5 more to go

I need to sell 5 more calendars for the contest to be valid! If you have read my comments, Michelle M's purchase doesn't count because it was the day before the contest! I'm trying to drum up MORE sales here, folks! Hurry and buy a calendar or get your friends to so I can proceed with the contest! Chasity? Jen F? EWU long time lurkers? Mary? Go now and leave a comment that you want one! : ) XXXOOO

First Ever "AshMash Giveaway"

If I can sell at least 10 Faces of Hope Calendars through this blog by Friday evening at 8:00 pm (pacific time), then I am going to give away an Ashley Potter Photography package. I will give away a free photo session, an 8 x 10, 5 x 7, and 8 wallets. This is worth approximately $100- $125.00. The recipient must be local, and by local I mean Washington state. I do a lot of traveling throughout the state throughout the year so I'm sure I could work it out to be in your area at some point over the next year! If you want a calendar, please leave your contact information and the number of calendars you want in my comment section, and I will personally deliver them to all you local Spokies! The calendars are only $10.00, and chances are whoever you are, you will have an excellent shot at winning! If you are not local and you just want to contribute to this wonderful cause and be a part of my first ever giveaway, then you can buy a calendar here or here.

Whoever leaves a comment will be put in the random drawing for the photo package - you don't necessarily have to buy a calendar to be put into the drawing, although it would add a nice touch!: )

Thanks to everyone who has already purchased a calendar!

Faces of Hope Calendar

The 2009 Faces of Hope calendar is now available for purchase, and I am going to try and solicit some sales here on my blog! This calendar was a labor of love for me, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have been such a big part of the project. For those of you who aren't familiar with what I am referring to, let me get you up to speed.

Most of you know that I am a pediatric speech therapist that works primarily with children with autism. Most of you also know that I dabble in photography and recently opened my own photography business. Well, this last spring, I decided to join two of my passions and volunteer to put together a fundraiser photography calendar of photos of children with autism from our community. The end result is the 2009 Faces of Hope calendar.

The fundraising portion of the calendar is for a local non-profit organization called the ISAAC foundation who provides therapy grants for local families of children with autism. So many of our families spend thousands and thousands of dollars each year on therapy so this is a way that they can get some relief from a portion of the financial strain. The Isaac foundation was started after Isaac Lytle, a three year old with autism, passed away in his sleep due to an undetected heart disorder. The family took the memorial funds and started this organization, and they already have given out over $25,000 this last year.

If we sell all of the calendars then we will have close to $10,000 more dollars to put back into the therapy grant funds. So, this is where you come into play! For just 10.00, you can be the proud owner of a calendar full of photographs of children with autism and also be the a very proud supporter of an incredible charity that is doing amazing things for families with autism.

Who do you know that would enjoy this calendar? a teacher? a special ed teacher? a therapist? someone who loves children? a family member with a child with autism? a friend with a child with autism?

You can purchase the calendar here, or you can leave me a comment with your contact information, or you can email me at: ashley@milestonespllc.com

Thank you so much for supporting this cause!

Guess Who's 18 Months Old?

(that's kinda the way I feel about it, too!)

Tonight's Ten; or in other words "randomocity"

1. I got out the Christmas decor this morning, and slowly put things up here and there around the house. Although, it's feeling a little forced this year. I think partly because we still don't have snow on the ground, and it just doesn't feel very wintery or Christmasy. It's just a little over three weeks away though. YIKES!

2. I am not looking forward to all the stuff H & D will acquire over Christmas, especially on the heels of two family birthday parties and a huge (27 total) friend birthday party for Holland. I seriously don't want her to have that much stuff, and I think this year she was totally overwhelmed. I have found a couple of partially opened packages that have just been abandoned in random places. This says something. I am really struggling with how to handle it. We have bagged up bags and bags of stuff to donate, and other bags and bags of stuff to toss. It just keeps coming though, and the worst part of it all is that I feel like she doesn't have a sense of appreciation for things. Everything is RIGHT NOW and JUST BECAUSE so when she does get a "special" gift she doesn't quite know that it's special. I've got to come up with a plan, but I'm not sure what it's going to be. I am totally open to suggestions!

3. I have five photo shoots scheduled this weekend! Yippee. I kinda feel like my friend, Mary, except that she schedules 5 in a day!

