capturing the sweet life.

Artsy Fartsy

Last week in Grand Rapids marked the start of our first annual ArtPrize competition downtown.  I sort of heard about it in passing and thought it might be kind of cool to check out.  So last Wednesday I took the kids downtown to check it out.

WOW!!!  That's all I can say!!!  WOW!!!

There's just so much cool stuff to see, I can hardly wrap my brain around it.

Everything from the beautiful...

...to the inspiring...

(when I saw this piece from across the room I thought, "Oh yippee - a pile of pillows that someone is calling art."  But then you get closer to it and you see that it's a bunch of pillows donated by Hospice families and each represents a patient that has benefited from the amazing, thankless work Hospice does.  Each pillow has a story and the artists were there to share them and their vision for the entire piece.  It really was very moving.)

(and the artists for this piece are trying to get every individual and family in Grand Rapids to put a ribbon on their "Family Tree."  If you're in GR and haven't added your ribbon, this is on the North side of the Huntington Bank building, just off Monroe)

...to the fun and funky...

...to the subjective...

...to the just plain wackado.

(yes, those are balloons...)

There truly is something for everyone and I, for one, am so proud of Grand Rapids today!

Inner Peace

So a couple weeks ago, my aunt sent me a forwarded email that totally inspired me.  Usually I don't read the forwards I get (sorry, folks - just don't have the time with 2 kids and a million things going on!), but for some reason, I opened and read this particular one.  It began by saying that Dr. Oz has said on Oprah that the secret to Inner Peace is to finish all the projects you've started.  It then went on to make a joke about eating the opened package of Oreos, finishing the bottle of tequila, downing a bottle of Prozac, etc. etc. etc.  Funny, yes, but actually it's the quote from Dr. Oz that rang so true for me.

I can't tell you how much inner turmoil I go through when I walk around the house and see all the unfinished projects.  All the paint that needs to be touched up.  The pictures that still need to be hung.  The spot on the carpet I've been meaning to clean but never get around to...my to-do list seems insurmountable at times that I don't even know where to start!

So last weekend, Brian and I decided that we were going in search of Inner Peace!!  Now we are not crackheads - we know that all of the items on our to-do list couldn't possibly be completed in one weekend, but we could certainly get started and whittle down that list.

SO....

Brian mowed the lawn and painted Jacob's room...

...even Natalie got in on the action...

I cleaned the foyer closet...

   (BEFORE)                                                          (AFTER)

...and the hall closet (don't judge - you have houses/rooms/closets/drawers that look like this, too, I know it!)...

(BEFORE)

        

(AFTER)

...finished painting Natalie's room (an almost 4 year project!)...

That's right - I hand painted all those little flowers...pain in my butt, is what that was...

...finished the AA Milne painting for Nat's room....

...made Natalie's bulletin board (I'll post instructions on how to do this later - so EASY!!)...

...and hung (some) pictures in the living room.

So weekend #1 of Operation Inner Peace is complete and Brian and I can feel good about spending the day today watching some football.  There's still lots to do, so it's a good thing we'll be home the next couple of weekends.  But if we can just get a few things done each week, we'll be through that list in no time.  And I, for one, am looking forward to some inner peace.

On Your Mark...

Just for fun today, I set up a little obstacle course for Natalie in the front yard.  It's a fun and easy way to get outside, get exercise and keep Natalie entertained.

She and I probably ran the course a combined 20+ times and were able to burn off some energy before dinner.  Sure beats sitting in front of the TV!

Dawn of the School Age

So this Wednesday was Natalie's first day of Preschool!!!

She was SO excited, it really was a cool thing to see.  About 6 weeks ago, I printed off a calendar and taped it to her door.  We've been X'ing off the days until her first day ever since and when Wednesday finally rolled around, she was all smiles.

We started off the morning at 7am (I know, right?!) with a good breakfast.

Can you tell someone was a BIT excited?!?!

Then it was time to get dressed...

A very studious outfit, no?!

I made sure to plan for enough time to snap some shots outside before heading off...

I'm pretty proud of my first day as a preschool parent, too.  I got both kids and myself fed, dressed and out the door in time!  I used to pride myself on being pretty punctual, but since becoming a mommy of two, I can tell you that if I say I'll be there at 11, chances are I'll arrive somewhere between 11:30 and 12.  So getting everything organized enough to actually make it to school on time was, for me, an accomplishment.

We arrived at preschool and made our way up to the classroom...

...and found her cubby.

