Only a Mother

Originally uploaded by jamiereeves.

…or a dog lover could love this face. Sam, touted the world’s ugliest dog, passed away earlier this week. Blemishes and all, we love our “kids” (fur or otherwise) don’t we?

For the little girl who has everything, how about a $35,600 play house for the back yard? PoshTots has some of the cutest and most expensive kids’ stuff I’ve seen. Their Tumble Outpost costs almost as much as our first condo!

Caitlin has been designing her ideal backyard playground in her imagination for a few weeks. I think this interest was piqued by our neighbor constructing a tree house for his 5-year-old. So now when we drive through our neighborhood or to the grocery she scopes out back yards for swing sets and other pre-school “keeping up with the Joneses” type equipment. Caitlin wants a “string” slide (not sure what this is…anyone want to interpret that for me?) and a rainbow. That’s the beauty of being 3. Nothing is too outlandish or outside the realm of your imagination. While you’re at it, Caitlin (aka dream backyard designer) throw in a hot tub for mama and daddy.

We Gather Together

Originally uploaded by jamiereeves.

We are headed to my mom’s for lunch and then to the hubby’s parents for more turkey and sweet potatoes for dinner. We can diet next week!

Pulling Up

Originally uploaded by jamiereeves.

Amelia pulled up last night for the first time! I was playing some songs by The Wiggles so perhaps she just needed a little musical inspiration. Caitlin pulled up on a Pepsi box on her 11 month birthday (and we missed it because we were on a date for our anniversary). Baby cousin Garrett, born the same week in March, is pulling up all over the place. Way to go Amelia!

Caitlin and Jack, March 2004

Originally uploaded by jamiereeves.

Today is the fourth anniversary of the day the hubby found Jack on the side of the road, just off Charlotte Pike and Sawyer Brown Road. He wasn’t sure Jack was even alive and we weren’t sure he would make it through the night. In fact, the vet told us that to not be surprised if Jack was gone in the morning. It was the last night at our condo and we were moving the next day so it wasn’t the best time to take in a new dog but he was meant to become part of our family. We love you gentle Jack. Thank you for being such a good boy.

Caitlin, did you have fun at the mall yesterday?
Uh, huh.

What were your favorite things?
Uh…we saw Santa Claus. We saw Christmas trees. But you didn’t ride on the alligator mommy.

Translation…you didn’t ride on the “escalator.” (This took me a few seconds to interpret.)

Oh…and Ricky the Santa monkey has returned to the Bellevue mall this holiday season (that’s Bellevue Center to be precise). He’s at a music shop and it will set you back $10 to have your photo taken with him. Proceeds benefit some monkey rescue organization. Seriously.

Ricky the Santa Monkey

Originally uploaded by jamiereeves.

Santa Claus and his elves arrived at Bellevue Center mall today but the question everyone is asking is “Will Ricky the Santa monkey be there?” or did PETA shut down Ricky’s tour at the mall?

The hubby, sporting his annual winter bearded man look, took Caitlin to the mall last December and returned with this picture and one happy 2-year-old. I laughed so hard I started crying and it takes a lot to make me laugh like that!

I’ve been gone most of the day and the house looks a wee bit chaotic. I was just surveying our breakfast bar contents…a mountain of cassette tapes that I had to listen to for a work project, GermX hand sanitation gel, a Nerds rope (leftover Halloween candy my significant other got into after dinner…I managed to throw out all the Tootsie Rolls before I ripped out a filling), a Kraft magazine snowman cake recipe I clipped and showed to Caitlin and that I must make with her during the holidays because the main ingredient is Oreo cookies, a cell phone, our digital camera, econo size can of formula, checkbook, check to photographer for the girls’ portraits that I promised I would mail this week, a pint of Mayfield Turtle Tracks ice cream I set out to thaw, baby cereal, etc. You get the picture. The anal retentive part of me is itching to straighten up, but the sensible part of me says, “Hey, it’s past 10 o’clock and it can wait until morning.” Besides, no sane parent would risk waking their sleeping babes just to scratch a housekeeping itch. Whew. Wanna help me clean the house tomorrow?