closets are more organized than ever. As a treat for their hard work, they got to eat Fruit Loops for breakfast. They didn't mind that one bit...

I don't know what it is, but Katy is starting to remind me of my college friend, Kristin (Turner) Wilkinson. I think it's probably mostly those big blue eyes, but it may also be the face shape. What do you think, Miz Bear? (Hint: Only Kristin will know what that means. )

The Gap Girl herself, Sarah Stephenson, off to her first test in fourth grade. Vocabulary words (spelling, using in a sentence, and multiple choice) include: hemisphere, scientific method, peninsula, geography, Ordinal numbers, experiment. Math fact family include: 3 x 4 = 12, 4 x 3 = 12, 12 divided by (where is that on my keyboard, yo) 3 = 4 and 12 divided by 4 = 3. More difficult ones to come, Are You Smarter Than A Fourth Grader?

Pre-K Update

It's done! Izzy's first day of school is complete! She had a great day. The note from her teacher is as follows:
8/21/08 Isabelle had a wonderful day at school. She played so well with others. She is friendly, caring, and listens very well! She ate well, and napped today! I am so proud of her for doing such a fantastic job! Love, Miss Em
P.S. Thank you for the yummy cookies! I really enjoyed them!

Izzy brought her two of those delicious cookies we made at the Open House. Izzy said the worst part of school was the boys (big shocker) and the best part is the playground. She made two new friends, Caden and Ally (Alex Andrea). She did not like Cadence, she said that Cadence was a "bewwy mean ghoul" (very mean girl). Some of the girls were fighting over Izzy to get her to play with them, Ally said, she's mine and Morgan said, she's mine and they pulled her arms on both sides and it was so horrible and it was all so unnecessary because as she said, "They don't have to fight about me, we can all be friends together and they can all share me, it's ok, I don't mind." Yup, that's my Izzy. They can all share her, totally an Isabelle quote if I ever heard one. She did not like the boys because Tyler pushed her off the swing, the boys pushed all the girls off the swings. She didn't mind Tristan so much because he was funny, that is, he claimed to have to "go diarrhea" which cracked up all the girls. She was very amused that the boys had to go to time out (turtle time, talk like a turtle, which is to say, not at all) for running to the cafeteria when they were told to walk. None of the girls got time out. Thank heavens the ratio in the class is nine girls to five boys. I love that. Anyway, Isabelle ate her whole lunch (two ham roll-ups, a few chips, tangerine, juice pouch, and a pudding). She said she liked her mat so much she went right to sleep. (All that nervous energy expended does wonders as well...) I asked her what she thought about Miss Emiley, "Um, I wuv her. I wuv her a lot!" I told her that school was cancelled for tomorrow thanks to Tropical Storm Fay (they just don't know WHAT it's going to do), was she ready to go to school on Monday? "Of course, Momma, I want to go back a lot, because you know, I'm in Pre-K now!" Yes, you sure are, Pooh Bear.

Izzy Goes To School

Well, today was the day. Isabelle Stephenson is officially a Pre-Kindergartener. She cried immediately upon Momma waking her up, "I don't want to go to school." That's funny, that's all you've been talking about for months. She didn't eat much breakfast, butterflies in her tummy, she said. Then some how, some way, she pulled herself together and managed to get halfway excited. I load them up in the van, and off we go. "Momma, will you come to the classroom with me?" Of course, I reassured her. Just remember, Momma will walk you to the classroom, help you hang your backpack, put your lunch in your cubby, and then it will be time for me to go. Ok, she agrees. We walk past the playground, I remind her how she will finally get to play on it. We reach the door, Momma gets a quick picture, and then in we go. Her apple print backpack from Gymboree is hung, her matching lunchbox placed in her cubby. She remembers she has her blankie in the backpack, "can I have it at naptime?" "Of course," says Miss Emiley. Momma leads her to the puzzle table where Izzy's little friend Madisyn is waiting. They greet each other shyly, it's been a few months since they last saw each other. Then Madisyn says quietly, "Will you be my friend again?" Isabelle lights up, nods her head quickly, and SMILES! In my mind, this is the time. "Bye, sweetie. I'll pick you up on the sidewalk after school." She nods again, quietly this time, Miss Emiley takes her hand and leads her to the other side of the table. I walk to the door, turn and blow her a kiss, she watches closely. Then just like that, the door is closed and she is gone. A school girl in the making.

