The Mail We Get Around Here... OH MY!!

Ever since we first moved in, we have gotten some extremely strange mail and door advertisements. From an ad that had obviously never met spell-checker which offered to do our correspondence for us to an offer to heal any ills we may have with a prayer napkin blessed by the Apostle Paul himself. You name it, we've gotten it.

This was in the mail today. OH I CAN'T WAIT FOR IAN TO COME HOME!!!!

So... the guy knits his gal and her toy dog a sweater every year. "Cause THAT'S what guys do...

...apparently now they are also wearing earrings... and not just any earrings... PEARL earrings. And they would like to offer a pair to Ian - no strings atatched!!

Do you think they have a good deal on a pearl necklace to go with it? He could channel June Cleaver! I've always thought she was so hot and macho!

Thanks Hecksberg! I'll give this to him tonight when he sits down to darn my socks.

Hurray for the Red, White and Berv!

We love Uncle Berv and miss him so.

Berv, we need to talk. I've been living a lie. I am a horrible photographer and now the 5 people who read my blog are going to know. Thanks a lot!!

Speaking of thanks a lot, thanks for the cute clothes! This is officially Clark's favorite shirt. He runs around in it constantly and has a pair of matching socks. When they are both clean at the same time, he is pretty excited. Hank's hat was in the car still from our last hiking trip... she likes to wear hers when I wear mine so we can duel with our hat bills when I try to smooch her. She's getting lethal!

Check out what happens when I try to photograph the kids:

"Does my hat look okay?" "Hang on... I have to sneeze."

"Oh dear... she's messing with the flash... how long is this going to take?"

"Can I sit over there?" "Are we almost done?"

"I can't help but think mom... Clark, is that a bird out the window!?" "Y'know mom, trucks don't just play by themselves...."

"...that if I could just sit over there." "Word to the wise Hank, if you behave it will go faster."

"OH COME ON MOM!"

"That's even worse! You're TERRIBLE!"

"Oh sorry... must've dozed off there." "You're right Hannah... it IS a bird!!"


"I fought a monster. It was this big." "Big truck! Out the window!"

"Is anyone listening to me!?" "Truck. Please. Trucks!"

She's A Livin' Doll!

Doesn't this doll look so much like Hank would look if someone crocheted her some hair? - More views to come -- when the doll is not having sweet little needs for me to meet :)

Economic Baby!

I'm impressed! Even with cloth diapering, our water bill has gone WAY down since we've had Hank!

It probably ("blobady," in Clark-speak) helps that I rinse off the dishes, wash the table, mop the floors and shower myself in her drool. If only I could find a way to hook up the washing machine to her!!

She's such a sweetheart, she told me she wants to swing by the Drool Bank tomorrow and make a donation in case anyone needs a Drool Infusion. I didn't want to burst her drool-bubble, so I collected some, thanked her and told her she could very well save a life someday.

C is for Clarkie

Cuddly

Contemplative

Clamorous

Cantankerous

Okay... so he's not really Cantankerous Clark in that photo...

He lost his toy. If your little boy lost an itty bitty highly lose-able, hard-to-find toy and came up to tell you all about the terribleness of it looking like this, wouldn't you stop whatever you were doing and find it? And then smooch every inch of his gorgeous little face? Lello???

Notice

Ice cream is hereby banished from our household. So is anything that sounds like ice cream, including but not limited to "I scream." Anyone partaking in any of these activities shall be banished from my presence.

I should note as well that frozen yogurt is not banished and is an acceptable substitute for flowers in the event that you eat ice cream and want to be un-banished from my presence.

You should note, that if you are under 3 years old, you don't have a job or a trike and therefore cannot go pick me up some fro-yo. You should really try very hard not to get banished. But in the event you do, your smile melts me to my very core and could likely melt all the ice cream and turn it into custard, getting you off on a technicality.

Hey Hannah...

...catch!

Model Babies

I'm pretty proud of Hannah's hat this year. I designed every little nuance and it actually turned out pretty cute!

Back view

I think she likes it.

I think I like HER.

My model boy!

who is done sitting still!

Sometimes...

...when you have trouble finding your cellphone, it helps if you clean your kitchen.

Quick Correction...

She thought she had clinched the nickname "soup."

Then...

Clark snuck up and stole it!

Since it was Ian's nickname, we decided it was time to pass that legacy on to our firstborn son.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Ian keeps passing his legacies on to Hank and she looks more and more like him every day.

Either that or he starts looking more and more like HER every day.

You decide.

She Wins the Prize!