4. My "Faces of Hope" calendar is finished and ready for order and delivery! We have 1000 to sell so if you are interested in buying one or giving one as a gift, please let me know! I will personally deliver it to you, or put it in the mail! I am pretty proud of the whole thing, but I must admit it was the drive and passion of my friend, Holly, the founder of the ISAAC foundation, that motivated me. I had offered to do something similar for another group in the area and there just wasn't any enthusiasm about it so I let it fizzle. I'm so glad that I did because for one, I am a much better photographer now than I was then, and for two, I really, really believe in what the ISAAC foundation is doing and I am so glad to be a part of it.

5. Dylan is going to be 18 months old tomorrow. My Oh My! Where does the time go?

6. I received an email yesterday from someone who found my bedrest blog after doing a google search. She wrote to me about her situation and told me how encouraging my blog had been. She thanked me for telling my story so candidly and leaving it out there for others to read. It was so refreshing to hear that people are still benefiting from that whole ordeal of mine! I have received quite a few emails and messages over the last year 1/2 from people who have stumbled upon Bedrest Boutique, and I continue to be shocked at their responses. It's nice to be reminded that we may be touching lives even without realizing it.

7. For the last four years, the bottom of my Christmas tree has just been a wreck! Holland has taken ornaments off and put them back on again since she was a toddler. Last year, she was a little more elaborate in her taking them on and off as she would work them into her "stories" that she continuously creates and narrates. I would find the ornaments in random places interspersed with princesses, stuffies, and playmobil figures. I was looking forward to this year being a little different, and hoping that I could talk Holland into leaving the tree be, but I forgot about Dylan. So I guess the cycle begins again.....

8. I'm so excited for Zag basketball! They are ranked number 5 this week after winning the Old Spice Tournament and beating Tennessee. I felt somewhat like a traitor when I cheered for them instead of the VOLS, but I'm realizing more and more each year that my southern roots are getting shorter and shorter.

9. Holland was playing "baby Jesus" tonight which meant she was Mary and she and Joseph were having a baby. She informed me that she had the baby all swaddled up, although she wasn't using a boy baby, she was using a girl baby instead. When I peeked inside the swaddling clothing (actually a swaddled furry, winter hat), she had a groovy girl playing the role. I didn't say a word!

10. Facebook is a crazy,wonderful, weird, and freaky world of long lost connections. I had a message this week from a boy that I went to a prom with twenty something years ago! I didn't know the boy, but he was from a local preppy all boys school and I thought it would be cool to say I had gone to the "McCallie Prom". I was a hostess in a restaurant and this boy and some buddies came in one night and were having dinner. They were kinda flirting and he wrote a check the box note on a cocktail napkin asking me to go the prom. I'm pretty sure I said no that night, but must have given him my phone number anyway. Needless to say, I ended up at the prom with him. We didn't dance a single dance. I think we walked around the grounds of the facility for a few hours and then left early. I am afraid I was a terrible date. (who am I kidding? I KNOW I was a terrible date). I have often felt bad about the whole deal. I was so totally shocked when he sent me a message this week. What a crazy cyber world we live in. So, I did reply to his message and I even embedded a sincere apology. I don't totally get the facebook etiquette thing though - so now what happens? It's too weird, really it is.

At Just Five Years Old, She Has......

been to 12 states
ridden on a camel, an elephant, and a pony

fed a pelican, lamas, goats, horses, and chickens
built sandcastles on numerous beaches

counted the rings on a tree

made a fairy garden

watched a meteor shower

watched butterflies emerge from their cocoons

ridden in a convertible

sailed on a catamaran along the Na Pali coast

seen belugas, orcas, humpbacks, and dolphins
flown on an airplane multiple times
flown in a helicopter over a canyon in Hawaii
been to Disneyland 3 times

seen the Grand Coulee Dam

been to the top of the Space Needle
become a big sister
scored her first goals in soccer
performed on stage at her ballet recital
learned how to play a few notes on the piano

played around with harmonicas, recorders, guitars, and drums
become a dog owner
flown a kite on the beach
ridden on a ferry boat
screamed on a roller coaster
spent the night in a monastery
dressed up as a bunny, a purple dinosaur, a puppy, Belle, & Padme Amadelia
sang a solo at a music class program

been to an impressionist exhibit
written a few poems
illustrated and authored numerous books
ridden the conch train in Key West, Florida
ridden in a limousine
composed a few songs

learned some Spanish

begun learning to swim
attended numerous live theatre productions
seen a Broadway production of The Lion King (in Spokane)

splashed in a waterfall

hiked on a mountain

camped out

gone sledding

caught several fish

ran a few children's 50 yard dashes

etc.

etc.

etc.