This time I was able to hold it together and didn't shed a tear.  Natalie, too, was nothing but stoked to go into her class and barely remembered to say goodbye to me!  So she was off.  Off to begin her adventures at preschool.  Off to make friends and have fun.  Off to be a little girl and not my baby.  Okay, now you can cue the tears!

While Nat was at school, I quickly discovered how NOT to spend that time...Natalie's school is about a 25 minute drive from our house.  So for me to go home while she's at school for 2 hours just doesn't make sense.  The mall, however, is only about 5 minutes from school.  So guess where Jacob and I killed time?!  I will quickly drive my family into bankruptcy if I continue along that path, so the plan from here out is to spend those two hours at the gym.  Better for my wallet and my waistline.

So after some fun on the breakfast foods for Jacob (and some fun at the Gap for me!), it was time to pick Natalie up and hear all about her day.

She was on the playground when I arrived and, of course, didn't want to leave.  I'm still trying to determine if that's a good or a bad thing!!  I spoke briefly with her teacher who said that Natalie (and the entire class, for that matter) did terrific.  No tears, no meltdowns.  That was fantastic news - usually once one kid starts, everyone else figures there MUST be something wrong and pretty soon you've got a half dozen kids in full on emotional lockdown.  That's not good for anyone.

I finally talked Natalie out of the sandbox and into the car.  She filled me in on her version of the day and when we got home, she showed me the goodies in her bag.

First up was a picture of her "New Friends"...

Yes, that's right.  You'll notice that Natalie is the only girl in this picture.  How typical!!!  This girl could definitely be trouble for us down the road...

Next was the art project they did that day, a picture of the playground...

...and a picture of her teachers.

The bag also contained a little summary of what they did that day (everything from what book they read to what song they sang and what their snack was) and, get this, her very first fundraiser.  On her first day of school!!  Now, I understand why the schools need to raise funds and I have no problem doing my part.  But when it starts the VERY first day of school...?  That's an expensive precedent to be setting.  In the end, it might not be the mall that ends up bankrupting us...

So the first day is in the bag.  I promise a lengthy post like this won't follow every day at school, but I hope you'll indulge my excitement a bit here on this one.  I'm just so proud of how excited she was, how well she did and the little person she's becoming.  This is just the first big step of many I'm looking forward to taking with her and I'm so excited to be along for the ride!

Any Excuse for Fireworks

Brian had a very short work week last week.  In addition to having Labor Day off, he also took Friday off just because.  After a long day of work on the house, Brian and I took the kids into the city for the Celebration on the Grand fireworks show.

Turns out that amateur photographs of fireworks SUCK (at least mine do!), but we had fun despite the lousy mood Brian and I were in after having worked all day.  

And I have to say, the Van Andels know how to put on one heck of a fireworks show!

Farm Fun

To help ring in the arrival of autumn in authentic fashion, my mom's group (Mothers & More - you should check it out...it's a National organization of amazingly intelligent, thoughtful and talented women who also happen to be moms!) scheduled a trip to Post Farm, a small, family owned farm about 40 minutes from our house.

We started with a good old fashioned hayride out to the back 40 acres of the farm.

Natalie wanted to sit with her "Best Boy" Isaac (you may be confused because in an earlier post I referred to Oliver as her Best Boy...well, Natalie has several Best Boys, depending on who she sees at the time...).

And Jacob just enjoyed the bumpy ride and not having to be confined to a stroller or car seat.

We also discovered his love for taking pictures like his mommy.  Check out his first ever self-portraits:

Next came the straw maze, which was great for the kids, but killer for my allergies.  I had to leave before I had a full on attack right in front of everyone...

...then Natalie took a ride on the Pumpkin Express...

...we visited some animals...

...played around for a bit...

...and finished the fun evening off with a campfire, complete with toasted marshmallows.  The weather was a bit warm for our official kick off to fall, but we all had fun and, most importantly, left with some AMAZING pumpkin donuts to snack on.  Next, bring on the orchards!

Meet & Greet

Today was Natalie's first unofficial day of preschool, which is to say that we had a short "get-acquainted" session with her teachers.  But we had to go through the whole process of getting ready, getting both kids dressed and fed (mom, too!) and out the door in some kind of orderly, timely fashion.  Mostly it went well, except that Jacob picked today of all days to sleep in until 10am.  I had to go in and wake him up and he was OUT like a light.  Poor thing.  

Anyways, the preschool visit went great.  Natalie met the director and regurgitated her fed line, "Hi, I'm Natalie.  Nice to meet you."  Not at all rehearsed ;-)

Next we checked out her cubby and got her spiffy new bag...