I don't think I've told you all why I named the blog "Campbells Soups!" - probably because it is pretty obvious. Ian's nickname in college was of course, "Soup," and in an odd coincidence, my sister and favorite cousins called me "Soup" for awhile when I got sick of "Sus the bruise." It was actually one of the reasons I thought Ian and I were doomed to be together!

Hannah has officially won the nickname for herself - either that or "Gallon'o'drool." That is one soggy little kid. And to think I didn't want to give her a bath yesterday because I didn't want to get wet. Maybe that's why she didn't mind her bath... she's plenty used to being soaking wet - but this time it was warm!

My PBJ! I Was Wondering Where That Went!!

I just finished nursing Hannah and she turned her head back to gaze at some interesting thing behind her. I got to see what's inside all the wonderful folds of her neck and if any of you are missing anything, I think I found it.

The Question Is

We all know she's as cute without clothes as with, but...

...is she as cute with hair as without?

"Flyaway bangs."

Smile and Say Wah

So Good!

Clark had his first dentist appointment yesterday! (Dr Erick Anderson for any of you looking for a great dentist with kids OR adults.)

Here is how the appointment went:

Clark sat in the chair and "Miss Angie" and I drooled over how cute he was...
Then Dr. Anderson came by to look at his teeth, giving him more attention...
Then Miss Angie gave him a toothbrush...
Then he got to go pick out a toy from the treasure chest...
Then he got to show Grandma how pretty his teeth looked.
So we're talking about at least a solid hour of people showering him with attention, compliments and gifts.
Needless to say he LOVES going to the dentist and is thrilled that while birthdays come but once a year, dentist visits come TWICE!
And he was beautifully behaved the whole time we were there!!

So Naughty!

Allow me to really quickly refresh everyone's memory on what happens when a kid feels he actually IS the center of the universe (we call it post-birthday syndrome).

After screaming at Grandma for trying to help him to his carseat and screaming at Mommy for actually suggesting he have lunch, I quickly tossed the young tot in the car and decided we really needed to get home and start that nap as quickly as possible.

We got out of the car, I changed his diaper,
Then I put on his shorts.... at this time he started screaming for a diaper change...
Then I tucked him in... at this time he started screaming for his shorts...
Then I left the room... so he started screaming to be tucked in.

LOL at least we both wanted the same things.
He really was beautifully behaved at the dentist and one can't supress all that 2-year-old-ness forever, so I kind of laughed. But only kind of.

My Favorite Small Appliance

Clark loves small appliances. Has since he was a baby and I'd announce "loud noise!" and then turn them on. I try to use them fairly frequently for his sake and certainly try to make sure he's awake and can help. I think I probably use them far more than the average person. Now my mom on the other hand (as we all know...) is no average person. Check out what goes on over there every morning.

rrrrrr (citrus juicer)
"someone run Dad his grapefruit juice."

rrrrrrrr (juicer)
"who wants carrot juice?"

rrrrr (coffee grinder)
"can I call you back? I'm just fixing your father his coffee...."

RRRRRRRRRRR (grain mill)
"oh you're just in time dear dear! We're making bread today!"

rrrrrr POP rrrrrPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP POP! POP!..... POP!!
(popcorn maker or cuh-corn maker, whatever you want to call it.)

rrrrrrr (blender... RIP)
"come get your smoothie!"

rrrr (hand mixer... the "new!" blender!)
"come get your smoothie!" That's one chunky smoothie.

Anyway, you can imagine how happy Clark is when we get there early enough to watch all these things happen.

Now, my personal favorite small appliance is the smart one. The one that realizes when a camera is watching and does things a little quieter. The kind that has a "good smile." The kind that gets a little spastic and makes a mess. Check out how it makes popcorn!

That's one I would keep out on the counter all the time!

Thanks Aunt Teffy!

I'm not sure if Hannah enjoys the swing or not. ;)

So... I finally did it. I put an incredibly LONG video of my child just cooing. I couldn't help myself. She's cute and her Daddy hasn't gotten to see her in 2 weeks. It's 3 minutes long if you think you can handle it. If I would have only made it 4 you would have REALLY gotten to see some happy feet!

Hair You Go

Hannah's having a really good hair day today!
All 1 of her hair has been perfectly behaved all day!

Clark's on the other hand, has grown back out....

once again, only on top. Nothing on the sides.

It's almost the exact opposite of Grandpa's and Uncle Sam's.

If only they had the same color hair, they could be hair-donors for each other.

(Clark is saying "BEEF!" -- and it sounds so very meaty the way he says it!)

