The Mimick Does Improv too!

February 22, 2006 BlogPants

Thomas has been calling Daren “DaaaDoe” for some time now. We think it’s cute that when he hears the key turn in the lock, he runs to the door, singing “DaaaaaaDoooeee! DaaaaaaDoooeee! DaaaaaaDoooeee!” Daren, of course, beams like a freaking lighthouse as he scoops him up into his arms.

Thomas has been mimicking and repeating everything. The other night we made him perform for us while we ate dinner. He was more interested in dipping chicken, potatoes and tomoates in salad dressing. If the salad dressing is on the table, he will reach and whine and cry for it until you douse his entire dinner in in like it’s fondue. We have had to restrict his intake of salad dressing before he decided Catalina was his home and packed his bags to seek his roots.

In our efforts to get him to talk, we tried to get him to say his big brudder’s name.

Me: “Thomas, say Dylan.”

Thomas: “Dyl-ssssh.”

Me: “No, say Dylan”

Thomas: “Dyl-sssshhhh.”

Dylan: “Dyl-lan.”

Thomas: “Dyl. Dyl. Dyl.”

Me to Daren: “Okay, I guess it’ll be Dyl Dyl for a while.”

Thomas: “DyllllDOE.”

Daren: “Nice work Mommy.”

First Instant Message Conversation with My Papa

February 21, 2006 BlogPants

Karen says: (this was actually Daren)

I hear you got one of them thar computer things.

(FIVE MINUTES PASS. I’m not kidding.)

Jerry says:

im trying to spell shit

Karen says:

Hi it’s Karen here now - that was Daren before

Karen says:

and so you know - to spell shit - it’s S-H-I-T.

End of conversation. I guess that’s all he needed.

awards! awards! awards!

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Contest Winner Unveiled!

BlogPants

Well the lovely Midwest, and the manly man Wombat, of Kiss and Blog won the Extreme Makeover Contest over at Troll Baby Graphics.

The transformation was fun. We worked over email, mostly Wombat and I, as Midwest is a jetsetting single professional and was away quite a bit. Midwest trusted Wombat and I to hammer out the details.

I ended up only changing the header after the inital feedback on the first design was in favour of the original font type and size. No matter, we got down to business again and made everything exactly what they wanted. I love the clean look, and although I didn’t get to show off my skills as much as I would have liked to, I do believe we have a winner.

While working on Kiss & Blog, I read Wombat and Midwest’s witty posts and I thoroughly enjoyed working with both of them. They truly are fantastic, down to earth types who can appeal to the masses like nobody’s business! Whoever settles down with these two lovely bloggers will be very lucky and blessed.

Thank you Midwest and Wombat for the fun and for letting me play on your blog! It was my pleasure to work with you.

Cheers!

Karen

Tender Moments…. Oh and Poker.

February 19, 2006 BlogPants

Well the overnight away was awesome, except we forgot the camera. Oh how I wish I had it for this trip! We left after lunch yesterday and travelled about an hour out to our friends’ house. Tom and Daren have been best friends since they were 6 years old. When we all get together, it sometimes feels like we’re all 6 years old again. We spent the night eating Chinese Food, drinking, and playing poker. Michelle is due with their first baby in the next few weeks and we talked alot about that. It brought back memories of when Daren had so diligently painted both Dylan’s and Thomas’ rooms before they were born. I hand sewed curtains for Dylan’s room as the reality of a new family member set in. Those days seemed so full of simple pleasure and since Thomas’ arrival the fun has only compounded. Well you know that. *wink wink* Oh and yes, we did name Thomas after Tom. They share alot of similar characteristics. Smelly farts, big burps, they both dress well, and neither one of them can play poker. Ha.

Thomas and Dylan had fun last night too. We ended up bringing Ruffy and she and Kady (T&M’s dog) ran after each other through the house, circling Thomas in search of toddler crumbs and often spinning him like a pinball in a pinball machine. He, squealing and running after the two mutts, was out like a light by 6:30. Having missed his nap due to the excitement of driving (!) and attempting to sing along with all of us in the car, he was completely pooped by dinnertime, and it was a struggle to keep him awake as long as we did. The car ride certainly was a treat. Dylan had control of the MP3 player, which was plugged into the car stereo and we rocked it out to a crazy mixture of tunes I had thrown together months before. “This is How a Heart Breaks,” by Rob Thomas, was one of Dylan’s faves, as well as “Hey Ya,” by Outkast. That child’s ability to retain lyrics is uncanny. He knows every word to every song on that Mp3 player and I’m sure there is no less than 170 songs in that little peanut of technology. The best is listening to his country twang when he belts those babies out to Tim McGraw and Garth Brooks.

