Thursday, July 31, 2008

heard from the dining room. . . .


[where the boys are playing with their legos. . .spongebob legos, to be exact. . .]


Luke: Up, up, up. . .all the way to the top of peeno. . . . (I guess Spongebob is hiking up to the

top of his pineapple home this morning).


[Jack laughing. . .we love Lukey's -isms. . .]

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

indy mission #106: the dentist

Jack went to our dentist Monday: teeth cleaning & check-up.

Not his first visit to the dentist. But the first with ours. . . Tried the pediatric dentist thing. . . and I did not like him at all. . . How can a pediatric dentist be kid-unfriendly? Anyway. . . I think I was more scarred by the experience than he was.

So, I decided to bring him to my hygentist, Danielle.

On the drive to the dentist, Jack decided: This is like Indy's Quest for the Golden Toothbrush. . . (Smiling.) It's all about Indy right now. He's on one mission or another all day long.

Anyway, Danielle's a real sweetheart and I knew she would be great with him.

And she was. He did so well. He picked fruit paste for the cleaning. . . And smiled while they tickled his teeth. . . She counted his teeth. . . And then he picked strawberry for the fluoride treatment. . . I'm not so sure about this, he announced before the fluroide. But, after a trial on the first tooth, he decided, This isn't so bad. And they finished.

With both of us smiling.

Jack got to pick his own toothbrush (bonus: the had the Cars toothbrushes he loves. . .and he chose his sweetheart, Sally).

Monday, July 28, 2008

the quilt. . .



I had a pink room as a little girl. Pink wallpaper. Pink carpeting. Pink furniture. Everything.

I'm not so much about the pink as an adult. Maybe too much pink as a girl. Maybe it's the whole boy thing. Not sure. I love green. And the natural colors. . .

However. . . My Great Grandma Smith made me a special pink quilt for my bed as a girl. Loved it. Still cherish it now. It's fraying and you can see the batting under the squares where the thread has let loose. . . But she made it especially for me. . . . And I love it with all my little girl heart. I hoped to hang it in my own little girl's room. . . But the whole genetics thing wasn't on my side (grin). So, I keep it in my closet to touch and love every day when I peek inside. . .

While thrifting last week, I came across this quilt. Pink . . . But I couldn't pass it by. First of all, it was $4 (and you know that's too much of a great deal for me to pass by). . . Maybe Pottery Barn? Heavy and lovely. . . And even though there's really no place for it in this boys' kingdom. . . I had to bring it home with us.

Most of all, because it brought to mind my Great Grandma Smith. . .and her careful. . .loving. . . beautiful quilter's hands and heart. . . Thinking I could snuggle under it when the winter nights come. . .

But, this morning, as little Luke snuggled on the couch with his morning milk and woops. . . goosebumped with the morning chill. . . I had to cover him up. . . I could almost feel my Great Grandma's hands wrapping him up. . .

And he smiled. . . .

the zeli family weekend . . . in review . . .

  • Luke is off to a good start with the whole potty thing. . . not consistent by any stretch. . .but getting there sometimes. . .and letting us know potty . . . so very exciting.
  • Thursday: a lunch date with Dada @ Chik-fil-a. . . A start to our school shopping (is that coming around already? Not ready for that boy of mine being gone all day. . .). . .
  • Friday: Play time outside. Jack riding his bike in the street. Doing so well without those training wheels. Digging in the sand (under the beach umbrella. . .who says we can't imagine we're still there. . .). Splashing in the water table with plastic fish (there's that beach thing again).
  • X-Files movie date Friday night. . . Nan and PapPap watched the boys for us so we could have an actual date night (so awesome) and then do the Poker Run Saturday morning.
  • X-Files the second. . .very disappointing. . . IMHO they should have stuck with the mythology stuff instead of the confusion that was the mystery of the pedophile priest. . . CSI meets the Hardy Boys. . .just that corny. . .not so much for great entertainment. Oh well.
  • 12 miles, baby! I rode my bike 12 whole miles Saturday morning. My Poker hand was awful. But, all I wanted to get was some royalty. And ended up with a Jack and a King. How bad can that be? On the other hand, Sam rocked his had with two pairs (and all he wanted was one).
  • A beautiful time just hanging out. . .just the two of us. . . lots of laughs and time to just talk without interruption. Dinner together without sippy cups, goldfish crackers, and little boy chachkas. Time @ the B House without being chained to the train table. Very cool, and long overdue.
  • Baseball. Took the boys and Nan and PapPap (a father's day gift for PapPap) to a Pirates' game. Great seats. Hot sunshine. And lots of fun. The boys were very good. Spent time up and down the stands to cool off in the shade and feel the breeze. . . Great time all together; loved it.
  • Finished the weekend watching the Wizard of Oz last night. Jack loved it (and, as always, was full of questions. . . love his curiosity about the world).

