Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

We love your work! The Foot Book is our favorite though (Daddy loves The Sneetches and Mommy loves The Lorax, but my favorite is EVERYBODY'S favorite). We're just building our collection, but it will definitely be getting bigger in the future!

Can We Skip Leap Day?

I read on a friend's Facebook status that leap day means nothing you do today counts. While I don't particularly subscribe to that philosophy completely, I do like the sound of it. Not that today was a total waste, but it could have been a lot better.

I'm feeling a little homesick. Not just for Oregon, but for my sisters (really hardcore missing them), and for my babies who are not here with us. Yes, I think that's what was up with me today. Not an excuse, just some reasoning.

Also, I'm feeling like I'm in a bit of a rut. Same old stuff to do, and same old excuses to make to not do some of the stuff. Not that everyday is without joy, because I really love my life, just today I was feeling the loneliness and monotony of Mommy-hood for some reason. Weird.

Now I'm being all melodramatic, so this post needs to be over. As does this leap day. Let's start fresh and anew tomorrow. I'm sure it will be loads better!

To end this post on a happy note, here are some pictures of the Bambino with some ca-razy bedhead after a nap a couple days ago:

Here's to a better leap day in four years!

Music Monday

A Thousand Years, Christina Perri

This is exactly how I have felt, at times, about adoption, about Alexa, about all my future babies. And I kinda hate that it's Bella and Edward's theme song...not because I necessarily hate Twilight, it's just not how I feel about Nick, so I think the song is misinterpreting itself. Yeah, I know it's silly, but it's the truth. Beautiful song. Enjoy!

Book Review: Gourmet Rhapsody

 Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery

I just finished reading this last night and I still can't decide if I love it or hate it. The basic plot is there is a famous food critic who is dying and he is desperately scavenging through his memories to recall this one taste that he must have before he dies. Every other chapter switches between his reminiscences of specific flavors and experiences and someone in his life, ranging from his wife to kids to nephew to his cat to the bum on the street.

The writing: super interesting. The plot: meh. The characters: meh AND super interesting (some were just better than others). The length: perfect. One hundred and fifty-six pages of slightly better than mediocre story-line. I enjoyed the read, probably won't read it again, but MUST read Muriel Barbery's other novel, The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I have no idea what it's about, but because this book was so interesting to read I feel like anything she writes, even if the storyline and characters are just meh, I'll still enjoy it. And maybe I just didn't care for this particular setting, who knows?

Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about in regards to her writing style:
"In her dirty hand, deformed by work in the fields, there it sat: crimson in its taut silken finery, undulating with the occasional more tender hollow, with a communicable cheerfulness about it like a plumpish woman in her party dress hoping to compensate for the inconvenience of her extra pounds by means of a disarming chubbiness evoking an irresistible desire to bite into her flesh."

I have read a lot of descriptions, but I have never read a tomato described that way before! Seriously cool, right? And yes, I did have the Kindle with the dictionary open as I read it. An excellent vocab review! Overall I'll give it...

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

My next book I think will be either finishing Cry, the Beloved Country (actually re-starting it as I didn't give it the proper amount of attention last time I tried to read it), The Elegance of the Hedgehog which is available now at my local library, or Stuffed which is another food book only this one is an auto-biography about a restaurant family. Yeah, I'll leave you on your toes!

Aly TV: Let's Do The Chicken Dance With Elmo

Last week was Aly's first birthday and she got a lot of gifts from friends and family including books, a toy piggy bank (for our piglet), a top, a play school-bus, a purse, and a "Chicken-Dance Elmo".  I have to admit that Rachel and I were pretty baffled by that last one when it came in the mail, but it turns out that we just didn't appreciate how fun it is to do the chicken dance with Elmo.


And lucky for us, it doesn't have an off switch, because why would you ever not want to do the chicken dance with Elmo?

Thanks to everyone for the gifts and especially to Grandma and Grandpa Sullivan for Elmo.

Music Monday

I Love You 5, Never Shout Never

Happy Birthday last Saturday, Bambino! I love you 5!

A Letter to My 1 Year Old

Dear Alexa,

Daddy and I love you very much and can't believe how much you have grown! It's hard to remember our life before you, and impossible to imagine our family without you. We love Ray and Melissa very much and are so grateful for the decision they made a year ago to let us be a part of your life. There are no words to express how much they love you, so they placed you in our family instead. What wonderful people they are and they wish you the happiest of birthdays also!

The pic on the left was taken exactly one year ago, and the pic on the right was taken today.
Just as a side note, Nick is totally wearing the same shirt in both pictures! What a steady guy I married!

I want you to know that we have had such a fun year together! You absolutely love to sneak up on Daddy or I, but don't particularly enjoy being sneaked up upon. You are insanely ticklish and when the time of day is just right and Daddy or I get just the right tickle spot you get these really crazy eyes and smile and laugh, which is one of my favorite games to play with you. When I need to do dishes or work in the kitchen or to do my makeup or hair you are always right at my feet ready to help! When I actually need to get some things done then sometimes I have you watch this sign-language video which you do happily. You always laugh or talk or giggle when the sign for "baby" comes on because you love watching the babies. You don't like to miss a beat, so you've never been really great at sleeping in public. You are a super fast crawler, and you can stand for just a few seconds, and really don't have much of an interest in walking since crawling is working just fine for you so far. I imagine that, just like you did with crawling, you'll figure out a good reason to start walking and pick it up in no time flat! You want to be a big kid so much, so you just love playing with kids at church that are a good 2-3 years older than you, even if you get hurt on occasion. Your favorite foods are crackers, cookies, and rice--our little grains girl! You love to turn pages while Daddy and I read to you, so you love The Foot Book and Hop on Pop because there are not many words on each page. You also have a fetish for the That's Not My...(Puppy, Monkey, Dragon, etc.) books and you know where to touch on each page. We had a monkey-themed birthday party for you and you really enjoyed your banana cake and playing with everyone who came to celebrate the wonderful you!

Here is a link to the banana cake recipe I used and here is a link to the cake design I used (chocolate covered raisins for the nose and tootsie rolls for the hair were the only changes I made).

Watching you grow this past year and being able to be a part of it has truly been the greatest joy of my life, and doing it all with Daddy only makes every moment sweeter. I can hardly believe you're one, and it scares and excites me as to how quickly it has all gone by. I know you will continue to amaze Daddy and me in all the wonderful things you do throughout your life, and I look forward to everyday I get to spend with you from now until forever. You are my favorite little girl, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to express to you how much myself, Daddy, and your Heavenly Father love you.


Happy Birthday, Alexa!

Love Always and Forever,
Mommy (or "Mom-mom" as you prefer to call me)

Top pic was taken exactly a year ago and the bottom one was taken today.