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Charlie's Collection

  • Discovery by almanacindustries
  • Shanna Murray Illustrated Decals — be brave ribbon
  • Fox Boy by trafalgarssquare
  • school bus by AlexWijnen
  • art that tells YOUR story! by Laura Zeck
  • Golden Retriever Illustration by lmnoprint
  • discover by rkdsign88
  • modern baby clock elephant by decoylab
  • small sailor postcard by tuttistudio
  • muddy morning by belleandboo

Clara's Collection

  • Shanna Murray Illustrated Decals — so beautiful ribbon
  • Baby elephant by amberalexander
  • Read With Me by sarahjanestudios
  • Cute Little Bird Woodburned Wall Art Panel by Cabin
  • Up The Stairs We Go by belleandboo
  • Woodland by trafalgarssquare
  • Girl in the Yellow Suit by kikiandpolly
  • Fox Girl by trafalgarssquare
  • My Little Bird by trafalgarssquare
  • Little Scholar by trafalgarssquare

...six!

...Six feels different. Five still felt almost like a toddler. Six seems like a little man. This momma gig, it never gets less emotional, does it? 

Thanks for sticking with me. Life is crazy. Busy. Tough at times. It felt like a small miracle that I got his birthday balloons in his bedroom last night at the stroke of 12:05 a.m. and kissed him on his forehead at the moment he was born. I love you, best boy in the whole wide world.

Posted on 29 April 2015 in Family, Those Crazy Kids | Permalink | Comments (3)

...today

...you are woken up by a text at 5:45 a.m. asking if school's delayed. Sometimes it's nice to be the school's messenger. Sometimes it's not. You immediately start. "Please let it be clear," runs through your mind.

You drive four children to school in precarious weather. "Let it be clear," you think.

You catch your breath in the copy room. You haven't thought about it for at least an hour, caught up in your daily grind. "Let it be clear," you think.

You worry when school is dismissed early because the last two times, you've been at school when you got the news. "Let it be clear," you think.

You drive home, saying, "Let it be clear," under your breath every few minutes. Superstitious that if you don't say it enough, it won't be clear. You know the reality. You know you could say, "Let it be clear," 8,000 times and that it's not in your hands. You know you could pray to God, Allah, Buddha, but it's not in their hands either. It's on a sheet of paper in a file folder in a doctor's office.

You snuggle with a sleepy girl on the couch for an hour with your phone sitting an inch away. You grow hotter with each minute that goes by the 1:40 p.m. appointment time. "Let it be clear," you say again.

...and then it's clear.

Text

...and then you go celebrate. And build a teeny tiny snowman.

Us

Clara

Charlie

Posted on 06 January 2015 in Family | Permalink | Comments (13)

...kiawah

...a few months ago, my dad and I decided to surprise my mom with a trip for Thanksgiving. I knew it couldn't be a complete surprise, especially when she started asking me in August where we were going to get our turkey from (we don't cook Thanksgiving, we buy it). 

I did some research and we settled on Kiawah Island, South Carolina. We rented a three-bedroom villa on the beach, hoping the weather would be nice enough for a few beach days and maybe a dip in the heated pool.

I don't have much to say about the first day other than it involved: lost power at the Baltimore airport; sitting on the tarmac for an hour before they figured out they could use humans to push the plane back; a mad dash through the Charlotte airport with two small children ("You can run faster, Charlie!); a scene at the gate that looked like something from the show Airport when they told me we had missed our connector; no luggage when we finally arrived in Charleston; and for the grand finale, Clara and I both stepped in dog poop on our way to dinner. And did I mention we didn't have our luggage or extra shoes?

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 Every time the plane landed, she only had one word, which she repeated, over and over. "Wow. Wow. Wowowowowowow."

Ken wasn't sure what his work schedule was going to be like so he ended up getting a non-stop flight and arrived what felt like eight days ahead of us and with a bag of clothing. We punished him by making him share his clothes with all of us for the first 24 hours and having him act as our driver for the next four days while we sat in the back and took selfies.

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My visions of beach days and dips in the heated pool were quickly dashed with rainy, 50 degree weather. Let it be known, when you are nominating me for Mother of the Year, that I did, in fact, place myself in a heated pool (with 45 degree air above it) for the sake of my children. We all lasted five minutes and miraculously walked away without pneumonia.

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We drove into Charleston one day and took a carriage ride tour of the city (great way to see a lot of stuff in just a small amount of time).

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Charlie is clearly going to do great in American History some day.

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There was a lot of relaxing. A lot of napping. 

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I loved the beaches there. So different from our Delaware beach with its quick drop-off into the ocean. It seemed like in Kiawah you could wade in...forever. I'd love to go back when it's warmer.

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Posted on 08 December 2014 in Family | Permalink | Comments (3)

...six years of family photos

Sixyears

Everyone says it moves so fast, but when you are living the day-to-day of two young children, it's hard to realize that. So glad we take a moment each year to capture where we are as a family.

Kurz_family_2014_31

Posted on 09 November 2014 in Family | Permalink | Comments (5)

...crozen, on ice

...Friday night at about 11 p.m., I decided to surprise Clara with tickets to the 11 a.m. Saturday show of Crozen on Ice. If you aren't Clara, you probably call it Frozen on Ice.