Fashion Shoot Party

Sarah celebrated her birthday with a fashion shoot at the Picture People in the mall. Each girl got to take home a framed group photo and a framed photo of themselves. They had an absolute ball! It was so much fun and a really great thing to do for any age. They loved posing, the props, making each other laugh for a natural smile, it was wonderful. And best of all, they brought home something that every other mother adored and didn't throw away the next day like party bag stuff! To see the professional pictures, check out the link over to the right "Sarah's Birthday Photo Shoot."

Ariel, Emily, Sarah, Taylor and Savannah ham it up before the photo session.

After the photo shoot, after Claire's Boutique for earring and wallets, after a soft pretzel, and before Olive Garden. Looking a little peaked...

Savannah is a naturally photogenic kid. I get the best pictures of her. And her eyes are amazing. Not a speck of makeup on that pretty face.

Sarah finishes off her traditional birthday spaghetti with meat sauce (adult portion) with her very favorite Black Tie Mousse Cake. We bought the entire cake instead of by the piece (12 pieces for 35 bucks beats 6 bucks per slice). Now she can have it two desserts in a row. Afterward, we came back here for a sleepover and they watched Nim's Island. Bed at 1:30 am (yawn). And we'll do it all again next year. Good thing there's 365 days in between. I'm pooped.

Funny But Revealing!

My sister-in-law Spring was recently tagged with the following questionnaire. I thought it was interesting so I asked Isabelle (four and a half) and Katy (officially 8) the questions. Their answers follow.
1. What is something Momma always says to you? K: Play nicely I: You're going to Ms Emily's class!
2. What makes Momma happy? K: Me cleaning my room I: Go to school by myself
3. What makes Momma sad? K: Snitching I: Um um no cookies?
4. How does Momma make you laugh: Both: tickles me
5. What was Momma like as a child? K: little, sorta nice, sorta bad I: play
6. How tall is Momma? K: are you five? I: (shows length of stair tread) as tall as the stairs
7. What is Momma's favorite thing to do? K: you cook I: watch Yo-wimpics (Olympics)
9. What does Momma do when you're not around? K: Cook dinner, feed William, put Willie to bed, cook, laundry, and cooking. I: Make cookies
10. If Momma was famous, what would it be for? K; singing I: um um nice
11. What is Momma good at? K: Cooking I: Cookies!
12. What is Momma not good at? K: singing, giggle giggle, really you're not too good at helping me fix my bike I: Fixing (Guess I'm a poor handyman! Gee, I never thought I was that bad!)
13. What is Momma's job? K: Sell houses I: Go to laundry
14. What is Momma's favorite food? K: The cookies she made today I: Celery (I love that kid!)
15. What makes you proud of Momma? K: Cleaning up I: Cookies!
16. If Momma was a cartoon character who would she be? K: a kid's mom on Disney Channel I: Momma
17. What do you and Momma do together? K: Ride bikes I: Play
18. How are you and Momma the same? K: we like bike riding and cooking I: puzzles
19. How are you and Momma different? K: My mom cooks good spaghetti and I don't I: I go to Rylee's and Momma stays home
20. How do you know Momma loves you? K: Hugging me and kissing me I: Kiss me


Well, at least they got the last one right! :)

The Yum Factor Reaches Exponential Heights!

I made a new recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies, given to me by my brother, Scott. The recipe came from an article in the New York Times. The dough sits in the fridge for 36 hours before baking. I was skeptical, figuring they'd be good, but worth a day and half of waiting?...

The verdict is... Well worth the wait. And LOVE the sea salt sprinkled on top. I used bittersweet discs, as it called for. If I make it again, I will use semisweet. The bittersweet is great surrounded by cookie, but when you get several chips clumped together it was a bit too bitter for me (and therefore the kids). With that small complaint, the cookies were incredibly good, full-flavored, crisp outside, chewy in between, and soft in the middle. WOW! I've been making the same chocolate chip recipe for twenty years (ouch!) but I think if I have the time, these will take it every time. Try it for yourself. The link is on my list!

Good Food, Good Times

I made a yummy dinner the other night. I mean, I usually do make a yummy dinner, if I do say so myself. This dinner, however, was new, and particularly yummy. It was Ginger and Hoisin Glazed Shrimp with a side of cilantro rice. YUM! I loved it. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated.

