First Day of School! (One Month Ago Today)

I'm a bit behind in sharing what the kids are up to these days, so I thought I'd start off easy. Now that everyone else is done sharing back to school pictures, and your inevitable burnout on them from Facebook is over- here's mine!











It's hard to tell, but one of my children was more excited to get on with the first day than he was to take pictures of it...

Playing catchup

• I missed Friday. I knew it was Friday, but I couldn't make myself write coherent sentences.
• I have starting putting some of my shop items at our local mall for consignment this Christmas. It's a really great deal for me, but in return I'm volunteering my time at the shop so  that the owner can have a smidge of a life. I've already sold a bit of stuff and had a handful of custom orders. I took this little batch of zipper wallets up to the store today- at $5 each I really hope they fly off the shelf.
  
  
  
• Today I'm headed to the local thrift store for quarter day. I can't wait! It's once a month, all clothes are $.25. It's always completely crowded and I always come home with a bunch of stuff I end up not being able to use, but it still ends up a bargain. And, best part? I get to go ALL BY MYSELF.
• On Thursday we took the Bug to Sioux Falls to have a suspicious lump on his arm looked at. The doctor did a biopsy and he has two little stitches. He is SO angry at the doctor, and at us. We get lab results back in 8 days, so any good thoughts his way would be really appreciated. 
• Things on the bar in my kitchen are literally a foot deep. This is a function of my sewing all the time and being gone all the time and OUTGROWING THIS LITTLE APARTMENT. I can not wait to move. We have so many things that we just CAN'T put away, as there is no where else to PUT things, except in long term storage, and that's so hard to manage.

What I Read This Week:

• Hell if I know. I didn't finish anything.

Soccer, Summer, Lego, Buffy

• I think that maybe it's finally going to be summer. It feels like today is finally warm enough with everyone healthy to consider it summer vacation.
• Have you tried Sobe Lifewater Pacific Coconut? I'm obsessed. Best drink on earth.
• There is a rumor that we are going to see Snow White and the Huntsman tonight. I don't want to jinx that tho.
• The Pirate is obsessed with Lego videos. It seems the most boring thing on earth to me, but there are people who build giant Lego kits and then make surprisingly long and detailed videos of said creations. The Pirate has started making his own videos and I'm putting them on YouTube for him. I can't bring myself to watch them, but maybe you'd enjoy it. (Also, please let me not be yelling in the background or anything awful.) (His are maybe even more boring than his inspiration.)
• In other internet news, Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay, wrote this terrific post about how Buffy saved her life, my friend Amy (not My Friend Amy) did a stitchbomb on a fence in San Francisco, how cool is this?, annnnnd, that's all the links I saved.

In Bookish News:

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  The Stand... Along starts today. You can still join!
• I read The First Husband: A Novel by Laura Dave for BlogHer Book Club, and really enjoyed it.
• I'm reading Key of Light by Nora Roberts. This is a reread for me, but I only vaguely remember it, so it feels new.

Happy Birthdays!

It was birthday week here in the Books. Lists. Life. Headquarters.  First the Pirate started the ball rolling by turning 7 on Saturday. We were out of town, and I completely failed to take any birthday pictures, unless you could this one, which I don't:

(they are all asleep!)

The Pirate is turning into an adorable, funny, clever boy. He likes to make videos on the iPod, he plays Wii like he's paid to do so, he reads surprisingly well. He tolerates the Bug during the day, and can't sleep without him at night. He adores his baby sister.

A few days later, the Bug turned 4. He woke up to donuts and presents and requested blueberry cake and macaroni and cheese for dinner. The Bug is full of life. He's as high energy as it is possible for a child to be. Fortunately, he's also charming and funny and people universally love him, even as they are happy he does not live with them.

Happy Birthday to both my big boys!

PS. Confidential to the Princess, please don't grow up as fast as your brothers have. I don't think I could bear it.

Random Friday: The shocker is at the end.

• The most recent custom banner, I think this is number 52.
• I'm skipping the challenge today. It's to dress up jeans and a T-shirt and I'm just not feeling it.
• Thanks for all your good thoughts for the Bug and back to school. It's been a tough few days. He is very needy and clingy. 
• Speaking of, I think he is scared of... lightbulbs. Yeah, I know, crazy. But I really think he is afraid of the light fixtures, specifically the one over the vanity in the bathroom, but sometimes others.
• I've started the process of cleaning out the storage unit. We're hoping to sell a ton of stuff and then put the rest in our garage and save ourselves the monthly money.  It's gonna be a huge project.
• Mike is off this weekend (which means he'll only go in for a couple hours each day) and we have no plans except to work a bit on the storage unit.  I've pretty excited because we've decided to bring my sewing cabinet back to the apartment. 
• Hexes are coming along very slowly, but I did add two more small rings this week. (Link in the left sidebar, if you're curious.)
• Have you ever felt like you have so many good ideas, and you're right on the verge of breaking through to something big, something successful, but you just don't have QUITE enough time in your day to get there? No? Just me?  I've had several very stressful days this week where I had so many things that had to be done and all I could think about was how very close I was to finally getting somewhere with other things. The had to be dones are what are paying the bills, while the almosts might pay bills one day. It's a tough balance.

