Mothers Gone Mad

If there were an organization called Mothers Gone Mad, it would be over things like this:


You may be thinking, "What? This is a cabinet with a basket of toddler dishes. What's so maddening about that?" Please look closer...even closer...do you see anything that does not belong?

You are correct! That is indeed a set of CAR KEYS! Thanks son! Just where I like to keep them!

Or maybe what Weston is really saying is, "Mom, I know you're thinking of putting a delicious dinner in one of these bowls, but what you REALLY should do is get me in the car and take me to McDonalds."

Pioneer Woman

This past week, I attended my first book signing. It was a cookbook, which doesn't make me sound as scholarly, but that's okay. If you haven't heard of The Pioneer Woman, you can read about her here.




I heard about her through my friend Erin and then I told my sister about her, so the three of us journeyed downtown to meet her at Christ Church Cathedral.



As it turns out, almost 400 other people also made this trek. It was a full house, but worth the trip. She was just as funny as she is on her blog and I got to ask her personally about her favorite type of cowboy boots (I've been itching for a pair).


Four hours later, we got our cookbooks signed...


I must say the Sour Cream Pancakes were scrumptious this morning and I'm making her enchiladas tonight!

P.S. In case you're wondering if I've sharpened my camera skills this week, I have not. In my typical fashion, I left without my camera that night. I had to leave it to my professional photographer Erin to capture the evening (which is probably for the better).

At Last

After several months of working with Weston 1) to not scream when something wasn't working/going his way and 2) to say "please", "thank you", "excuse me", etc., we had the following conversation today:

Weston: Hep, hep, hep (translated help, help, help)

Me: Do you need help opening the cow box?

Weston: Hep, pea (translated help, please)

(I open cow box)

Weston: Dee Doo Mama (translated thank you, mama)

I know much screaming and many tantrums are still in our future, but times like this remind me that we have a sweet little boy who is learning if we patiently teach him.

Fall Favorites

This Fall has flown by and hasn't had the usual "festiveness" that usually comes with my FAVORITE time of year. We had a lot of rain, my sweet, sweet, husband has been slaving away at our garage which has left less fun, family weekend time and, in general, I just haven't felt the surge of Autumn spirit I usually get during this season. I started to throw myself a pity party about this and then decided that it would be much better to sit down with a hot cup of cocoa made with Weston's whole milk and think about all the really GREAT things that have already happened this Fall and redeem the last couple of weeks we have left with a new attitude.

These pictures are from Girls' Weekend in early October. Erin and Amy are some of my dearest friends and we like to get together overnight a few times a year.


The weekend included dinner at Crepes in the City, going to see my cute husband play guitar and sing with his friend B.J at a coffeeshop, hitting Soulard Farmer's Market for apples and pumpkins, antique shopping, then making caramel apples, apple pie, pumpkin bars and eating chili snuggled on a couch. Also included was intermittent magazine reading, lots of laughing, and good talks.

Rock star Kurt...


Weston has fully enjoyed describing the season's notable items with his new vocabulary. My favorites are "mucka" for pumpkin and "weeb" for leaf. It strikes a heart string every time he says them and I mourn Autumn being over because these words will be history. This time next year he'll know the dictionary with correct pronunciation.

This was the first Halloween that Weston (a.k.a. Tigger) was really old enough to trick-or-treat. We went with his B.F.F., Marlie (a.k.a. hip train engineer), and hit a block or so of houses. Is it wrong that we just ate the candy and didn't give him any? He didn't really know any different. Weston, if you're reading this decades from now, I'm sorry. From here on out, you will have all rights to your candy bag.











He mainly loved running down the sidewalks and greeting all of the other kiddos with his friendly "HI!". The steps up to the porches were a challenge...those short little legs just aren't quite there yet. It gave us a taste of many more fun Halloweens to come.

So, Fall 2010, you haven't been a total bust. Fun has been had in the past 2 months, as well as two spice candles and a couple of pumpkin lattes. And I have everything set out for Weston and I to rake leaves when he wakes up...

Record Breaking Rain October

This October saw a massive amount of rain. I'm sure it blew all the Farmer's Almanac predictions out of the water. More importantly, it has kept Weston and I inside for a LONG time. So what have we been up to?

Coloring...


Watching a little "Melmo"...



Learning about all the cool things Target carries...




Going to storytime at the library...



Playing with contact paper...


Looking at magazines...



As well as reading LOTS of books, making "nakes" with play dough, getting better at puzzles and shapes, having friends over, having long snuggles after naptime, ripping up mail and many other random acts of nonsense.

Luckily, before this mama started to lose her mind, the first weekend in November brought BEAUTIFUL weather and we have pretty much spent most waking hours outside. Whew! Just in time before I booked a flight back to desert Arizona.

So cheers to good weather and rolling in pink sidewalk chalk...