Birthdayisms

I have heard some pretty funny stuff these last couple of weeks leading up to Holland's birthday! I have been trying to write them down, but I know I missed a few. Here are some of my favorites though -

Holland was telling me about something she wanted for her birthday, and I said to her, "I think that would be a good present for Dylan to get for you".

She responded, "Are you kidding me, Mom? Dylan doesn't have any money she only has one lucky penny!"

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We sent out 15 birthday invitations to Holland's birthday party and we also invited all of her friends in her class, which is about 14 kids. I seriously only counted on 10-15 friends coming, but as I already reported, we had 27 kids at her party! Anyway, as we were talking about it one day, she said, "I wonder why all these friends are coming to my party. They must love me or something!"

***************************************

Then after the party, I think we were talking about all her friends again, and I think she must have been overwhelmed with all the attention, presents, and activity from the party. She said something like this, "Mommy, I'm gonna make a little bit or 2 or 3 of my friends stop loving me, but not my boyfriends."

Huh?!

****************************************

As we were preparing for the party, she told me, "Mommy, I want all my boyfriends to sing "happy birthday to you, you live in a zoo" because it's funny and they love to sing that one!". I want them to sing regular happy birthday first, though!

******************************************

On the drive home from her party, she informed us, "That was the most funnest birthday party I've ever been too!"

******************************************

Then just randomly, totally out of the blue, she said, "One day when I get bigger, can I go to Antarctica and see the icebergs and stuff?" she paused then exclaimed, "I know! How 'bout for my sixteenth birthday?!"

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Birthday Loot

Birthday Bash Guest List

Holland made this birthday party list a few weeks ago, and along with these guests, I allowed her to invite her school friends. She has 14 kids in her class so that was quite a few invites going out. I decided to go ahead and let her invite that many kids, because I thought we would only get about half of them to come. Well, today is the big bash, and we currently have 27 RSVP's! We were still getting them last night. We are having her party at the Spokane Elite Gymnastics facility because we attended a couple of parties there this year and it was a big hit! There are trampolines, trapeze bars, balance beams, high bars, and even a big zip line!

This party goes against everything I have ever said about birthday parties for my kids. I swore I would never have character plates and napkins. Guess who we're having? A combination of Ariel and Spiderman! They're the new Hollywood couple, didn't you know?! I also swore I wouldn't have a party with more kids than I can handle. Well, the 27 RSVP's kinda speak for themselves, however that doesn't even mention all the toddler siblings that will be toddling and crawling around. I think I have counted at least 6 or 7 of them (including her toddler sister)! I have even said I didn't want to do a party at the party facility type places, and well, you see where that got me.

I guess I have always wanted to be the creative domestic mom that has original parties at her house with homemade crafts, baked goods, and fun themed activities (a pirate/princess treasure hunt, a fairy garden tea party, etc.) You know, the types of parties that Martha Stewart must have thrown for her daughter!

I think my problem is that reality is setting in. The party facilities are fast and easy and it takes the pressure off of you. And the bigger the guest list, the more fun the kids have. (theoretically) The character plates and napkins are what all the kids want and expect. So, how could I deny all that, and plus I am suppose to be "embracing" this sort of thing. It is my word for the year after all! So as I sit here and ponder why I didn't ask the kids to bring art work or letters for Holland instead of gifts, I am going to be thankful that she has 27 friends who are coming (with gift in hand) to celebrate her and all her wonderfulness!

Tune in later for a more in depth report and probably a couple of pictures, too!

Ten.

1. I had a visit last week from my mom and one of my nieces from Kentucky. I hadn't seen my neice in almost five years, and she just turned 18, so you can imagine how much she has changed in that period of time. It was so great to see her, but it made me sad that we are so far away. I seriously want to do a better job of keeping in touch with her. I have totally dropped the ball on that one. I think I got scared when she and her siblings turned into teenagers, I just didn't know how to relate. I got to do a photo shoot with her one day that she was here so look for those pictures later this week!