It's nice of them to provide the bags for the kids, but I was kinda looking forward to buying her a backpack!!  Ah well - another joy to look forward to for kindergarten (hey, sue me if I get excited about this stuff, eh?!).

I'm not sure why, but I got a bit choked up at the site of her cubby.  I guess it made it all very real!!  She's growing up so fast, she already has a cubby and a hook at school.  Next she'll be carrying a lunch box and pencil case, then she'll be driving and heading off to college to do keg stands and cram for exams.  Where does the time go?!

But at least there are no keg stands in preschool.  

Master Mantis

Living in a neighborhood that's practically devoid of trees and all forms of non-human/canine/feline life forms (don't get me started), I find myself in awe of any signs of nature we do get at our house.  So you can imagine my sheer glee when Natalie called me out to the backyard to share this:

Now, I'm not much of a bug person, but you gotta admit - these are pretty cool!  Natalie loves Kung Fu Panda so she was pretty impressed to see Master Mantis right in her very backyard.

Me?  I was just glad to see some form of life in our little slice of suburbia.

(Full disclaimer: capturing the sweet life regrets to report that the mantis pictured above was the victim of a terrible labrador retriever stomping and has passed on to the great grasshopper in the sky.  And thus our yard returns to its' former existence, inhabited only by humans, said labrador retriever, and a colony of very hungry Japanese beetles.)

Dude, you got a MAC!!!

That's right!!!  We made the decision that it was time to leave the comfort and security of the PC world for the innovation and efficiency of Apple.

Come to Momma!!

So this is my first official post from the keys of my new, stealth personal computing device!!

So far, I'll admit to some growing pains, but most had to do with the mouse going all crazy, pulling up windows, flashing screens, etc.  Poor Brian actually got the vapors from all the jumping back and forth (no, that's not me snickering...okay, maybe it is.  A little.  Sorry babe).  Turns out the mouse has all these little hidden buttons that do different things and are extremely sensitive.  Just a little tweak to the mouse settings (basically turning everything off except for the main button!) and we got that fixed.  Now we can settle in to get used to the new operating system and transfer everything from the old computer to the new.

As an aside, I sort of feel like my Dell has sensed something wicked was up...I was editing some photos earlier today (Photoshop is still on the Dell cuz I either have to come up with $800 for Photoshop for the Mac or perhaps go with Elements...still weighing my options) and it was going awfully fast (well, fast in a 5 year old computer with issues sense).  Sorry, bud.  The cash has been plunked down and there's no turning back.  Perhaps you will find a comfy home in Natalie's room in a few years...

So, stay tuned.  Everyone I know who has a Mac LOVES it and they certainly go out of their way at Apple to make sure you're satisfied and that help is available when you need it.  We joined the One-To-One program which basically means that for the next year, we can make an appointment at the Apple store and someone will sit down with us there and tell us how to set everything up, use every Apple program and troubleshoot any snafus that come up.  Beats paying $300 for the Geek Squad to come out and muck up the computer even further!!

Let the love affair begin...

Photography Recon

Last week, I was fortunate enough to have another wonderful friend ask me to do her family's portraits this fall.  So under the guise of recon for the shoot, the kids and I headed out to a very scenic little park in Lowell, Fallasburg Park.  It's beautiful there this time of year, but I imagine it's absolutely gorgeous in the fall.  

There's a really neat little stream meandering through the park that's the perfect depth for kids to play in.

 

Jacob found a quiet place to hang out, too...

By the way, that drool trail in that last shot??  Pretty much a constant these days.  We call him Drooly McDroolerson.  (Incidently, we also call him Fussy McFusserson, Whiny McWhinerson and Screamy McScreamerson, depending on his attention-getting behavior of choice...)

All in all, I'd say the recon was a success.  Definitely a beautiful, picturesque spot for family portraits.  And they have an awesome playground that Natalie was more than happy to test out.  Definitely add it to the list!!

The Hyper Hypos

Football season is just over a week away and that means it's time for our 3rd annual Mothers & More Fantasy Football Draft!!

This year, as acting Commissioner, I made arrangements for us to hold a live draft at Buffalo Wild Wings.  They provided t-shirts for everyone, keychains, and other goodies, not to mention yummy chicken tenders and the best Oberon on tap anywhere.