Not So Mini-Me

I wonder why they call me "Snack Attack?"

Oh yeah! 'Cause I want to attack a snack!

Please Mom?

I'll open wide...

Snack Att-ack! Snack Att-ack!

How in the world did I end up with you?!?!?!

Quit Hitting Yourself!

Hannah's been complaining of some little bully beating her up - which caught me by surprise since she is so rarely out of my arms - let alone sight! So I promised her I would watch her while she took her nap and make sure she was safe. Sure enough -- just as she started dozing off to sleep, along came big bully Hannah and started punching her in the face.

Poor uncoordinated newt.

Shoes Fit for a Princess!

Hanny was asking if she could try on her Robeez today, so I put them on her. They fit like a glove!!

...a way too big glove.

I Think Not!

Father's Day post? I think not! I would gladly tell you all what a wonderfull father Ian is, but right now, Hank looks entirely too much like him. The nerve of him! - taking up so much of my mini-me's face with his features! I'm too disgusted to say anything nice. At least he's pretty :)

Big Fat Hank

Anyone who saw my post with picks of my belly can easily understand why "Big Fat Hank" was my nickname of choice for Hannah. I would even sing her a song about it :)

Anyway, Ian and she got together and would sing to me about how it was really "Big Fat Mom."

We got into a rather spirited debate, but when she was born just 7 lbs 13 oz and I was still pretty large, I compromised and decided it was "big fat us."

I'm no longer willing to avoid the truth.

Now that she is 10 lbs, 3.5 oz of bloomin' baby beauty, I think it is pretty obvious who the big fat one really is.

Do I know how to feed 'em or do I know how to feed 'em!?!?!?!

(AHEM! Do I know how to eat or do I know how to eat!?!?! - Hannah)

Sighs

She's the prettiest thing I've ever seen. I keep losing myself just staring at her. She's perfect. A little high maintenence, but hey :) she's a girl - what do you expect?

Quick word about the boys...

I can't imagine how women give birth without Ian. He is a rock. Awfully nice of him not to shout "quit screaming in my ear woman!" while I was hanging on him, screaming and digging my nails into him. Lovely husband, that one! Man I wish my wedding ring would fit back on my finger!

And Clark. What a little gentleman to be so kind to this little attention hog! He loves her to death, turns her into a Newt several times a day, asks to "Hote? (hold it.)" every time she's awake. He's nice about just rolling with it when she gets over cranky and while he is very fascinated by the fact that there ARE still binkies in the house(!!), he has been very good about not having one... even though I know it's a struggle for him.

Nice Catch, Dad!

Hannah Renae is here! What a lovely little friend! She was born May 17 at 9:25, was 7 lbs, 13 oz, and 19 3/4 inches. A little icing on the cake is that she was born at home and Ian got to catch her! Nice catch, Hon! Mind if I keep the game ball?

Happy Mudders Day

Well... we have a Mother's Day post for the Mums, but unfortunately, I don't remember to bring things with me when we leave our house. So... in the meantime... here is what we think Hank will be like from the indications she's given. We were pretty much right on with our predictions for Clark... down to his favorite color being green!!

Hanners is a spunky little thing. Fiesty and particular about posture and diet. She's a lacto-ovo-vegetarian who could really do without the ovo part. She's very health concious and doesn't want anything near her (or Mom's!) body that could be anything less than good for it. - Especially sugar or white flour! Banish the thought!
She loves browns and neutrals just like her mommy, but she loves some pinks and greens. - And she likes yellows. One can't appropriately be called Hannah-Banana without dressing in some yellow.
She is a VERY good baby! She turned and put her head and bum right where they should be well before she needed too, and she goes out of her way to make sure I know EXACTLY where she is at all times! I won't have to worry about where she's going or who she is with when she is older. I'm sure I'll be very informed. And she will never want to go anywhere I don't want her to go. She's very sweet about limiting her time on the bladder or in my ribs. She'll be the one coloring on the walls though. She is extremely artistic. You should (NOT!!) see what she's done with her womb! Daddy has told her he appreciates how beautifully she draws, but there are better places to do it than on Mommy's belly.
She wants to fit in with Nana and Ant Bee and keeps asking me to make sure she has pink chuckies as soon as she is born. She'll poke her little foot out and wait very patiently for me to size it. She's just an itty bitty little thing (about 6 lbs!) right now though, so I haven't been able to find any for her. Besides! Babies in shoes HURT! I'm thinking of putting her brother back in robeeze just to save my own little toes!
I've seen her suck her thumb on ultrasound and highly suspect she loses it and wiggles around asking "thumb... has anyone seen a thumb?" It frustrates her greatly. She wishes she could be born and nurse.
And finally, she is a Newt.

