35 years ago today...

i was born. i'm gonna party like it's 1979. which probably means watch color television. 

title: a big weekend! subtitle: i should have kept krissy's shoes

for our 11 year anniversary, davidrussell is taking me here:

21C museum hotel

louisville friends, 

please meet us for a drink in the Proof bar on friday night.

next, we'll pick up our kids from my dad's and all go here:

get into your yellow submarine and meet us saturday on the river. this could be the whitest thing davidrussell ever does...

recipe for a pirate party

every kid needs a pirate party. ours turned out pretty darn well. so well, in fact, i wanted to share with you my personal recipe. here are some suggested ingredients for a fun, 3 year old birthday pirate party:

1. evite invitation - they have a couple of cute pirate graphics and b/c you have to fill it out yourself, there's lots of opportunity pirate jargon.

2. pirate apparel - these should be included in your favors, but give them to the kids as soon as they arrive. we had eye patches and hats. and grown-up krissy even brought fake earrings.

3. a pirate. (or a dad that's willing to dress up like a pirate.)

and also a parrot...

3. a treasure map. i downloaded this one and printed it out on kaki 11x17. when the little pirates arrive, have maps and crayons/markers ready at tables. encourage them to begin making their treasure map b/c later "we might have to search for the treasuaaah!" the maps are a nice way to corral the kids until everyone arrives.

4. tattoos - very important. while the kids color their maps, recruit a grown-up to be the tattoo dude or lady and put tattoos on the kids. sara p. helped me out with this. she is bode's teacher and brought bode's special friend, sara e., to the party. (yes, there are lots of saras. try to keep up.) 

5. now with the apparel, tattoos and treasure maps, the kids are totally in the pirate spirit. and they are also already in their seats so if you plan to serve food, this is the perfect time to do it. i kept it simple with pizza. and dave brought Pirate's Booty so we ate that, too.

6. How I Became a Pirate - as the kids finish their food, read this book to them. it's such a cute book and towards the end of the story, the pirates bury the treasure in jeremy's backyard. after the story, give guests their sand buckets (see #7) and maps and lead them to the backyard to look for the treasuaaah!

7. buckets and treasure - ok, here's where i'll speak more about favors and activities. provide guests with their own sand bucket and shovel. (i found these in the dollar aisle at target.) find a creative way to personalize them (i simply used a sharpie.) the bucket serves as the "goodie bag." but the goodie bag is empty b/c the goodies are buried in the backyard. 

we found small treasure chest piggy banks that we filled with candy, little pirate-ish toys and tattoos. we created one per guest. 

8. pirate cove in your own backyard - (this is where the treasure is buried!) choose a nook area of your backyard. you'll need a tarp, 10 - 15 bags of sand (we only used 8 bags and it wasn't quite enough), and some creepy pirate accessories. remember, pirate coves are not pleasant. basically, you just want to create a beach in your backyard. (we would have worked a baby pool into this shindig, but it was too chilly.) 

before the party, bury the "treasure" in the sand. in addition to the treasure chests, we buried other stuff like containers of candy and packs of stickers so there was plenty of stuff to dig up.

9. digging for treasure - ok, so the story is over and all the kids have their buckets and maps. release them to the backyard and let them dig in the sand and fill their buckets with loot. our little pirates had so much fun playing in the sand that they really kept forgetting they were supposed to be finding treasure. it was a hoot.

10. pirate cake - we had a captain jack cake but any pirate cake will do. after we were all sandy, we decided to just stay outside. we had cake, opened presents and the kids played until parents picked up and/or it was time to go. 

so that's my recipe for a pretty fun pirate party that my 3 year old just might remember... or not. oh, and i almost forgot...

the pirate cove and the whole party for that matter wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for my man, davidrussell. if anyone is wondering what an incredible dad looks like, they need look no further than this black pirate. ooo, i love that guy.

nhlanhla gladstone

gladstone left us today. he spent 5 days with us during his visit to the u.s. from mamelodi, south africa. his schedule kept him busy, but we did manage to introduce him to s'mores and mexican food. i'm not sure he was impressed with either.

he's a 22 year old college student, musician, and a bit of a goofball. my kids adore him, especially bode. we'll miss him, but i suspect he'll be back someday.

bode is 3!

while here he's simply mild-mannered bode enjoying his morning "coffee" (o.j. and apple juice mixed together), later today he'll become... 