So after all 12 teams picked their 17 players, here's what I'm left with:

• Matt Ryan - QB
• Steve Slaton - RB
• Felix Jones - RB
• Jonathan Stewart - RB
• Calvin Johnson - WR
• Anthony Gonzalez - WR
• Anthony Fasano - TE
• New York Jets - DEF
• Lawrence Tynes - K

• Michael Crabtree - WR (bench) (okay, so he's not TECHNICALLY signed with a team yet...)
• Devin Hester - WR (bench)
• TJ Duckett - RB (bench) (and he was just cut by the Seahawks)
• Kevin Boss - TE (bench)
• Joe Flacco - QB (bench)
• Le'Ron McClain - RB (bench)
• Garrett Hartley - K (bench) (and he was just suspended for 4 games for using drugs)
• Jeremy Maclin - WR (bench)

Okay, so I made 3 mistakes (arguably more, but those are clearly problematic).  I'm not sure how I'm feeling about my team yet.  Need some time to get used to them first, I think.

My first clients

Earlier in August, my good friend, Lisa, asked me to take some 3-year pictures of their son, Oliver (Natalie's "best boy", as she calls him) .  Up until this point, I've never done "official" photos of anyone other than my kids and my niece, Emily.  I was especially flattered to be asked by the Towns because Lisa's dad is a professional photographer and Lisa used to help out in his studio growing up.  So when it comes to good lighting, composition, etc., Lisa knows what she's talking about.   And she's used the services of other professional photographers in Grand Rapids before, too, and paid good money for them.  So I put a little pressure on myself to get it right for my first official "clients."

We chose downtown Grand Rapids for the shoot and headed out in the evening for the best light.  We shot mostly on the grounds of the Ford Museum and down by the Grand River, but I was pleasantly surprised by how many different backdrops we were able to utilize down there.  Fountains, beautiful green lawns, the Grand River, the city skyline, funky graffiti, pedestrian bridges...we were able to get a ton of great shots, each with a different feel.  And Oliver was an absolute dream to photograph.  I'm especially proud that most of the shots we got were of Oliver just being Oliver - full of energy, playful, curious and sweet. 

Here's some of my favorite shots from the session:

 

Thank you, Taggart & Lisa, for having faith that I could do a good job , for being my guinea pigs, and for being such good friends!!

Shoppin' for a Mac

On more than one occasion over the past few months, it's taken every ounce of willpower I have to not hurl our computer off our balcony or intentionally infect it with some nasty virus so that we would have a valid excuse to get a new computer (an admittedly contrived reason, sure, but valid nonetheless).  This culminated this weekend when I was giving my last push at editing the photos from the photo shoot I did with the Town family earlier this month.  It.  just.  runs.  so.  slowly.  It took me twice as long as it should have to edit each photo.  And with over 125 photos, that really adds up!

So, today we went shopping.  For a MAC!!!  I'm a bit apprehensive about parting with nearly twice the amount of money as we would likely spend on a regular PC, but after going to the Apple store and seeing what you get for the money, I'm nearly sold.  Just need to sleep on it for a few days to make sure it's really what we should do, but who am I kidding?  Of course it is!!  I can't find a single person to give me a single solid reason to not get one.  I was a bit concerned about learning the  new interface, operating system, etc., but man that is small potatoes compared with how much I'm in love with all you can do with the Macs.  I heart Apple.

(Sidebar - Natalie likes Apple, too.  She knows how to use my iPhone almost better than I do!)

After the whole family got drunk on Apple love, we needed to let the kids burn off some energy.  So we headed to the Breakfast Foods.  Yes, our mall play area consists of giant, foam breakfast foods the kids can climb on. 

Yes, that's Natalie sitting in a giant bowl of shredded wheat.

And yep, that's Jacob gettin' crazy on a fried egg.

You'll also notice the giant banana, waffle, and sausage links behind Jacob.  And lest we not forget the bacon slide over on the right.

Yes, it has often struck me as strange.  No, I don't know who's idea it was. Yes, it's a little lame.  But the kids dig it, so whaddya gonna do?  I'll tell ya, there's nothing like images of a cholesterol-laden breakfast to get you to insist that your kids get their exercise...

Who needs paper and sunshine?

After kind of a crummy week last week filled with dreary cold, rainy days, I figured one way to beat the blues was to get outside anyways.  So we grabbed the sidewalk chalk and headed out into the light rain and decorated the driveway. 

Did you know that sidewalk chalk looks really bold and bright when the pavement is slightly wet??

Of course, the drawing didn't last long with daddy home...it soon evolved into a "Chase me, now let me chase you" free for all!

 

Oh, to be 3 again... ;-)