Well, that's Hank in a nutshell. I can't wait until this nutshell can give birth and see her beautiful little face!

Dumb Joke

"You don't get down from an elephant - you get down from a duck!"

I never understood this one as a child. Still didn't get it when my Mom told it to my little sister the other-day-ago. (Love ya Dad!!) I was standing there thinking "you're still telling that dumb joke!??! It makes no SENSE!!"

Yeah... it's not the joke that's dumb.

...it's my MOM!

Clarky Python

Clark turned Hank into a Newt!! Thankfully, she got better.

I'm not entirely sure how this got started, but Clark digs his chin into something and proclaims "NEWT!" So everyone around gets appalled and exclaims "he turned me into a Newt!!" and then Clark says "betta," and we get better. There are a LOT of Newts around my house. All his stuffed animals are Newts and I get turned into a Newt so frequently that I'm wondering if there are any lasting side effects to such treatment. Poor Hannah! She is his favorite person to turn into a Newt. The only person who isn't susceptible is his father, who is Newt-proof. Clark is Newt-proof too, so they have Newt-offs and try to turn each other into Newts. -- Until Clark remembers that poor innocent little Hankie is not Newt-proof and is extremely susceptible and turns her into a Newt. I sure hope she gets "betta" before she's born. I don't know anything about mothering a Newt. Apparently nobody else does either since I couldn't find a single copy of "Newtwise" or "The Happiest Newt on the Block."

Save Your Breath

Here is a recent phone conversation with my mom. Is it any wonder I call her ALL the time!?

Mom: You're blowing up balloons!?!
Me: YEP!! I'm going to cover the kitchen floor with them!!
Mom: You can't blow up balloons -- you're pregnant!
Me: Of all the preggy-books I've read, not ONE says "don't blow up balloons."
Mom: That's because they don't have to. It's just common sense.
Me: Then why do they put "don't drink" and "don't do drugs?"
Mom: Probably because that's what they would do to celebrate.
Me: They just don't know how much fun balloons can be!
Mom: Well stop! You're stealing all of Hank's oxegyn!
Me: I'm not filling them with oxegyn. I'm using carbon dioxide.
Mom: Yes, but you're converting it too quickly and not giving Hannah a chance to use that oxegyn.
Me: What happens when you make me laugh so hard I can't breathe?
Mom: That's different. Stop blowing up balloons or I'm going over there.

At this point, I really thought about blowing up another balloon just because I like seeing her and would have loved for her to come over, but her voice had such a tone to it that I didn't know if she would come over and take me across her knee (good luck on that one, itty bitty!) or pop all my balloons. I didn't dare.

Make Believe Baby

Doh. I look suspicious. I'm not really pregnant. I just want to have a little girl so badly I stuff a watermelon up my shirt whenever I go somewhere so people will think I'm pregnant. I didn't think it was so obvious I was pretending until I saw pictures from Clark's friend's birthday party. This would have to be the most built up April fools stunt ever.

Which do you think I used this time?

Watermelon?

Basketball?

Birthday Balloon?

Geek

Formerly, the Grandparents were known as "Bapa" and "Nana" -- with my mom being more of a "Manna." Apparently that wasn't enough distinction for my mother. She would prefer Clark to call her "Geek." It serves her right. When we were young and they were renting, we rented a place from some people with the rather fitting last name of "Geek." She had to tell Ian about them right in front of Clark and she knows how well he picks up on new words. What was she thinking being the one to introduce that one? Did she really think she could teach him that word and not have him associate it with her? I've never seen a little kid so excited to go see a geek in all my life. Geek.

The Best Way to Have Ice Cream

Since my earliest ice cream eating days, this is how it has been done.
I can't take credit for coming up with this. It was taught to me by a very dear and tired-looking friend ;)

-Dish up a bowl of ice cream.
-Take a fork and break ice cream up into little chunks.
-Pour a couple tablespoons of cold water over the top.
-Allow to sit for a couple minutes.
-Gently mix around. You should now have a bowl of creamy goodness with crunchy little ice-bits.
-Enjoy! and if you're expecting a baby, dribble a little onto your bulgy belly from time to time.

Being with child, I'm supposed to drink about 3 quarts of water a day. I don't know how I would get through those last 2-3 tablespoons without this trick!

Come to think of it... I'm supposed to have a quart of milk every day too -- and isn't ice cream just glorified milk!?

Final thought. I think I'd like to try this a la mode!