Izzy closes her eyes in pure rapture, even she liked it!

The next night, Izzy spend the night at her friend Rylee's house. The next afternoon, she came home. Within about 15 minutes, I was busy cooking shrimp and crabmeat okra gumbo (Bubba Gump recipe, also yum, using Port St. Joe 16-20 ct tails white shrimp from Fresh Market, are you drooling Twopy and Laura?), and I turned around from the stove and she was passed out, cold, on the floor in the middle of the kitchen. I left her there while I finished getting the gumbo ready to simmer, and then put her to bed. She had a wonderful time at her friend's, and then a wonderful nap. Does it get any better than that?

The food around here has been pretty darn delicious lately. But every day, our Izzy is delicious.

The Action

William attracts all the girls...

I love this shot, Emily caught air and went flying forward toward me.

William closes his eyes, but enjoys the ride.

Look carefully through the raindrops and you'll see Shawn holding Izzy and Willie at the top of the slide. They came down fast and they both loved it!

Birthday Splash

Izzy takes a slide after a couple hours of watching and LOVED it!

Daddy takes William on a ride

William dips his toes in the bottom pool

Sarah gets a turn

WATER PARTY!!!!!

Katy chose a water slide party for her birthday party, same one as last year. She knows what she likes, I guess? We invited some families and all the girls' friends. They had an absolute blast! It was five straight hours of up the ladder, down the slide, interrupted only by eating hot dogs, homemade mac n cheese, chips, soda, and CAKE! A most nutritious meal, to be sure. All picked out by Katy Stephenson, age eight.

The birthday girl gets a ride on the slide

Catchin' a little air

Savannah flies down to the bottom

Ariel and Sarah enjoy the day

Presents and Cake

Izzy gave Katy a Water Baby, which is a traditional baby doll, but it gets filled with water and the water movement is supposed to feel more like a real baby. At least it doesn't pee.

Littlest Pet Shop is Katy's third love (second would be baby dolls, first would be sweets).

It takes everyone to keep these candles lit out on the porch, we were lucky enough to have a great breeze all afternoon! Eight years old and ready to eat all nine of those chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream frosting!

Snorkel Camp

Savannah and Sarah gather their snorkel gear before heading off for another day's adventure.

Madison, Sarah, Savannah, and Katy had an opportunity to go to a Snorkel Camp in Crystal River for the week. Put on by a local diving company, it is a five day, 9 to 5 chance to do things every local should do. The first day was orientation and introduction to snorkeling in an indoor pool. That afternoon they went out to the Gulf and jumped on water trampolines and launchers (some big guy jumps on this big puffy thing and the kids go flying into the air--they loved every minute). Tuesday they swam with the manatees in Kings Bay and canoed in the St. Martins Aquatic Preserve. Wednesday they went jetskiing on the Homosassa River and snorkeled on a reef in the Gulf. Thursday they got an introduction to scuba diving in the deep pool and snorkeled in the Rainbow River over in Dunnellon. And today, Friday, they are spending the day at Wild Waters Adventure Park in Ocala! Quite a week! They are pooped at the end of the day, and eat like crazy. Jonny and Jenny's kids went two weeks ago and loved it, that's where we heard about it. It was pricey, but so much fun for all of them, and a great last adventure for the summer. After all, August 18th is the first day of school... Summer is almost over... Surprisingly, I'm not looking forward to school starting all that much. We'll be having a water slide party for Katy on Sunday, and Thursday I am taking Sarah and four friends to Picture People for a "fashion shoot" birthday party followed by a big girls dinner out and a sleepover.

I am looking forward to experience home life with just Willie D (for you, De grande). I haven't had one baby at home for almost two years now. I had that time with Izzy and really treasure it, and now I am lucky to have it with Willie. It's a whole new world going places with just one kid! My Izzy is headed off to preschool, to join the ranks of the "big kids". She is well-prepared, backpack, lunchbox, new OshKosh leather school shoes, little plaid skirts and matching shirts, headbands and hair doodads in all colors and varieties, and a new-found sense of self-confidence. My baby is leaving the nest! At least, from 8 till 2 every weekday she is! You should see her new jeans, rinsed, flared, ADORABLE! I'll be sure to get a shot of those first time she wears 'em. She's going to love preschool and she is blessed to have a fabulous teacher. And her sisters just one building over. And, if need be, Momma will be home, just two short minutes from the school.