Sunday, July 27, 2008

the wizard of oz. . .

So. . . .



the girl needs her home. . .

the rusty guy needs a heart. . .

the scarecrow needs a brain. . .

and the lion needs some sleep. . .

is that right?



We're watching the Wizard of Oz right now. And Jack's in love. I couldn't be happier.



Oh, a childhood favorite. I remember sitting on the couch as a tiny girl and watching it. . .spellbound. . .with my mom.



Wonderful memories. . . Making some more right now. . .

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

indy. . .

has to shoot the yellow heads.

It's a little strange. But in Legoland, that's how it goes.

luke. . .


do you have to go on the potty? (as he jumps and jigs around)


Naaoooooo!!!!! (and he throws himself on the floor).



bodie, it was the ten minute storm. . .

Doesn't it seem all the finest moments in life can be summed up by a line in Point Break?

Yeah, it's a sickness. . .

This morning the dogs and I headed out on our morning walk in the pourning rain. So tired, I didn't give much notice to the huge grey clouds in the sky as we jumped off the porch (Max jumping all over Dude, biting the leashes, as usual).

Heading down the road. . .one drop. Really? Is it going to rain today? . . . Nah. . .

And then faster drops. . . And we dashed back to the house for my rain coat (Dude dragging along. . .it's what she does best).

To get my rain coat. . .

And, as it rained harder and harder as we went back down the road, I thought it might start to hail (really didn't need that rain coat after all).

Max, hesitant at first, loved it. He trotted through the puddles. . . and discovered the joy of chasing the stream of water rushing past the sidewalk. (that is, until it ran in the other direction, and he thought maybe he should go back that way too).

And then it stopped.

Like it never rained.

10 minutes of madness.

And we were soaked. But enjoyed the rest of our walk anyway.

Brought to mind those days of running through the puddles as a child: raincoat, umbrella, and no shoes.

Summer joys. . .

Monday, July 21, 2008

truly, I am taking my life into my hands. . .

painting with a two year old wide awake. . .

But I have to see what it's going to look like on the walls. . .

So, I must be the one that Jack gets his obsessive/right now disorder from. . .

did I mention?

that illness has been all over the little Zeli children this weekend?

Luke was down with the snod water.

And Jack, the poop water.

Our little Jack is quite the descriptor. Lovely.

say goodbye. . .

to the terra cotta that somehow turned out to be pink. . .

The living room was the very first room that I dared paint a color. . . way back when we first moved in.

I went to Sears to get one of those fancy Martha Stewart paints. And I pored over paint chips for weeks (have I told you I have this weakness for paint chips? absolutely love them. . . many of them at one time. . . stacks, I tell you. . . it's a sickness. . .). And I specifically chose one the color of a terra cotta pot. Not pink. Terra cotta. Orangish. . . Warmish. . .

My mom came over to help me out. . . I wanted to get it done in a day; so that I could surprise Sam when he came home from work.

And we did it.

We managed to paint the whole room in one day.

[Of course, that was prechildren. . .I managed, with Sam's help, to paint the kitchen in a week. . .]

Well, when Sam came home from work. . . I suppose he was surprised. . .

Wow. . .That's colorful. . . he said. . . And I wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

Luckily, he grew to love it. Loved the warm feeling the warm color gave. And we needed all the warm we could get. . . with the drafty old windows we used to have (not anymore - yay!).

Anyway, it all changes today.

Say goodbye to the pink. . .

And hello to faint maple.

Hopefully it's not a code word for pink.

It's a pitcher, mama. . .

It's a pitcher, Mama. It's a pitcher. . . .

It's Wuke.

Yep, that's Luke.

And Dack.

Dis Wuke (pointing to chin).

That's Luke.

Dat's Wuke. . .da dukester. . .

(Mama's smiling.)

And Dack.

I want to believe. . .

Indy just stopped by. . .




to bring me flowers.

today, he's. . .

Indiana Jones. (or Indy Dones, according to Luke).

He loves to dress up. . . really getting into character. . .

And has been after me to sew him a suit. (Maybe you can use yarn or something.)

Instead, we went thrifting this morning (after stopping at Lowe's for some paint. . .I am finally going to tackle the living room/dining room this week), to put together an Indiana Jones suit for him.

He picked the bag he wanted (for his treasures that he finds. . .and a place to put his whip. . . which happens to be another mama inspired item: three feet of braided black yarn knotted on a found stick). . .
a cool black, snakeskin cowboyish hat (brown was the specified choice, but we couldn't pass up this cool guy)
and a suede-ish brown shirt (his suit. . . very cool, very soft. . .adult size large, so it's a little roomy). . .
and the best part? one of Indy's greatest nemesis. . .nemesi?. . . a wooden snake. . .

When we watched the first Indiana Jones this weekend (for the first time). . .we laughed and laughed when Indy said: I hate snakes!