Best Date Ever!

...And on Valentine's day at that! It was sweet, tender and memorable. I'm talking about the fruit! When I started getting that sleepy sinking feeling during Clark's nap, I made my favorite energizing pick-me-up -- cut up apples and dates with nuts and the yummiest thickest cream! Since we've switched all of our shopping over to the best store EVER, I've grown accustomed to the foods we buy there being the tastiest ever. Maybe hanging out with all the yummy personalities around the store comes out in the food's flavor. Somehow though, this date caught me by surprise and just made me thankful for all those happy little things that have happened to my tastebuds recently.
Anyway, if you loathe grocery shopping even half as much as I used to, if you want to feed your family organic without having to pull out a 2nd mortgage, or if you just wish your apple-a-day wasn't mushy, go visit Back to the Basics! They call it "the little store with the little price." I call it what happens when you keep all the yuckiness out and all the yumminess in!

Want-Fest!

"Want want want"

Once upon a time, when I was very young, my parents asked if I "wanted" to go home. Some wise and loving older friends of theirs asked them "and what's going to happen when she says 'no,' that she doesn't want to go?" Needless to say, they stopped asking what I wanted!
I heard that story several times growing up and always liked it. I always felt so secure in my parents decisions and I hear I was a well-behaved little gal.
Somehow I forgot all about it for a little while there though. I've been noticing lately how many times I ask "what do you want sweety?" Clark nicely cues me in that I've used the want-word by answering with "want want want," which is slightly irksome because he starts fussing "want want want" and I'm standing there with a fussy baby in my arms and no clue what he wants.
I'm starting to realize that even the smart little kiddoes who can speak very well and know all their numbers and letters simply don't know what they really want. They aren't old enough or wise enough to know what is best for them, so they keep chasing that thing that will make them happy instead of just trusting the ones who love them and have their best interests at heart. It reminded me of someone else I know and just happen to be.
So we're learning to just stop thinking about what we want and learn to appreciate those things that are given to us by such loving hands. It's nice to have such a cute little reminder of what life looks like when it is ruled by our passions and how happy that cute little reminder is when his choices are limited to happy or unhappy.
We've been singing "Trust and Obey" a lot while we're learning, which is extra fun because I know those wise friends of my parents know and like that song and I smile a little and think of them every time we sing it. I hope Clark embraces it heartily. I'm sure he will once he hears Mommy learned it from 'the original good parents' -- one might even call them Grand.

Trust and obey,
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey.

"Don't want want want"

Toe Jam Messes

Bible reading time has recently become more of a rest for my body than for my soul. I sit down to read and zonk! I'm asleep. Now while I will admit to being slightly more irritable than usual, I certainly have NOT been going around cursing all the little messes that are accumulating as my "Bible reading time" gets longer and less productive.
So why is my adorable little todler running around the house pointing out all the "dam" messes on the floor!? It's entirely his father's fault. From beginning to end, it's his father's fault.
Now before you berate my wonderful husband for swearing in front of a baby, let me just assure you that he has not.
We were looking at pictures of family members going over names with Clark. We got to Uncle Sam, and Clark happily pointed to him and said "Dam!"
Ian was right there with us, so why in the world would he try to teach him to say toe-jam!? So this morning when Clark was insistently pointing to his toes and saying his own version of "jam jam jam jam jam," I naturally panicked a bit and asked Ian why in the world my baby was using profanity. Ian explained that he knew what toe-jam was and didn't like it in his toes. So I picked it out and put it on the floor. At this point, I guess the problem sort of became my fault. I've been spending so much time "reading my Bible" that I haven't vaccuumed in several days. Every single crumb or piece of lint on the floor became toe-jam. After spending the morning hearing about every single one, let me just tell you, the floor is vaccuumed and there are NO more toe-jammy messes anywhere in this house. This is a great time for an unexpected visit! -- except that I'm planning to go read my Bible soon ;)

So Thankful!

All I can say is that when Ian is your husband, you are one super happy little lady. My parents sure knew what they were doing when they gave me to him. I must thank his parents for raising him to be so manly! I'm so proud that Clark wants to be just like him - and so blessed that Ian likes it and welcomes it when Clark follows him around doing everything Daddy does. It makes for one energetic, testosterone-y tot, but hey :) I'll take whatever comes with the territory to end up with a man like him for a son! In the words of my happy, energetic, snow-shovelling, mail-getting, trash-taking-out-ing, not-letting-mom-carry-anything-heavy-ing, wrestling, football-playing, running-in-the-house, crazy boys --- "HEY!!!"