Speech Class

Mo is a talker....always has been....she puts her hands on her hips, and talks up a storm. But she has trouble saying words with S in them.....

stop is "top"
spider is "pider"

So, lately, we have really been practicing the "s" sound in front of words. For example, today on the way home, this was the conversation....

Mo: Its on the tairs.

Me: Don't you meean.....sssssstairs?

Mo: Oh yes......sssssss - tairs.

Me: Very good, let's do another one....

Mo: OK.......sssssss-van........ssssssss-car.........ssssss-truck

Happy Anniversary

Today is our wedding anniversary. We got married 4 years ago today. It was a wonderful day, and so much has happened in the time since.

We went out to dinner, with Simone, so it wasn't the most romantic evening (we will do something just the 2 of us this weekend)......

Here is to the past 4 years........and to the next 40!!!!

Back at School

Last week was the first official week of school. Even though Mo and Scout aren't in school, they still have to suffer through the first week along with me. It is hard to get back into a schedule, getting used to fixing lunches, picking out clothes the night before, and all the other things that go along with starting back.

Last week, it was a personal goal to go to bed at 10:00......does it count, if I fell asleep on the couch at 8:00, and then moved to the bed at 10:30?

The year is off to a good start....Scout and Mo are helping out.......I have a great class.....and I feel really comfortable teaching in my grade right now....my program just feels solid....I feel prepared......

But, I still have dreams of winning powerball!!!!

Conversations with a 3 Year Old

Grownup: What's you favorite farm animal?

Mo: Boy.

Grownup: What sound does a boy make?

Mo: They pop (meaning, they fart).

Our Old House

It has been one month since we moved in. Most everything is unpacked, and it does feel like we are living here. We needed a bigger house....we had just overrun our old house.

When we decided to move....I had 2 criteria........closer to work, and NOT a fixer-upper. Well, we are farther from school, and you guessed it.....the house needs work. Not a lot of work, but the entire house needs to be updated. We loves the bones of the house, and it is totally livable, but things need to (and will) change over the next several years.

So, here is a snapshot of the house as it is now.

There was baby blue carpet all throughout the downstairs, stairs, and upstairs......we took it out downstairs.....it feels good to have the original hardwoods downstairs....they are not in bad shape, but will need to be redone next year.

This is the entry way, right as you come in the front door. This is what sold us on the house....we loved the stairs going up, we loved the front closet and how the whole area welcomes you in to the house.....

Also, in the front hall is this mirrored, marbled wall......not what we love about the entry way....I am sure it was high style at one point, but it is coming out in the next few weeks.....we hope it will open up the entry to the living room.


Our living room is HUGE....used to be both the living and dining..., so we love how we have 2 separate conversation areas.....we don't have enough furniture to fill it up, yet.....give us a few months....

I love the light coming in the front windows....can't wait for cozy fires in the fall!!!

The kitchen.....it has been updated....but it so......white.....some paint will do wonders.





The dining room right off the kitchen....it is so nice to have room for a big table, perfect for having friends over! Check out the fabulous wallpaper....it is hard to see in the picture, but there are gold sparkles all throughout it.....adds glamour!


Speaking of wallpaper.....there are some unique finishes in the house....my 2 favorites you find in the bedrooms upstairs.....

Red shag in Mo's room.....with streaks of black....

The wallpaper in our room....the bamboo pattern is actually raised off the paper.....nice 3-D effect. They loved this so much, they wallpapered over the closet doors....and on the built-in drawers.....

This is a photo from the top of the stairs......we have 4 bedrooms up here.....but they do not work for us they way they are now......first, there is no bathroom up here (major problem)...and 2 of the rooms are too small to be used as real bedrooms....also, there are 4 different carpets up here....including the indoor/outdoor carpet in the guest room...

Not sure what will happen up here.....the architect is coming over in a few weeks to talk about the master plan for upstairs......keep you posted....

Babywearing in Portland is huge. Everyone you see has their baby in some sort of carrier. For the first 2 years of Mo's life, we had 5 different carriers that we used for all sorts of occasions......most of her baby pictures, she is in the sling.

Since we don't go anywhere without a baby for the little mama.....Mo has started wanting to 'wear' her baby. It really is more convenient for those 'moms on the go'.....it is too hard to climb a play structure with a little one in hand. So, you can see Mo's is a true Portlander....swinging and wearing her baby at the same time.

If you look carefully, you can see her Hello Kitty cell phone on the ground by the swing.....Mo had to bring her phone, she didn't want to miss any messages.......her words, not mine.