Horsing Around

In his horsey outfit from his Granacky and Papa, complete with a mane, a tail, and horseshoes.

BB shows off both his cute outfit and his affinity for banging on the guitar.

This little horsey saddled up for his biggest ride yet on Wednesday when he took his first wobbly step right in our living room, from Mama to the exersaucer, and then again from Mama to Daddy in 3 whole completely unassisted steps!
He has since taken a few more steps, but tends to opt for crawling when we pull out the camera and encourage him to step. He also tries, when we're helping hold him up, to walk just on the balls of his feet with his legs stretched completely straight - not a conducive position to walking, unless you are a ballet dancer.
I think J and I are both impressed and nervous about him reaching this milestone so early, and I won't mind if he takes his time putting his new skill into much practice. I can't imagine what it's going to be like having a walker around the house - I feel like he can get into so much more trouble! and I want him to stay a baby. But despite my best efforts, he just keeps growing and changing.
BB, you are amazing us all the time. We are so proud of you.

Be Mine

Valentine's Day is the anniversary of J and My's first date, just as friends - the night that made me start to think differently, romantically, about him. Even then, J was creative and romantic, leaving me little clues about the surprise date and making me mix CDs as a gift.

This year, our Valentine celebration started on Saturday night when J and BB surprised me with a gourmet dinner when I got home from work - candlelight and our wedding CD set the ambiance and a box of dark chocolate hearts and a card from BB topped off the beef & bell pepper kabobs and pasta salad.

Our celebration continued Sunday morning when I surprised J with his Valentine gift, this little DIY number here:

When I saw this on Design Sponge, I knew it would delight J. Get it? Delight! (Somewhere someone is saying "ding!") Anyway, it did delight him. And I got to use tools to make it, which empowered me. No seriously. That wasn't just to say empower. I got to use pliers and a screwdriver and a saw. I am woman - watch me saw.
Then I decided that BB needed a Valentine outfit and after scouring his closet to no avail, I cut a big heart out of some white fabric (leftover from our bedroom curtains!) and quickly stitched it onto a red t-shirt and voila! Instant boyish Valentine attire.
We went to church and then to lunch with friends, and then we embarked on a marathon shopping day for BB - he needed bibs and socks and pajamas, as he is exploding out of his current pjs. Literally. As in I found a hole in the foot of his pjs (where his big toe pokes) when I put him down for the night and the next morning there was a hole in the other foot too! Exploding! So we shopped and then made a stop at a park to feed BB and enjoy the mid-70 degree weather.

We then continued on our marathon shopping trip, until I suddenly realized that one of my earrings was missing. One of those earrings in that picture up there. My 5-year anniversary gift.
I panicked.
J didn't.
We both prayed silently to ourselves and started searching the store we were in, the car, calling the other store we had been to, and then J and I both remembered we had been taking pictures all day. We looked through the pictures to try to see when I was and then wasn't wearing the earring, and lo and behold, in one park picture I had them both on, and then in another my earlobe was bare. Okay, so the earring was at the park. The crowded public park where so many Tucsonans were out enjoying the mid-70 degree weather. The park we were 30 minutes away from, and the sun was setting. J called his parents and sent them over to start the earring search, with flashlights in hand. We prayed and drove, and God gave us some perspective. It's just a thing. A fancy, sparkly, special thing. But just a thing. We laughed about the irony of losing it on Valentine's Day. We got to the park and started searching. J and J's dad strategized a methodical approach to our treasure hunt. More praying. After 15 minutes of crawling on my hands and knees staring at the ground as the sun disappeared (interrupting a (very) nearby couple's Valentine celebration), I saw a little sparkle buried in the dead grass and pine needles.
We rejoiced, and thanked the Lord!
And then we went home.
Thus endeth Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Nothing says Happy Valentine's Day like a faux-hawk and a patchwork heart t-shirt!

100%, 24/7

On Superbowl Sunday J and BB sported these outfits, because according to J,

"We're Bears fans 100%, 24/7, even if they're not in the Superbowl":

Note the cute gray-hoody-under-the-jersey-matchiness - all J!

Boeuf Bourguignon - French for "Kid for Sale"

I have spent this morning making a crock pot version of Boeuf Bourguignon (found here, #19) - I love crock pot meals because it means dinner will be ready and the dinner clean-up will be done whether or not BB is inconsolably fussy and refusing to be put down as he sometimes is from 5 o'clock on.
I have never been a big soup or stew fan, but recently I have started to really enjoy hearty homemade soups - they go so well with brisk and rainy weather, which we've been having off and on (Arizona's version of winter), and of course, they can be made in a crock pot. Boeuf Bourguignon is basically a French beef stew, and as I was chopping the carrots and onions I remembered when my dad made a beef stew for us for dinner when I was probably 8 or 9. My dad was a self-made chef, the third oldest of 12 kids (so there were also some mom-made aspects to his chef-ery). My dad was also an artist - he made wood carvings, and when he was a head chef at a resort (after this story took place) he designed fancy weekend and holiday buffets and he translated his art into melon and even ice carvings, as well as into his recipes. For me, cooking has always felt creative and artistic and I know I get this from him.
So, the beef stew. Either he asked for my opinion or I volunteered it, I don't remember, but I said "I hate it". The look on his face! Hurt and taken aback, he said "K, I made that," to which I replied "So? You made it, I hate it." Like, what's the big deal? Now, I do think there is something to be said about the way of loving in which a statement like that can be made, meaning I did not associate his creation, or my hatred of it, with my love for him at all, and I couldn't understand why he would be so upset. My love for him was so distinct from that beef stew, and I remember feeling confused by his reaction. HOWEVER, can you imagine? His brooding artist's spirit damaged by the rejection of his creation by his own ungrateful child? I'm sure he was ready to auction me off to the first bidder!
I have been giggling about this memory all morning, while simultaneously wondering what similar stories I will have to tell about BB someday crushing my fragile ego.