good month, so far

march sure has started off nicely. on the first, alanna and i met up with danny's sister catherine to see gnomeo & juliet in 3D, and boy was it cute! like really, really cute! and i'm not just saying that because i love gnomes! if you like cutesy animated movies, go see it, you won't be disappointed :)

the theater had this life sized cutout of justin bieber, and since alanna loves him (like really, really loves him, haha!) we made her pose for a picture. she was pissed, and said something about how she didn't want to do it "because it would just end up on mom's blog." welp... here it is. she'd be so mad if she actually read my blog.

we took a trip to marbles and had a lot of fun because it was pretty empty. malcolm met a new friend while we were there, and they had a great time running around and playing together. (he also made a new friend at our neighborhood park. danny has been taking malcolm up there almost daily so that they can play. i've only been with them once to meet andrew, but next time i go, i will try and get a photo of the boys together) i love that he is at the age where he is interested in befriending others, and likes to meet new people. he's becoming so independent!



on saturday we went to chapel hill for a few hours. we made our usual stops at the comic book store, the record store (danny), the local co-op -for vegan cake/apple pie/coffee, and the used book store, before heading home. it was a lovely day.





malcolm being silly...




...until he noticed the teeny tiniest lil' bug on his hand. then he got really upset, and almost started to cry. this boy has suddenly become seriously afraid of bugs. i don't know where it comes from, but i hope it doesn't last long?!










on monday afternoon the kids went to the dentist. this was malcolm's very first visit and cleaning, and he was so good the whole time. alanna has been a patient there since we first moved to raleigh, and we've always been pleased with their service. they recently remodeled and updated their office, and it is so nice now.

malcolm went back with alanna, while i finished filling out his paperwork in the waiting area. when i joined them, he was sitting on a little chair while the hygienist explained to him what she was doing to alanna's teeth. it was so cute. then another hygienist came in and said it was his turn in the room next door. he got up in the chair by himself and let her do what she needed to do, without any fuss. i was so proud of him. i've been prepping him for a couple months now, explaining what would happen, and he was such a big boy while we were there!


all done, and NO cavities! hooray! he got to choose a toothbrush and something from the prize drawer.


alanna had no cavities as well, like usual, she always has good checkups. we are fortunate that the kids have good teeth. my teeth were (are) a disaster as a child.

this is the walkway to the dentist office. it is located inside of a professional park, that is designed like a conservatory. it is so green, and lush, and pretty.

after the dentist, i took the kids to get huge vegan carrot cupcakes from whole foods, as their reward for such a wonderful appointment. you know, because that's how i roll :)

february in photos

aaaand... i'm back! sorry for the brief hiatus, but wow february was a wild month... full of ups and downs, and i'm glad it is over.

malcolm has been a typical three year old since his birthday, running hot and cold, challenging everything, and throwing a tantrum at the drop of a hat. he is so smart and sweet these days, but he is in constant need of my attention, and will rarely sit quietly by himself like he used to. his favorite three words are, "play with me", which drives me (alanna and danny) crazy, haha!

i've been working three days a week, and although i get time away from the house and the kids (which i love), i still feel like i have little to no time to myself... resulting in my serious lack of blogging. that and i was also kinda burned out on posting here. sometimes i feel like what i post is monotonous, and that no one is reading anyway... but then i was asked by my mother and husband why i had not updated lately, so i'm glad that they still enjoy reading this blog of mine.

i finished my 365 photo project last month, and since i don't need a photo a day anymore, i haven't been taking many photos these days. tisk, tisk. here are some that we did manage to get, in order of when they were taken (a few are from danny's phone).

the saturday before valentines day i took malcolm to marbles for a members only valentines day event. it was very crowded, but we had fun. while waiting to take our turn with "cupid's arrow", another mother repeatedly referred to malcolm as a girl, saying, "stand behind this little girl, wait until she finishes, and then it's your turn." seriously?! he was wearing toy story sneakers, jeans, and a red and black hoodie? so annoying.

all tuckered out after all that playtime.

after his mistaken identity at the children's museum, we decided that malcolm needed a haircut. here is the before...

...during...