2. We have finished our "faces of hope" fundraiser calendar for the Isaac Foundation. We are just waiting on the production of them to be wrapped up. we will be selling them for $10.00 a piece almost ALL of the proceeds will go into the therapy funds for giving out scholarships to local families. If we sell them all, then that will be $10,000! How cool is that? If you are interested in ordering one for yourself or for Christmas presents, just leave a comment here or get in touch with me and I will make sure you get a reserved copy! They might go fast, you know?!

3. Dylan is at such a fun, fun age right now. She is really starting to imitate everything we say,in addition to acquiring her own little repertoire of words! I absolutely adore this phase. I guess it's time to clean up our language again! ; )

4. Holland is turning five in a couple of weeks. I can't believe my baby girl is growing up so fast. I know, I know - that's so cliche. It's so true though!

5. I've been selling a lot of the gallery wrapped canvases to my photography clients. They are so, so cool. I don't ever want to part with them. I just want to hang them on my walls even though they aren't my kids or my family! Holland likes them too - I had a big 24 x 30 canvas on our wall of the Goins family and she was so bummed when I took it down. She said, "I love that picture, mommy. I think we should keep it on our wall!"

6. We bought Boden a heating pad to lay around on all day, and he hardly moves from the thing! It is under our steps in this little closed in area that claimed for his abode. He is getting bigger and bigger these days, and he is learning to follow these commands: "sit", "lie down", "stay", and "get on your bed".

7. I am secretly dreading the birthday present component to Holland's birthday party. It seems like all I do is weed through her stuff. I am constantly getting rid of things, and now we are going to get a whole influx of toys, stuffies, and who knows what else. I did tell her that we were going to have to get rid of some stuff to make room for the new stuff, and she promptly went into her room and started collecting a pile of rejects. She ended up with two paper grocery bags full of stuff. Not bad, huh? We just need to do it a few more hundred times!

8. I am enjoying our extended fall her in the Inland Northwest. We are still coasting right along into the middle of November without any snow and not even in the 7 day forecast! That is wonderful! We had such a long drawn out winter (getting snow in April and May) that I still haven't recovered! I do plan to do some winter sports this year though. I have said for the last 3-4 winters that I want to learn to cross country skii, and I just found out that my moms in motion team is going to have a couple of lessons in January. Can't wait for that!

9. I still haven't gotten over my heal injury so I haven't been for a run since August, and I am seriously missing it. I keep saying I'm gonna just take off on a run and see how it goes, but I'm having a hard time finding the time. Maybe this weekend.....

10. We have some new neighbors that live two houses down and Holland has gotten to be really good friends with their five-year-old son, Aiden. (He's the one that's influencing the star wars and legos phase that she is going through right now). His parents came over the day to drop Aiden off for a playdate and we invited them in. And three bottles of wine, lots of parenting stories, and a pizza and breadstix order later - we have a new set of neighbors that we now call "friends". Such fun!

That's all for now!

A Birthday Cake for the Birthday Girl

Holland did this drawing on Jonathan's tablet laptop tonight. She did another one right before this and accidentally deleted it -- and Jonathan was a lot more upset about it than she was. To her it was no big deal to just dash off another one. While he was putting Dylan to sleep, she slid a note under the door that said: 'DAD WIL YU PLES SAV" -- i.e. Dad, will you please save [the picture of the cake I just drew].

You're Not a Bachelor Anymore

Dear Sweet Husband,

Thank you so much for taking the initiative to do a couple loads of laundry. However, I prefer that my panties and and other girly garments are not washed with the towels.

Lovingly,

Your Sweet Wife

P.S You're not a bachelor anymore!

Dylan's Baby

Dylan has found a constant companion - her sister's baby doll, Annabelle. The only problem is that Annabelle isn't much smaller than Dylan so she is pretty heavy to lug around! She has a pacifier and bottle that she will latch onto and make sucking noises, and she will also coo, cry, and giggle. I think this means her head is full of hardware which makes her much heavier than the average baby doll.

Dylan often wrestles with her and gets easily frustrated, but she just keeps at it! She wants to love her, feed her, groom her, and cuddle with her. She wants her at the dinner table, in the car, and often times will take her into her crib with her.

It is all very, very sweet.

(Until the pacifier pops out and Dylan can't get it back in, or until Dylan drops baby Annabelle on her toe and screams for 10 minutes, or until (last but not least)Holland suddenly decides after two years that she is interested in babies again!)

Oh yeah - for those of you following the penny story - it has been retrieved!

