Does anyone hear some heavy breathing?

There's something just a little bit "off" about this picture, but I can't put my finger on it.




Huh. I guess it'll come to me eventually.

Touring: the master bedroom

I don't have pictures to share of a really cute kids' party, but I thought I'd jump in to Kelly's Show Us Where You Live Friday tour and just do what she did a few weeks ago (that I didn't get around to in time), which is the master bedroom.

When you walk in our bedroom door, you're thisclose to the foot of our bed. Smallish room, biggish bed. Didn't someone once say that a king-size bed is the key to a happy marriage? THEY WERE SO RIGHT.

Biggest regret in this room: That I didn't hang the curtain rods six inches higher.

Second biggest regret in this room: That I'm too lazy to do it now.

I keep my slippers by the side of the bed at all times. They're comfy Deerfoams that I bought at Costco. The quilt is from (you know it) Pottery Barn, and the giclee print above the bed is from art.com.


I loved the print when I first saw it, and I haven't gotten tired of it yet, after a couple of years. I guess art in the bedroom is something that you actually don't spend that much time with, especially if it hangs over your bed. So in that respect, I guess I might never get tired of it.


My bedside table is home to the alarm clock that doesn't do a very good job of waking me up, my table lamp by which I love to read (great soft light that is due more to the lightbulb than the lamp, but the lamp is prettier so I give it all the credit), the video monitor that gives me a view of Jake's crib, and the ever-changing stacks of books I'm always wading through. (Read any Lee Child? HE'S GREAT.) There is also a moderate level of dust on the table -- and every other surface in the house. Sorry. I should have wiped it down for the picture, at least.



The bedside table also holds my trusty remotes. I, of course, love my TiVo like no other material possession, and the overhead fan remote is a lifesaver, too. If you are taller than 5'2", you may not be concerned with turning on your fan ... it may come easily to you. However, I am very short and the fan is mounted over our bed. I either have to climb all the way up on the bed to turn it on or use the remote. I choose the remote.



To the left of the door when you walk in, and directly in front of the bed, is Grayson's dresser. It holds the big TV, TiVo, a DVD player and Grayson's alarm clock, which he has to get out of bed to turn off. No turning it off and rolling over for him. Nope ... he has to walk over there and turn it off. He's been telling me for years that I should do that, too, but I just can't.



Hanging above the dresser is a beautiful watercolor painted by a talented artist who attends our church. I bought it at a silent auction earlier this year, and I just love it.



To the right of our bed is my chest of drawers, which is topped by lots of pictures of friends and family. I've been trying to declutter, but I can't seem to part with all of my framed pictures. There are piles of boxes to the left and right of my chest of drawers, mostly things I'm donating in the aforementioned Great Decluttering of Aught-Nine.


That's pretty much it for our bedroom! It's modest but cozy, and it's our little haven in the house when we need some quiet moments!

A sweet welcome

This is primarily for my sister and parents, but you're welcome to watch it if you'd like.

My mom asked me to try to get pictures as my sister arrived (we hadn't seen her since Christmas). I grabbed the video camera and recorded a couple of minutes of the excitement.

It was mid-afternoon and yep, the kids were still in their PJs. And Jake still wasn't in pants.

Classic Jakey

Yesterday Jake REALLY lucked out and found two chocolate milk boxes sitting within reach on the kitchen table.

He isn't allowed to drink juice boxes, milk boxes, or chocolate milk at all, so he totally jumped at the opportunity and started sucking those straws as if his life depended on it.


When I looked over at him, I had to laugh at the many classic Jake elements in this picture ...

- Red lump from head injury on left side of head, check.
- Double-fisted death grip on forbidden items, check.
- Drool soaking shirt from neck to navel, check.
- Shorts, check. (WAIT A MINUTE! THIS KID NEVER WEARS SHORTS.)
- Two fat rolls where each cankle meets each foot, check.
- Little monkey toes gripping the floor tiles to ensure maximum grippage and plant self firmly to keep forbidden items from being taken away, check.
- Precious "Who, me?" look on face to distract from the fact that he is drinking chocolate milk, check.

I LOVE THAT KID.

Climbing, et cetera

My sister is here this week, and my parents arrive tomorrow night. I might be slower to post while they're here, and because I'm working, I probably won't have many pictures until the weekend.

But to tide you over, here are some pictures of the boys with "Gigi" (short for "Great Grandmother"), because they know it's so important to get pictures with her every time we visit, as well of several of them climbing trees and running around her backyard last week when we visited her on the way to the beach.


I love these pictures of her with the boys, because they were just having fun with her, and they were making each other laugh.

These sweet moments with their Gigi make me so happy, that they'll have this to look back on one day when she's gone. I wish we'd been able to spend more than just a few hours with her over two days, but her arthritis has been making things difficult for her, and the energy that we bring with us is overwhelming for her.

She DOES love to watch them play in her backyard, though, and they are happy to oblige. It's nice to let them run out some of their energy before we get back in the car, and she has a wonderful climbing tree that they remember from year to year.

Nathaniel started out by showing Jake the ropes, since he was only 12 weeks old the last time we were there.

And by "ropes," I mean "bushes."

Nick wasted no time getting up that tree.

Nathaniel joined him as soon as he felt like Jake was OK by himself wandering the perimeter.



Up and down the tree they climbed, levering themselves out on branches and dropping to the ground. Jake continued to explore.

Once Jake had tired of the 100-degree weather, he came racing toward me as fast as his little legs would allow him to toddle so that I could take him inside to see how child-proof Gigi's house was (not).

Traveling, playing and tree climbing ... synonymous with summer to us ...