Sunday, November 20, 2011

an identity crisis...

Meet Zeebs



He used to be known as "Jaffy".  That was when I thought he was a giraffe.  Caleb thought he was a hippo.  Someone else thought he was a pig.  And no wonder, I found this at the same place we got Zeebs:


The stripes say, "zebra", but the neck says, "giraffe".  Who are these people and what are they doing making toys for small children?!?  Luckily, we were able to get to the bottom of this mystery.  I checked the store label, and it clearly said, "zebra".  Zeebs could now officially be Zeebs (or Zeebies or Zeberts).  

Oh, and since you might be wondering, yes, Zeebs is a boy.  Don't be fooled by the pink coloring, the long eyelashes, or the bow on  his head.  He is definitely a boy.

I bought Zeebs when Janie was just a few days old.  I wanted her to have something snuggly to hold on to.  But when I introduced the two of them, she didn't even seem to care.  Apparently one-week-old babies don't really get attached to toys.

A few months later, we pulled Zeebs out again (he was still Jaffy at this point, but does that really matter?)  Jane took to him instantly.  She would get a huge grin on her face when she saw him, and one of the few sure ways to make her laugh was to turn Zeebs's head around and pretend he was looking for her while saying (in a Zeebs-like voice), "Where is Janie?" 


Now, Jane goes to sleep snuggling Zeebs every night.  When it's time for bed, we hand her Zeebs and sing to her.  She often gently nibbles on his bow, tugs at his ears with her teeth, and snuggles him into her face.  When she wakes up, she stands holding to the crib railing waiting for us to get her.  As soon as she sees Caleb or me, she scrambles to grab Zeebs before we scoop her out of her crib.


So despite the species and gender confusion, we love you, Zeebs!  Thanks for being such a good friend to our girl!

Friday, November 18, 2011

birthday baby...



How can one year feel like forever and at the same time be so fleeting?  It is hard to believe that this little baby is no longer measured by mere months!  On November 9th, Jane had her first birthday.  We celebrated on the 17th so Grandma Suz and Grandpa Jer could be there.

Jane loves doggies.  So I decided to do a doggy theme for her cake. Although I'm no baker, I decided to make Jane's cake myself.  Whether or not anyone else was impressed, my simple doggy cake had the desired effect--when it was set before Jane, she started barking.  As far as I'm concerned, that made it a complete success!



Jane didn't dig in as much as we'd hoped.  At home, she loves to grab sticky things and SQUISH.  Maybe she was too focused on barking.  Daddy helped her a bit, and she ended up mostly attacking the muzzle, which was really just a large marshmallow covered in dairy-free icing.







I also tried my hand at some pupcakes (for effect, not taste).  Although I adjusted the original recipe due to laziness (REALLY?  You want me to roll out caramels, and then cut them in the shape of a wagging ear and mount them on a thin chocolate cookie before attaching?  No thank you!), they turned out really cute!








Jane was showered in love and gifts!  She didn't really get the bag thing but did better with a nice torn spot on a piece of wrapping paper.  She also lost her shoe at some point with all the excitement.  It was found under the discarded wrapping paper.





Everyone kept telling me, "You know, Jane won't remember this."  Yes, I already knew that.  A child's first birthday is just another excuse to get together with your favorite people, have some good food, and catch up on life.  Thanks to all those who came!











Saturday, November 5, 2011

halloweenie...

I've basically been in a big slump lately.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm homeless.  Or that I only have access to about 3% of my belongings.  Or that I spend too much time away from my husband.  Actually, it's probably none of these, and instead is due to the fact that I am just plain lazy, but who wants to admit that?


So for Halloween, I decided (true to form) to put absolutely no effort into the celebration.  A friend lent me a baby Belle princess dress for Jane, and another friend added a tiara.  Ta-da!  A barefoot princess!  I didn't even consider dressing up myself.


After I saw all sorts of babies razzed up as adorable ladybugs, cuddly critters, and festive pumpkins, I regretted my laziness.  Poor Jane will look back one day and wonder why she was cursed with such a lame mom.  


This story has a happy ending, though.  The day after Halloween, I resolved never to neglect my children again.  Well, ok, maybe all I did was buy two Halloween costumes online for Jane and the new baby.  But, it's progress.


Jane did look sweet in her frilly dress and tiara (though of course that only lasted for about 30 seconds).  Oh, and I did put Caleb's way-too-shaggy hair in a ponytail and snap a picture.  Happy Halloween, from the biggest Halloweenie of all!







Tuesday, November 1, 2011

trying to catch up...

Now that I am finally back in the civilized world, I am behind on everything.  

In an attempt to catch up, here are some pictures from the last four months.


bathing beauty

 It's electric!

cause...

effect...

baby cantaloupe from our garden

Janie's first fat lip


(The rest of the photos are mostly taken in Show Low)

no chair to secure the booster to = no bueno

a new trick

the death trap that was the foot of our Show Low bed

such a cutie in her sun hat

Colorado cousins

wish my belly looked that cute

Mmmmmm

Smunchie!

this is a common occurence

Jane loves to climb into things




in anticipation of the camera flash

our little field trip to the Snowflake Temple


FALL!!!