Birthday Poem for Grandma

I love you, Grandma
with my heart
To find a little
angel tart.

footnote: angel tarts are "little pop tarts that angels eat"

So Long, Wonder Women

We had quite an interesting mix of costumes at our house this year for Halloween. Holland chose Wonder Woman a few weeks ago, and was incredibly excited about it. When she first got the costume, she didn't want to take it off. She played in it for hours and hours. Every time someone came to our house, she would race into her bedroom to put it on and show it off.

Meanwhile, as her love for Wonder Woman was growing strong so was her love for Star Wars. (We have slowly been making our way through the series). She informed me that next year for Halloween she wanted to be r2 d2 , the year after that she wanted to be Yoda, and the year after that she wanted to be Darth Vader (even though the boys at school told her could ONLY be Princess Leah).

I was out shopping yesterday and I ran across the Padme' Amidala costume (that is the queen - princess leah's mom, for those of you who are not familiar with star wars) for 50% off so I decided to buy it for her so she could have it to play in. There is new neighbor boy named Aiden, who loves star wars,that she would love to impress! I had barely gotten it out of the bag yesterday when she snatched it out of my hands, tore the tags off of it, and begged and pleaded to wear it instead of Wonder Woman. Needless, to say we had a last minute switcharoo.

So long, Wonder Woman, you're lasso has been replaced with a lightsaber. And just like that - Wonder Woman was no more..

As far as other costumes are concerned, there was Jonathan who always pulls out his scary ape mask every year. It makes most kids cry! It is just so ugly, and it kinda freaks me out. I think it is his facial hair that makes it look so freaky, but then again there is also the jumping around ape dance that he does! I'm not sure which one is freakier.

Lastly, there was a cute, little sock monkey who refused to keep her hat on - which was basically the whole costume! I couldn't resist this costume though because it was just so different than anything I had seen before. Dylan made a very cute sock monkey and here is the proof:

Highlight of the Day

Dylan swallowed a penny.

Ten.

1. Italians sure know how to live. They drink lots of wine, walk lots of places, and take lots of siestas. Oh! How we should follow their lead, don't-ya-think?
2. We stayed here one night. Central Tuscany. Amazing.
3. We went to a traditional Catholic Italian wedding and celebration. It was fabulous. After the ceremony, there was a huge celebration (just like our wedding receptions, only bigger and better!) There was a long table with mounds and mounds of meats, cheeses, crackers, breads, and various forms of Italian antipasti. We were totally full before we were forced to partake in a traditional 7 course sit down Italian wedding dinner! That was followed by an evening of lots and lots of dancing and lots and lots of grappa.
4. We learned about an Italian tradition of the friends and family members making "rhymes" for the bride and groom. This was in place of our traditional toasts. Very fun.
5. The music played by the DJ was almost ALL american classics! We heard: "I Will Survive", "Space Cowboy", "Dancing Queen", "Summer Loving" (from Grease), "Surfin' USA", etc. It was a kick, and so many of the Italians who didn't even speak English could sing a long every stinkin' word!
6. One of my favorite part of the trips is that we re-met someone that provided us with a special memory on our wedding day, 10 years ago. I have told the story a million times about a woman who was at our ceremony who had brought a little baggie of rice and threw it at us as we were walking out of the church. This was so refreshing to us because it is such an American tradition, and there we were thousands of miles away without any family, much less American traditions to speak of. Anyway, we were in the middle of telling this story when Jonathan looked at the woman across from us and said, "wait a minute, were you at our wedding?". And sure enough - it was her. Wow! I had always longed to meet her again and tell her just how special her small gesture had meant to us. Needless to say, after all the wine and grappa consumption, I think I probably told her time and time again over the course of the evening!
7. We went to this wonderful, amazing, incredible medieval Italian village nestled deep in the rolling hills of Tuscany. What a treasure it was.
8. We met this photographer in a little shop and bought a couple of photographs. (I didn't have any luck getting into his actual website, I'm not sure what's up with that).
9. We also bought a piece of art from this artist. The piece we bought isn't on this site, but it is a long vertical painting of a Tuscan hillside with a winding path and villa. It is sooooo cool.
10. Lastly, for those of you who know about the Dylan saga - I just want to report that she is all better now. Feisty as ever. She had a rough time while we were away with a terrible stomach virus and a double ear infection. She was inconsolable for hours and hours at a time and would not eat or sleep. I ended up trying to come home a day early, but it took me 40 long, long hours to get home. Quite a journey, I should say. When I got home, I got the cold shoulder for at least an hour! She would not look at me and would avert her gaze and bury her head away from me every time I tried to talk to her. It took me hours and hours to get any sort of smile or giggle. She's a feisty one, that girl! All is well now, though (except that Holland now has the terrible stomach virus).