...and after. much better!

a couple photos danny took:

malcolm had his three year checkup on valentines day. the dr. said he looks great, his weight and height are right around the 50th percentile, so he has averaged out (instead of being way under). and he was really well behaved at the appointment.

napping with mama cat

the newest issue of high five magazine came in the mail (thanks again mom, he loves it!) i handed it to him when we came in the front door, and a minute later when i looked over to check on him, this is what i saw, haha. look at how many subscription cards were in that copy! and we already have a subscription!

the weather has been unseasonably warm. areas all over the country were getting dumped on by snow, and we were having spring-like temps -in february! nc is so strange sometimes. malcolm took many trips to the park with daddy.

trying out the little camp chairs at dick's sporting goods.

we tried a new dish for dinner. i actually found the recipe idea on the side of a del monte can, altered it so that it was vegan, and it was delicious! malcolm even cleaned his plate! yum! quick and easy succotash with drop biscuits.

this is what a typical morning looks like. malcolm sprawled out in our bed.

we took another stroll at the ncma. here is our attempt at a family photo. now if only danny and alanna would smile.

a metal tree (sculpture) full of birds! so awesome!

some other highlights from february (not pictured):

managing to get all of the bills paid, phew.

spending time with our sweet friend annie, before she moved back to germany.

danny surprising me with a sneaky date on the sunday before valentine's day... we went to dinner at noodles & co. and then saw black swan, which we both loved.

a very generous gift from my wonderful boss debbi... have i mentioned here how much i love and appreciate having my job back?! because i do.

danny's less than three year old laptop died (which is a bad thing), but we were able to replace it with a macbook (thanks to best buy and their interest free financing). he is beyond ecstatic. i think he might actually love it more than he loves me :)

our friend compton was kind enough to watch the kids twice (the first was for our valentine's date), so that danny and i could have date night. we saw unknown starring liam neeson (i love him), and it was pretty good. we both enjoyed it.

and the end of february marks the birth of the two most important women in our lives... danny's mother vicky (on the 27th), and my sweet mother (on the 28th). we were able to celebrate vicky's birthday with the family at the local mexican place, and we all had a nice time... especially malcolm, who slept through dinner and woke up just in time for cake, haha!

this was the sixth year that we have not been home to celebrate my mothers birthday, and lately i've been feeling very homesick. vicky sent her a birthday card with the sweetest letter inside, and when my mother read it to me over the phone it made me cry. i feel so fortunate to have such a great mother-in-law, i know that many women have to deal with the opposite. it is really hard being so far away from my family, but having dan and vicky out here is such a blessing. we had a bouquet of flowers made for my mother by an old high school friend of mine, and she says they were beautiful.

i hope you ladies had a wonderful birthday. we love you very much!

happy valentine's day!

the way to my family's heart is through their stomachs, so to show them how much i truly love them, i made these!

i hope you all had a very nice day, even if you don't care for or celebrate this silly little holiday. i mostly love it because of all the heart (hart!) merchandise in the stores! :)

happy mail

this week malcolm helped me with his birthday thank you cards. i wrote a little note expressing our appreciation for each gift, sealed and addressed the envelopes, and then had malcolm stamp them with a finger paint "high five"! he loved doing the hand prints, and i love that he was able to sign each one in his own way.

i forgot to post his party invitation with his birthday photos, but here is what they looked like (minus the weird scribble... we enjoy a little privacy) i found the image online, and my sweet husband helped me add the text in photoshop. they turned out awesome! back when we had first decided to throw malcolm a party, i asked him what theme he wanted. he chose rubber ducks, and i figured he would change his mind by the actual date, but he never did. this artwork is from one of our very favorite books by eric carle, and was the inspiration for the (simple) decor at his party.

after creating the invitations and having them printed out at costco (who did a great job, was extremely fast, and charged a fraction of what walgreens was going to charge me!) i stumbled upon these thank you cards at target! seriously!? sometimes i think that target can read my mind. they matched a baby shower invite that also featured the eric carle rubber ducks, but they didn't say anything baby related, so i snatched up a couple packs.

and how cute are the green striped envelopes they came with?! love them. his hand prints turned out so cute. i hope that they have all arrived at their destinations safe and sound.

i went to work for a few hours wednesday night, and came home to a pleasant surprise. back in november i won a giveaway on danielle's lovely blog. this was the first time i have ever won anything like this online, and i was so excited! my package had some trouble getting to me, but finally made it to my doorstep, and it was definitely worth the wait.

i won a prize pack from gypsy05 clothing company based out of hollywood california, valued at over $300! whaaat?! they sent me this, these, and this -which a love. the sweatpants (or j. lo gear -as danny would refer to them) are so soft and comfy, and will be great for lounging around the house... but i wouldn't be caught dead wearing them out in public, haha. thanks again danielle and sarah, i am very grateful to have won!

here's me in my new sweater, i love it!

and the softest coziest sweatshirt ever

also, yesterday afternoon another large box was delivered to our door... a valentines day care package from my mother! she is so sweet, and always takes the time to collect and mail us the cutest stuff around the holidays. we always love opening up the boxes to see what surprises (and treats) are waiting inside! this is just the top of the box, it was full of all kinds of pink & red goodies, including a new apron and some baking items. we love you mom, thanks again :)