warning: shocking pic

i opened up stover girl's school pictures anticipating i'd have to hold back a tiny giggle (considering the volume of super cheesy smiles i have on my personal camera). instead, i was speechless... who is this mature looking beauty capable of giving a genuine, picture perfect smile?

dear stover boy:

a few things i want to remember about who you are right now:

- you want to be just like your sister and it drives her nuts. if she wants milk but changes her mind to oj, you do exactly the same.
- we're actively working on listening the first time!
- you always hold the doors for mom
- you are almost daily badgering mother by 7:30 AM to watch a show. your current request is busytown mysteries.
- you share well with friends but are caught taking toys from the baby often
- mom can't help wondering if you have a hearing problem with your constant 'what?' use
- you are trying hard to decrease thumbsucking as mom has requested
- you earn quarters (which is almost always spent buying gum) by folding the towels load
- you still need a nap but you're up reading books for hours if you do
- per your own initiative, you are diaperless at night
- resist mom styling your hair
- a new digital clock helps you wake up at 6 AM daily and not before then
- have this hilarious voice dad describes as what a girl imitating a deep boy voice would sound like
- you are enough like your father (in looks and personality) that i accidentally call you by his name
- you melt my heart with your 'cute' compliments

a few of her favorite things

the bin of crayons (that is always out due to stover girl's self-imposed 'homework'):

the blankie/ pac combo:

being held (often):

and drinking from a regular cup:

CA dreamin'

just back from a silly, carefree getaway with some very dear friends.

the mature newborn

there's something about moving past 3-6 mos. size clothing that is always a tear-jerker to me. with every child, the physical act of putting away this clothing size is a symbolic rest to the baby phase i'm most emotionally attached to. i love that they are still so small, portable, and content/ still (newborn) but have the maturity of a budding personality and predictable sleep cycles. weighing in at 16 pounds and 11 ounces at her well-check, i was prematurely reminded that i only have 1 month left of this precious window in time. thanks for the heads-up (and tears) stover babe!

just for giggles

let me rephrase that

while talking with stover boy about plans for our upcoming week, i said, 'we're taking stover baby to the doctor.' he suddently got a very somber look and said 'are we done with her?'

reunited

when stover dad and mom married, we made all the normal compromises new couples do- including compromises about food. we negotiated preferences such as: how well or rare our red meat is cooked (mom won- well done), if we have salt and pepper out on the table (mutual- not out), and if we have creamy or crunchy peanut butter. dad is not a big fan of nuts so he won and we began stocking creamy at our house. it has been creamy for 8 years with absolutely not one afterthought. until... the other day when mom took a bite of stover boy's sandwich made by a mommy friend. in that bite, we were reunited- crunchy peanut butter and me. i couldn't believe that a thousand trips to the grociery store, a million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and three pregnancies hadn't rekindled the romance. the important thing is- we are now reunited. it's good to see you again love!

a curious accessory of the 80's

my children are enamored with visors but completely unsure about what to call them. recently stover girl inquired about what she called 'a polly pocket hat' (because that is apparently the only place she's seen one). we gave her the correct name although we haven't yet cleared up her mispronunciation. ('bisor') and just yesterday stover boy pointed to the subway cashier and said, 'i want one of those broken hats'.

...if only i'd save my snazzy emerald green one from teenage employment there.

a solid start

stover baby's been dabbling in squash and sweet potatoes this week.

move over ABCs part 2

courtesy of hip intercom announcements, stover girl is expanding her pop culture knowledge. 'never say never' has officially replaced her previously top-seated favorite: 'party in the u-en-say'.