Arrivederci!

Our Own Private Italy

Jonathan and I had quite an experience with our photographer and our private photo shoot. We had decided to go to the Superga which is where we took all of our wedding photographs without film in the camera, but then we changed our minds and just had some shots taken in a couple of nearby Italian villages. The challenge was that our photographers (a husband/wife team) didn't speak one word of English, and of course, Jonathan and I didn't speak one word of Italian. I threw out a few Spanglish/Italiano phrases and hoped they could decipher the message, but we pretty much were resigned ourselves to using gestures, hand signals, and illustrations! Nonetheless, we had a fun afternoon being in front of the camera which never happens, and we ended up with a few shots that we will always treasure!

At one point during the photo shoot, we were able to decipher that our photographer wanted to take us to one more place. He said some Italian jibberish that ended with emphasis on "castelo". "CASTELO".

OH!, I thought. He wants to take us to one more town. One more village. One more castelo - that must be the name for these little provinces. Castelo, of course!

And then we drove up this long dirt drive way lined in tall cypress trees, an olive orchard, and a private vineyard. And there in the distance was a "CASTLE".

DUH.

Something happens to your brain when your thrown into a situation like this one - you just loose all intelligence and common sense. How could I not have derived the word "castle" from "castelo" ??

Too much wine in the afternoon, perhaps.

La Dolce Vita

Here is the first round of Italy pictures. We had a wonderful trip, and are already looking forward to our return, although it may be a while. I don't have the energy to write in detail about the trip, so for now here are some pictures for your enjoyment!

Ciao!

I am off very soon to catch a flight to meet my husband in Italy for a little week long get away!

Don't expect a post while I'm there......

xoxoxo

Ciao!

Notes for Grandma and Grandpa (i.e: Distractions for Dylan)

As our trip to Italy is fast approaching (in exactly 56 hours from now), I am starting to get more and more worried about being away from the girls for so long. Jonathan and I have only spent two nights together away from Holland (and she's about to turn 5). The two nights away from her was this summer when she went to Fishtrap Lake with Grandma and Grandpa - a whoppin' 25 minutes away! I have spent 4 nights away from her when I have been away at a conference, and I think Jonathan has spent about the same amount away, too, but never both of us away at the same time. I have only spent one night away from Dylan.

So, as you can imagine I am starting to worry. I know everything will be fine, but I want to make sure Grandma and Grandpa are well prepared. Dylan is mainly who I am concerned about. Holland can go into movie marathon mode with some microwave popcorn or papa john breadstix and be just fine. Dylan, on the other hand, may need a few tricks, you know, some song and dance. Some hype. Some hoopla.

So I made a list of sure fire distractions for Dylan in case she is totally upset and inconsolable. These are things that we have discovered will redirect her. They will distract her. Console her. Comfort her. Possibly even trick her into believing she's having a fun time and isn't actually missing her mommy and daddy.

Here goes.....

1. Running water - turn it on and let her splash and splash and splash!
2. Anything with a lid - she will repeatedly take it off and put back on again, and she is so proud of herself for this one.
3. Bodie.
4. Microwave popcorn.
5. Holland's jewelry box.
6. Pushing buttons on the dashboard in the front seat of the car.
7. Basket of diapers - she will take them out and chuck them one by one across the room.
8. Baby Annabelle.
9. Sing Old MacDonald.
10. Let her open up the drawer of bath tub toys.
11. A "Dream ride" in the car.
12. Holland's burps.
13. Read her a book or two. Or three.
14. Kitchen drawers.
15. Grandpa's wallet.
16. Cell phones.
17. Go for a walk outside.
18. Purple puppy.
19. Playing piano.
20. Coins and Holland's bank.

These things pretty much should do the trick. Either by themselves or in conjunction with others. If those things don't work then you may just be in trouble. You may need to call her mommy and daddy in Italy and have them board the next plane! Hopefully, it won't come to that!

Good Luck, you guys. (I really do think she's gonna be fine!)

Dieci. (Ten.)