Awesome day.

He's outside right now (in the 87 degree heat) having adventures. . . First treasures found?
Two bird feathers.

Love this age.

potty boot camp

is in full swing at the Zeli house.

And this morning he woke up dry. Hooray!

And I was determined to set him on the potty (absolutely sure that he would have to let it go in the potty. . .I mean how long can you hold in the night's worth?). . .

And 45 minutes later, he was still sitting on the potty.

good twy, wuke. . . he would say. . . after the third time, I was done too. . .

So, at 7:59 I put his pull-up back on.

8:01 he was running around the house and gave me

the look

. . . . . . Scumped again . . .

Friday, July 18, 2008

family date night

We surprised the boys with a trip to the movie theatre to see Wall-E again.

What a fun time.

The day was so hot, it was refreshing to sit in the air conditioning with a monster popcorn and sno caps.

Loved just hanging out together. . .nothing to do. . .just the four of us. . .

In the very front row of the theatre. . .the best seats in the house, I swear.

And the movie was just so much more detailed than the drive in. Cannot believe how real everything looked. . .down to the reflections on Eva's white robot body. . .

Luke sat so still. . .transfixed to the screen. . . awed. . . smiling. . .

Jack was full of narration to me. . . whispers of things coming. . . favorite moments. . .

Loved it. Felt so good to be out late on a Friday night. . . The first time in such a long time. . .

Watching the previews, we are already looking forward to more date nights in the coming months.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

in the evening. . .

after Sam worked hard cutting the grass. . . and I weeded sunflowers and growing pumpkins. . . harvested a big bowl of our very own raspberries (the biggest harvest ever for our growing bush. . .and very exciting). . .

The sun started to sink low on the horizon. . . sky changing to a soft pink. . . the moon
[moonie moon],
almost full, shining more brightly. . .and the fireflies rose from their daily slumber. . .

We ran in all directions. . .Jack and Sam and I. . .chasing those fun guys. . . Luke running after, giggling. We filled the giant glass jar on the front porch. . . with maybe 50 bugs (or so it seemed). As the sky grew darker, and the fireflies, more elusive, the boys returned to their sand box (aka Maxie Beach). Sam and I popped some corn and enjoyed a quiet summer evening.

With nothing to do but enjoy each other's company.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

slipping on my shoes. . .

to play with the boys outside. . .

And I feel the dust of beach sand leftover, tickling my soles. . .

Smiling memories. . .

Saturday, July 5, 2008

good morning, thomas. . .


Waking up feeling a little more under the weather than yesterday. . . (insert sound effect: raspberries. . . ) and hoping that it will be gone Wednesday when we leave for the beach.

Sam is kayaking this morning. Jack, sleeping in. Luke is reconstructing Sodor yet again.

He is determined to a fault. Insisting that pieces fit where he demands. Even when the laws of physics (and the constraints of the train table) say otherwise.

And then the track goes flying across the room.

So, after picking up the pieces, he and Mama worked together to create Sodor for Thomas, Annie and Clarabird. Number 5 James decided to join us this morning as well. Another favorite these days is Toby.

Sodor ususally sounds like this:

Hi, Henry. It's Thomas. Henry. Henry. (sing-song)
Let's go!
Your sgraceful.
Why are you laughing Thomas?
Open your eyes.
4, 3, 2, 1.
Silly, Thomas.
Up, up, Thomas.
Up the hill.
Up, Thomas, up.
Hey.
What heck you doing?
Asked Thomas.
Get in the yard.
No smashing, Henry.
Look, Henry.
Woo! Woo!
Twubble twucks, Thomas.
Don't be silly, Thomas.

A mix of stories, silly things he and Jack say together, and stuff Mama says, and his own little growing imagination. . .
Smiling as I listen.


happy 4th

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Sodor's new look:


Lukey created this round beauty all on his own. So cool.

Lovin how the round track comes down into the tunnel. He's becoming quite the track designer. . .looking at it in ways I would never imagine.

Good job, buddy. Loving the creative inspiration.


And loving the puppies cuddled at my feet.

THAT was fun!


He has been waiting for the go ahead to play outside in the rain. . .

Something I remember doing as a girl. Going outside in my turquoise Snoopy rain boots that pulled over my shoes. . .with an umbrella. . .and splashing in the rain as it came down. . . And as the summer grew warmer, splashing . . . bare feet puddle-licious. . . in the warm rain.

Loved it.

Felt so free. . .

Jack, caught up in my memories, has been waiting for a summer rain to run free in.
And it happened this afternoon after my childhood friend Valerie left (after a wonderful afternoon visit with her kiddos. . .so much fun). . .
He played for a long time. . .
Exclaiming whole heartedly: that was fun! as I greeted him at the door. . . soaking wet. . .through and through. . . and you could just feel the bliss in his voice.



Memories made.

So happy.