We got there at 10:00 a.m. and found out our tickets were for the, uh, 2:30 p.m. show.

It actually worked in our favor because once Clara saw all the other girls at the arena in their Elsa dresses...

Photo_1

Well, she had to have one.

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So we went to Target, the mall, lunch. And then back for the 2:30 p.m. show.

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...and our $25 commemorative photo.

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Beautiful girl.

  Photo_2(1)

She couldn't wait.

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She was amazed.

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And then there was me. The former competitive figure skater. Thinking the whole time, "I could've done this." (Especially when Prince Hans fell on his double axle), and then taking a moment to enjoy my $13 cotton candy.

Photo_1(1)

And then it was over and Clara said, "I want to see that again. Right now. Right now. RIGHT NOW!"

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We'll always have the memories. And the $25 commemorative picture.

Photo

Posted on 05 November 2014 in Family, Those Crazy Kids | Permalink | Comments (5)

...fare thee well

...we take one last beach trip every september or october.

This weekend was a little cold and a little rainy. But we still found time for the bookstore.

Clara at bookstore

...and a walk to the  beach

Walking to beach with clara

...some sand between our (cold) toes

Clara on beach

...a family picture (figures, the one where I'm telling Charlie to put his tongue BACK in his mouth is the one where he is actually looking and smiling)

Family on boardwalk

...and some long naps

Clara napping

Posted on 12 October 2014 in Family | Permalink | Comments (1)

...on your third birthday

...you rose early, as you always do at the beach. You had a pretty rotten cold and as daddy was walking out the door to get your birthday donut, you yelled in your scratchiest eighty-year-old voice, "Don't forget my coooofffffeeeee." (It's hot chocolate but we don't tell you that).

Photo

...we spent the morning at the Salisbury Zoo. It was small, uncrowded, and manageable. Perfect.

Family at zoo

Clara mommy laughing zoo

...Charlie continued his study of zoo maps.

Charlie zoo map

Clara hug at zoo

...After Charlie's fifth birthday extravaganza, I swore I would never have a birthday at our house. Again. So, for Clara's party we hosted a small group at our town's Arts Council for a Hello Kitty Dance Party. The children (and a lot of the moms) did zumbini for 45 minutes, the kids ate pizza and cupcakes, and an hour and forty-five minutes later, it was over. Perfect.

We love clara banner

Dancing in circle

Chase dance party

Clara blowing candles

Happy Birthday, sweetest girl.

Posted on 25 August 2014 in Family | Permalink | Comments (1)

...where on earth have we been?

...having a date night here

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...enjoying my new nail polish from Carron. (Don't worry, stopped at a stop sign on a country road. Even if it looks like I was in the middle of the road)

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...Eating Rita's on a cold night

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...taking pictures at Target for our Christmas list. (Only five months, people!)

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...Happily playing with our friends at the park

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...reading to each other...playing...fighting...repeat...

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...going to birthday parties

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...eating ice cream in the middle of the day after our pre-tubes appointment

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...a trip to the beach

Kidsbeach

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...going to the park at the beach

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...and the fountains at the beach

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...and the pool at the beach

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...spelling our name using everything and anything

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...time at the boardwalk

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...learning to order sushi

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...being thankful that at least one of us has good hair in this weather

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...and lastly, rolling with my homies

 ...Will be back more. Trying to make a plan for ye ol' blog. xo

Posted on 13 July 2014 in Family, Those Crazy Kids | Permalink | Comments (4)

...while charlie's away

...clara and mommy will play.

Charlie is spending the week at Ammy and Poppy's. (And let me tell you, we could all use a week at Ammy and Poppy's...trips to the beach...pizza...ice cream...the Lego Movie delivered to your bedside at 6 a.m. the morning it came out).

Clara and I don't get a lot of one-on-one time. And dear lord, is one child so much easier than two. It's like a vacation all on its own.

We started our day by sending mail to our favorite camper.

Mail

After a latte, we were back to our traditional hiding-from-the-ENT-ness.

Hiding

Then it was on to Trader Joe's. Ahhh, one child, no fighting over who gets to push the miniature shopping cart (or calf weapon, in my children's case).

Traderjoes

She purchased Jojos, squeeze fruits, and pasta. That covers all the food groups.

Traderjoes checkout

Pit stop for some tomato soup.

Tomato soup

Then home for a tea party, shower, pedicure, and some Sophia watching.

Tea party

Pedicure

Sophia

Then it was Clara's turn. She grabbed one of our old point and shoot cameras and went to town.

She captured an afternoon FaceTime session with Charlie.

Charlie ichat

Gracie's crazy eyes.

Gracie picture

...and mommy and daddy.

Mommy and daddy

Then there was a little catalog-shopping for her big-girl bed.

Catalog

Wrapped up the night with some fajita-eating and then off to bed.

Fajita

Fajita two

She is delightfully chaotic; a beautiful mess. Loving her is a splendid adventure. - Steve Maraboli

Posted on 17 June 2014 in Family, Those Crazy Kids | Permalink | Comments (2)

...lists with friends #21

...the only thing that really mattered this week!

Photo

Posted on 15 June 2014 in Family, Lists with Friends | Permalink | Comments (6)

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