1. I am leaving for Italy on a long flight all by myself in less than 10 days. and I am in shock! Jonathan and I are traveling separate because he was giving frequent flyer miles to use, and he also needs to be there for "best man duties". We also thought it would be best for me to be gone a few days less because of the girls-left-at-home factor, and lastly, it's really not a bad idea for parents to fly separately when going away without kids. That's not something I really like to think about, but God forbid if something were to happen - I would hate for my girls to be without both of us. Not a happy thought, I know, but it is something I have occasionally (and quickly) pondered.

2. Still on the Italy subject - I have tons of stuff to do before the trip. I need to load up my video Ipod with some tv shows and movies, buy a charger that will work on the airplane, buy some jewelry for my "little black dress" for the wedding, buy a wedding present, wash and pack my cutest, hippest clothes, make notes for grandma and grandpa, edit some photo shoots, shoot a couple more photo shoots, go to costco for some groceries, thoroughly clean our house, write a couple of reports for work, and that's just my list for today!

3. Since Italy is fresh on my mind, I might make this a whole post about Italy. We'll see how far I get!

4. I can't remember if I mentioned in an earlier post or not that Jonathan and I have lined up a photo shoot for ourselves in Italy! How wonderfully cool and amazing is that? When we were married there ten years ago, we were in Italy without a photographer and without family members. His friend, Ron, who arranged our wedding and who is now getting married himself, took us up to this gorgeous, old stone basilica and took some b&w (film) photos of us in our wedding attire on our wedding day. Jonathan was swirling and twirling me around, picking me up, and whispering sweet nothings into my ear all while being captured on what I thought was film in our camera. Yep, that's right - what I thought was film! Two days later, I discovered the camera was empty. No film. No negatives. No images. Nada. Needless to say, I was LIVID. And, I haven't ever gotten over it. So I have insisted on 10th anniversary pictures in the same old, stone basilica sans wedding attire, but hopefully the same swirling and twirling! A few sweet nothings wouldn't be too bad either!

5. The first few days of our trip will be in northern Italy, near Taurino or Turin. This is close to where we were married. Then the rest of our trip will be in Florence and Tuscany. We absolutely adored Florence when we were there before so we decided to go back. We are renting a car this time so we can go rolling through the hills of Tuscany. Windows down. Hair blowing. Breathing in the fresh air. Taking in all the sights and sounds.

6. Since Jonathan's parents are staying at our house for a week, it has pushed us to do some long, long overdue projects. Our bedroom has been in terrible need of de-cluttering and re-organizing so we have been chipping away at that. We have also needed a new toilet in our upstairs bathroom which is in our bedroom, and Jonathan replaced it this last weekend. The pantry has been reorganized and the refrigerator cleaned out. We have even been working in the basement to get our play area back together as well as getting the rest of the basement in order. We had some seepage problems earlier this year and we haven't ever fully recovered from that chaos. And before that there was already chaos and before that chaos there was even more chaos, so you can imagine the state of our basement! Anyway, the point of all that is I think we should have his parents stay here more often!

7. We got out our Italian language book "Italian in 10 minutes a day" and have been thumbing through it. I think all I really need to know is: vino rossa, proscuitto i melone, grazie, and ciao!

8. When we were there on our honeymoon, we averaged two bottles of wine a day! Every time we had lunch, we had a bottle or a carafe of white wine and then when we had dinner we had a bottle or carafe of red wine. This is what all the locals were doing. When in Rome....... right?

9. I hope we don't spend as much money on our phone calls home as we would have spent on airline tickets for the girls!!

10. *sigh* La Dolce Vita

Ciao!

A Birthday Message from Holland

Holland and I went to one of her girlfriend's birthday parties today. As we were wrapping her present and signing her card, I asked Holland what she wanted her message to say.

She responded with this:

Dear Sophie,

Have a polka-dotted birthday, and slide down a twisty slide if you ever feel unhappy.

I *heart* you,

Holland

Wow! What a fun message! I want a polka-dotted birthday when my birthday rolls around, and I seriously hope to remember to slide down a twisty slide the next time I am feeling unhappy! I have no idea where she came up with this, but I'm so glad she did!

Evolution of a Photo Shoot

Here, Mommy! Take a picture of me backwards!



Okay, I'll turn around, but I'm NOT going to look at you! Hmmpff!



Oh! Alright! How about some silly faces!



Here's a quick, 1/2 of a smile - you better hurry!




Wow! This *is* fun, mommy!

Guess Who's Trying on Princess Shoes.....