mamapants

We're back! Norah has had many grand adventures, including hunting the mighty pigeon at Faneuil Hall in Boston, attempting to hurl herself overboard from a ship in Mystic Seaport, Connecticut, chasing "Jojoey" around Rob's parents' house in Philadelphia. Sharpen your brains on some travel math: if a child is in the backseat of a car traveling nine miles an hour through bumper-to-bumper traffic and driving, blinding snow, that child will say "Out! Out! OUTOUTOUTOUTOUT! Pweeze?" how many times over the course of 215 miles?

One thing we did not get to do - and I mention this because there are people in B'more who will read this blog and immediately get hurt feelings and try to firebomb my house or something - is stop in, guess where, B'more. We hauled ass up to Philly because of a planned family party, and we hauled it back down because of a scary and threatening snowstorm, and we didn't have a spare second to stop and give you guys the attention you so righteously deserve. So consider this a threat - I mean, a promise: we'll be back in a little while, and will spend much time with you and your loveliness. End apologetic paragraph.

It was a good trip, even if it did end badly - we got home and realized that someone who shall remain nameless turned the heat down to FORTY DEGREES before we left, making the inside of the house only slightly warmer than the crisper drawer in our aging, crippled refrigerator. Norah slept with us, in a decision that at first made me feel all bad-ass and pioneery - we're saving our child's life with our own body heat! go us! - but as the hours wore on, more like a complete and total idiot. Kids kick and squirm when they sleep, did you know? I KNOW NOW.

The last two days have been spent trying to fit 84,000 more toys into our tiny house, and putting away what seems like the fifth or sixth suitcase full of clothes (where did we even get this stuff? Did I leave here with ten pairs of underwear? Do I even HAVE ten pairs of underwear? Whose underwear IS this?). It's messy, it's disorganized, but it's home... and I am so glad to be back.

Here is a big internet smooch to Adrienne, who minded Astrid while we were away - she's already pining away for you, buddyo.

Posted in: out and about, secret messages, Sister Kate on 1/23/2007 at at 2:35 PM 2 comments  

Posted in: out and about on 1/12/2007 at at 9:43 PM 0 comments  

This is Owen, who is as magically delicious a baby as I have ever encountered. Owen belongs to Lisa (of Sidecars and Fried Cheese fame), and Brian, who spent the entire visit trying to keep the dog from licking my lens. Do you not want to grab his little cheeks and squeeze on 'em for a while? Yum.

In other news, there is no other news - I'm still in recovery from the weekend invasion, Norah's napping, and life is good. How are you guys? You've been quiet lately. Update us, huh?

Posted in: work on 1/08/2007 at at 1:58 PM 0 comments  

Over Christmas, I spent some quality time with my high school friends, Darren and Kris, and my sister, at a bar called Caddie's in Columbus, IN. Caddie's was about one step up from a roadhouse, but they had karaoke and Blue Moon with oranges, two things that are utterly necessary for a successful evening out. Ergo, we Caddied. Here's Kate, taken from Darren's camera phone (she's going to LOVE this when she sees it):


Ergo, we got really lit and made Plans For The Future, which included everyone coming to my house down here in the dirty south and embracing that which is Durham.

This weekend, Darren and two other old buddies came, saw, and conquered. Dean, who disappeared into the Navy shortly after graduation, became Norah's best friend for life, in a move that shocked all of us. Norah does not particularly like it when strangers try to pick her up - she has a "getting to know you" period that must be obeyed. But about five minutes after the guys got here, she sauntered up to Dean with a saucy little grin and started the "Up? Up? Ree book?" song that she knows so well. By the time they left, she was running topless through the house shouting, "DEEEEEEEEEN! DEEEEEEEEN! GOOOOO!" I would think this is weird, except for the fact that it was so damned cute I almost died.

The other guy, Nathan, was homeschooled, so we didn't know him well as kids. However, he was a fun addition - he's a very clever songwriter, and I haven't stopped humming "The Song I Wrote For My Dog (Because Dogs Can't Write Songs)" since they left. And Darren, my best guy friend ever, was himself, as I had hoped. It was a great weekend, one that picked up where we left off ten years ago - but better, because this time I had clear skin, no perm, and a cute husband.



(This is obviously not my cute husband, this is Darren. But I like this picture, so here it is.)

And OH MY GOD am I tired. Must nap before going to photograph an incredibly cute baby. I mean, cute with extra cute sauce and a side of cute to go. Yippee!

Posted in: Me Me Me, old school, out and about on 1/07/2007 at at 2:10 PM 0 comments  

Hey y'all... My sister's still here, so this is just a quickie to wish you all a happy '07, and show you how we celebrate NYE here in the dirty South: we find a grapevine, we hold on tight, and we FLY. And then we get vine burn on our nether regions, fall off into the mud, and swear. A lot.

Yee-haw and pass the band-aids... and have a great and wonderful year, buddies. In particular, everybody say good things to Lisa "the Labormaster" Chadwick, who has delivered unto us Owen the incredibly beautiful baby. I mean, this kid? Holy cow. To Lisa and Brian, congrats, and to everyone else: what will WE accomplish this year?

Posted in: out and about, Sister Kate on 1/01/2007 at at 8:55 PM 0 comments