Captain Buccaneer Bode of the Seven Seas of the Ohio! Argh!

yes, bode has been alive for 3 years and he's actually getting a party this year. not that a cupcake and balloons isn't good enough, but it seems like whatever parents do for the 1st child is cut in half for the 2nd. half the photos, half the parties, half the gifts. oh well. when the 2nd child comes, then it's double the fun, right?

this morning bode and i chatted over coffee about his birthday:

me - "bode! 3 years ago you were in my belly and you came out."

bode - "yeah, i was a baby in yo' bellee. and i said, 'ha, ha, ha.'"

me - "you were laughing inside my belly?"

bode - "yeah. i said, 'ha, ha, ha' and i was tickling you. and you lookin' around and you said, (his voice deepens) 'hey, who's that ticklin' me?'" 

i thought, that sounds about right. although i didn't realize i sound like a stuffy old man when i talk. 

this isn't the first time bode has demonstrated a remarkable memory. i was happy to hear his perspective from the "inside."

anyway, what am i doing talking to you people?! i still have to bury the treasure, make the grog and swab the poopdeck. 

semi-annual haircut

mac's semi-annual haircut took place friday. tempers ran high, but mac endured. david held on to his patience by a thread. 

look at the little clenched fist. if he knew the words "go beep yourself, daddy," he would have said them. i guess he would have also told me what i could do with the beepin' camera, for that matter.

after an emotional bath, it was Noggen and dry Kix. can i a guy re-group for the love? 

it always ends well. he giggles when he looks in the mirror. he likes the change. while we think it's all very hip and cool to have a little surfer "do," it's a summertime pain for a little boy that gets hot, takes a lot of baths and can't see b/c his hair is in his eyes. now maybe he's just more of a jack johnson surfer. i'm just glad to see his forehead. i was missing it.

happy mother's day!

it's good to be a mom. and it only gets better. the first few years of motherhood means a lot of "daddy signing baby's name" and "oh, look at the gift baby got mommy." it feels a little ridiculous, but it's also sweet. anyway, the boys are gaining a better understanding of holidays like today and they are excited. it's very sweet and fun. all 3 boys gave me super sweet gifts - a new watering can, and new gardening gloves in my favorite color. and also my favorite flowers in my favorite color. they're even my favorite kind of flower to get - the kind i can plant rather than the kind i can put in a vase. (there's probably a more poetic way to say that.) also an iTunes gift card - (anyone want to recommend a good musical download?)

of course, mother's day tends to be one of those "make mom a craft at school" holidays. i don't know if it ever gets old, but i was very excited. plus, this year has been the first year that mac has "got it." i picked him up from school last week and he handed me a big card and decorated brown bag. he said, "here, mommy, this is for you. happy mother's day!" it's a very normal thing to do, but the first time your child says it on his own without prompting, etc., it's pretty darn cool. anyway, inside the bag was a flower the kids had obviously potted in class. but my favorite of all is the card. mac had shared all last week that they were learning about caterpillars and butterflies. when i received the card, i discovered why....

c'mon. it's a butterfly. is that the sweetest little card ever? and look what's inside:

you can't read that? what is wrong with you? it says: I love you.  Happy Mom Day. Mac. (not necessarily in that order.) anyway, this is the first card the little guy wrote all by himself. this mom stuff doesn't get easier, but it certainly gets more fun. and more sweet. and more noomie noomie.  

get M.A.B.!

i'm MAB! i'm MAB and i'm not gonna take it anymore. join me in the fight! join Moms Against Balloons. 

i hate balloons. i hate balloon animals, i hate balloon animal hats. and i have a strong dislike for people who earn money making balloon animal hats. these people often tend to be clowns which just piles on the weirdness and irritation. 

balloons are the ultimate instant gratification fix for children. 30 seconds of pleasure before hours of pain. everyone is drawn into the wonder, the beautiful color and then it hits: "mac got the green one! i wanted the green one!!" "no! i don't want it on my wrist! i want to hold it!" "waaah! my balloon blew away! it's gone FOREVER!" 

and then there's the "POP!" followed by crying hysterics. 

and grocery store clerks don't care. balloons give them the opportunity to get their own self-serving feel-good fix every time they say, "would you like a balloon?" even ecocentric Trader Joe's is willing to choke a few squirrels in effort to give kids a quick balloon fix. (of course, early brand recognition usually trumps passion for environment, but i digress...)

the balloon man that apparently lives at Joe's Crab Shack is a part of what the kids love about going there. this man is about 75 years old, short and looks like a mime with facial hair instead of make-up. what's even better is when he isn't roaming the restaurant, he's sitting at a card table with a very, very large lady that will paint your face for a fee. anyway, balloon man can't hear the kids so when mac said "i want a spiderman," what he got was a spider hat. for mac something like this just screws the whole night. his little 5 year old mind thinks - well, that's it. i wanted a balloon spiderman, instead i get this creepy hat. i'm pissed, the whole night is ruined. (i don't know where mac gets this...) 