Once Thomas had gone to bed, the guys *taught* Michelle and I a few things about poker. In fact, they wouldn’t stop talking and giving advice, that pretty soon, Michelle and I had outplayed their asses and they were finally silenced. They chalked up that first loss to beginner’s luck, and began giving unsolicted advice once again. Because Michelle and I were quite random in what we were betting on, this kept both boys on their toes as they continued to brag about their World Poker Tour they were going to go on and of course, get rich from. Game #2 ended with Michelle and Tom duking it out and she won again. Clearly, Michelle should start her OWN World Poker Tour. You know, if they have daycare.

Today, the drive home was similar to the drive there, until I turned around to see Thomas’ head leaned onto Dylan’s shoulder, his eyes shut and his cheeks red and mouth lax. I looked at Dylan, he looked at his little brother, then smiled back at me. I glanced behind my own seat, to see Ruffy’s head on Dylan’s right arm, her eyes also shut. Dylan looked at her then back at me, and I could tell he knew he was surrounded by love, and that he was proud to be the one his little brother and sister leaned on.

ebb and flow….

February 18, 2006 BlogPants

My thoughts have been everywhere lately. I’m feeling overwhelmed again, much like when PPD took hold. It scares me and I want to get out of this funk. February does this to me every year. This year is no different, as February began, I braced myself, much like at the top of the tallest part of a roller coaster, gripping the handrail and listening to my heart pound.

I’m restless. I’m feeling creative but it’s constipated and I can’t get it out. Almost like choking. I have drawings in my head but I feel stifled by stupid software and technical crap I can’t wrap my head around.

Despite being happy, and grateful and appreciative in so many areas, my body is screaming for a break from the routine. I long for spring. For walks. For warmer air. For renewed love. Daren and I have been nattering at each other lately like a couple of old hens. I long for the end of the winter and the nattering and the tension.

I want to get through the next 12 days without going insane. In 12 days, Sassy arrives, with another great friend Nicole, and we will have such childish fun. I can’t wait for that. In the meantime, I look around at the things left to do, to prepare for and I worry about stupid things like dustballs and dog hair. Isn’t it funny, I never look at those tiny nuisances at other people’s homes, but obsess over them before the arrival of friends. I want to scream at myself: “THEY ARE HERE TO SEE YOU - NOT THE HOUSE!” but I can’t shake this feeling of having to be good enough. I’ve known these girls for 3 years….I met both of them online and met them in person several times (well Sassy once and Nicole at least 4-5 times since she lives closest.)

We will have pantloads of fun and an hour after they arrive I will forget the stupid house and just be. We will laugh hard, acting like 12 year olds, then diving into deeper subjects as we often do. We’ve leaned on each other several times over the last three years. True friendship is bliss.

On another note, the four of us leave Ruffy behind tomorrow for an overnight visit with other very good friends. Maybe I’ll feel refreshed on Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone. I will be up and down for the next 12 days, so bear with me.

Poker? I hardly know her!

February 17, 2006 BlogPants

Well my hubby was very lucky this Valentine’s Day! I bought him a bottle of Pi (Givenchy) cologne, and a custom made poker table. The table arrived yesterday. (only 4 days of shipping from the States to Canada - holy shit!)

Oh. And WOW! This table is AWESOME!

Now he can play Texas Holdem with his buddies! Beer-drinking! Loud music! Fun fun fun!

(What was I thinking?)

Anyway - here’s the table…….and here is where I got it. The service was kick-ass too! Thanks Steve! Now that I have a table, I should tell you, you really ought to charge more for these babies!

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February 16, 2006 BlogPants

Okay, I’m not that SMRT.

BlogPants

I gave you the wrong link to vote. It’s here.

Sorry!

What?

BlogPants

So I’m sitting here, working in my jammies (man I love my job), and Dora the Explorer is on for Thomas as it is every morning at 8. I’m only mildly annoyed by her voice, since I can’t help but half-listen to her banter about the same things she does every episode.

Shoot the fox already Dora.

Yes you, Swiper.

So she’s hanging out with a creepy, drunk King this morning. Not this King.

A King with a really bad Spanish accent. That irritating fox is lurking about and the King says, “What do I say to stop Swiper from swiping?”

Ah c’mon buddy, don’t you watch the show, it’s “Swiper no swiping!” Even *I* know that.

“Is it Swippy no swoppy?”

Bwwwhahahahaha….drunk King is SILLY.

Later in the show, no word of a lie, someone else says to the King, “and you even remembered your Corona!”

What? His what? They’re pushing beer on children’s t.v. shows now? Well at least I was right about the King being drunk.

I’m SMRT.

S.

M.

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T.