What I read this week:

• Nothing. Seriously. I know.

I dread school starting tomorrow

School starts tomorrow for the Pirate. He's fairly unexcited but we met his teacher last night and some of his friends were there which perked him up a bit about it. I'm not overly concerned about the Pirate. I think he'll be ok once he's used to the schedule. I am completely worried about the Bug. The Bug, who is 3, is not starting school tomorrow, despite what he might tell you. He stayed home with dad last night while the Pirate and I went to the open house, and Mike reports that he was devastated. Heartbroken. Unable to breathe because he was crying so hard. I have no idea how we're going to get the Pirate out of the car at school without a huge scene. I have no idea how the Bug will possibly survive without his brother. I'm trying to think up some exciting activities, but sadly there isn't much that the Bug truely loves, besides the Pirate. I'm planning to make a big big deal about how he's the Big Kid at home now! Other than that, I'm stumped. The park won't be enough. I'm not sure McDonalds would do it. Suggestions, cheap ones, welcome.

Meanwhile, I'm still participating in the 21 Day Challenge. I have managed to miss two days of pictures, but I still did the outfit! Today's theme was "monochromatic." Since it's supposed to be 100 here today, I wanted to be cool, so I choose a loose skirt and a tank top (and flip flops, but I didn't put them on for the picture.) Today's picture courtesy of the Bug, age 3.

Tank top: Target
Skirt: Walmart
Flip flips: Sanuks

 I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

I have removed him from this thing no less than 7 times today.

And it is only 1:30.

(He can get in, but he can't get out.)

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Wordless Wednesday, the chair must be magic

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copy write Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Wordless Wednesday, still not tired

(Remember last week?)

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copy write Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Wordless Wednesday, not tired

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copy write Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

The Bug has a new party trick

Today I took the boys for their annual checkups. The Bug got 3 shots,
and when she gave him the first one he did that big
gasping thing babies do- that thing that makes you say "take a breath
baby! breathe!" Only he DIDN'T. And he passed right out. He came to
asleep and snoring and did not wake up. He was very pale and his lips
turned white and he was super limp. The nurse (who is youngish, but not
new, she's been our nurse at least 3 years now) was a bit taken aback.
She had never seen a kid who passed out and didn't wake up
immediately. She brought in another nurse and they proclaimed him fit
to leave, but it was a bit shocking.

The terrible twos ought to be a LOT fun!

(You thought I was gonna say "Standing!", didn't you?

.

Tomorrow he will be closer to One.

Can you believe that the Bug is 6 months old today? I can not.

He is the most awesome little person. So calm and happy, most of the time. 6 months is the perfect age. He's aware of what's going on around him. He watches us and the animals and gets sad when we leave the room. He is deliriously happy to see me in the morning when he wakes up. He's as perfect as babies get, and I just love him so much. I was so worried before he was born that I wouldn't be able to love the second one as much as the first. Thankfully, this is not the case, and my heart overflows with the love.

He almost sits on his own. He rolls himself across rooms to get to things that interest him. No teeth yet, but we suspect crawling in his near future. He goes next week to get weighed, but I expect about 17 lbs.

He's been eating rice cereal and oatmeal for a while, but isn't very good at it. More of it ends up on him than in him as his tongue doesn't quite work the way it should. Last night we introduced pears and somehow he got all that down. He's quite the little beggar, wants everything we're eating. Don't tell the parent police, but I shared my vanilla ice cream with him the other night. He was heartbroken every time I'd put the cone down to wipe his chin. He was literally throwing himself at the ice cream. He's his mama's son for sure. (The Pirate does not like ice cream. He might be an alien.)

He's slept all night in his bed for 4 or 5 nights running now. I put him down between 7:30 and 8:30, still slightly awake, and he sleeps until 5:30 or 6. He has woken up and fussed a little, but didn't need us to attend to him. He still seems awfully little to be in a room by himself, but it is nice to stretch out in my own bed.

This last picture is the Pirate at 6 months, for comparison.