so he's yelling about the b.s. of his balloon animal hat while Old Man Mime makes bode this thing on my head. what the heck is this? none of us knew, but mr. imagination decided it was a football helmet, pulled it over his face and ate his ice cream through it. (and i really don't know where bode gets this...)

mac pulls himself together, has some ice cream and it's time to go. that's when he falls out of the booth on top the spider hat and parts of it pop. (you know, with balloon animal hats, they don't pop all at once.) balloon man appears happy to replace it. i ask, "mac, do you want something different?" he has a crocodile on his shirt, think quick - "how about a crocodile?" mac wipes his tears and nods. suddenly a crocodile balloon hat appears. by the time we got home, it was a snake hat. (you would think in this day and age of internet and digital t.v. that they could make balloon animals that would stay balloon animals.) by bedtime, the green balloon thing became a 3-pronged claw, before it began to shrivel. mac found his sense of humor and every time it unraveled a little more, we'd all laugh. this morning i asked him to get it so i could snap a shot for this post. he said, "mommy, i threw it in the garbage." good boy. 

of course, i have loved balloons. i have decorated with balloons, given balloon bouquets. heck, i went to the great balloon race every year as a kid (that's another derby reference). i appreciate the idea of loving something simply for its beauty. i don't need balloons to serve a purpose, but until the joy they bring can outlast the turmoil, i will speak out against them. i will be M.A.B.!

louisville girl

where i'm from today is more than a holiday. it's a generational ingraining of culture and heritage. it's the culmination of a never-ending festival that teaches and re-teaches us what it means when we sing "the sun shines bright on my old kentucky home." growing up in louisville, you just assume everyone all over the country is celebrating. maybe that's b/c the whole country is really just your neighborhood. nevertheless, you learn early on that there's never school on derby eve and most of your assignments april through early may will revolve around the festivities: history - history of horse racing, english - write a derby essay for the derby contest, math - count the horses (i don't know, i hate math.) music class - sing derby songs, art class - draw derby pictures. by the by, i did indeed win an honorable mention as a first grader in the Kentucky Derby Festival Student Art Contest for my painting of the Belle of Louisville. (that's a steamboat for those who don't know. she - yes, we call her "she," races the Delta Queen down the Ohio River every year in The Great Steamboat Race the wednesday before derby.)

louisville kids learn about the first saturday in may like they learn thanksgiving is the fourth thursday in november. little girls dream of being Derby Princess and making an appearance in the Pegasus parade. and everyone hopes someday they'll actually have the chance to sit in a seat at Churchill Downs. but many are just fine cramming into the infield or throwing a derby party.

today kids are running around at cook-outs, dads are drinking mint juleps and moms are baking derby pies. i'm sure jen h. is still in the third turn, and dannette has left chicago for the weekend to celebrate with her family. 

every year i think to myself, it won't be a big deal this year. if i ever get cable and can actually have the coverage on the t.v. , maybe i'll have a party. i'm too busy. but then the week leading up i catch a blip on the news about it or something and i start feeling poopie. my sister and i attended a baby shower today and from there she had to go to a wedding no less. where i'm from, you don't get married on derby day. but around here, it seems it's just another day.

yes, i pout a bit on the first saturday in may. heck, i even fantasize about moving back "home."

while i don't think baby stella would stop jen from spending 12 hours at churchill downs today, maybe with 3 little girls, dannette has passed this year. i'm sure kate theil is out in crestview hills, digging in her garden as she mumbles "i can't even look at the t.v., it's too depressing."

we don't expect you to understand. we just ask that you pardon us if we're a little down today or in kate's case, a little cranky. tomorrow we'll be fine. and us cincy transplants will cheer on the flying pig runners and all that stuff. but today... well, it's just that today we know the greatest place to be on earth is a place we've called "home." we're louisville girls.  

post time is in 2 hours. i think i have some Jim in the cabinet so there's still time to get in the spirit. after we watch the race, davidrussell says he's taking me to joe's crab shack for some over-priced seafood to cheer me up. we have gift cards and watching mac dance "carwash" with the hostesses is always a pick-me-up. oh, and did i mention, i actually do have cable now. if we still have it a year from now, maybe we'll have a derby party. i promise i'll post wonderful blog postings all about it, complete with recipes and photos and i won't be such a poop.

or maybe we'll just go...