on-hand modern

a rope-themed 7th birthday party

when i asked asher what kind of party he wanted for his 7th birthday, he looked kind of stumped and then said, "well, i like rope."

????

so then it was my turn to look stumped. but we did it. we came up with a rope-themed birthday party.

we invited some friends to the park, and the engineer rigged up a DIY mini ropes course between some trees like he did here. you know what? it's such a simple idea, but kids love it. we also had a tug-of-war and, as promised by the invitation, other "manly activities".

for a snack we served homemade soft pretzels (a bit time-consuming but not that bad, and the recipe seems pretty fool-proof--i've made it twice now) and fruit rope and cupcakes topped with licorice rope.

the party favors were "survival bracelets" that olivia and the engineer made. they used instructions from the craft store, but i'm guessing there are tutorials all over the internet. you need parachute cord and some buckles, both of which i bought last-minute on amazon. (thank you, prime.)

i could also see adapting some of these ideas for a party with a rock-climbing theme. or a nautical (knot) theme?

other boy-ish birthday party ideas:

- LEGO birthday

- red balloon birthday invitations + party

- smurf birthday party

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photographing baby: one month old

can i be honest about something?

blogging is weird.

right?

everyone's all, "oh, it's easy. just be authentic. find your voice." 

and i'm like, "i have no idea what that means."

because the challenging thing about blogging is that you really have no idea who your audience is. i mean, okay, i have an idea who my audience is. but i'm surprised sometimes too. like when my nephew left a comment on my last post and my first thought was: what? that's so sweet! and then right after that i was like: my 18-year-old nephew heard me talking about LADY BITS. not that there's anything wrong with talking about lady bits. i talk about lady bits all the time! but, hello, when i talk to my nephews and nieces about childbirth (ahem, never), duh, i say "hooha" not "lady bits". (no, i don't. that's gross.)

anyway. what was i saying? oh, about finding a "voice". yeah, i don't get that. it changes, based on your audience, don't you think? and now here i am talking about my "audience" like i'm pat freaking benatar or something (sigh, a girl can dream), and that's weird too.

you know what? i'm going to go out on a limb and assume that if you read here, you think my voice is just fine, so thanks for that. clearly, i'm going through a self-conscious phase about my writing. (a phase, which if i'm being honest, has lasted, oh, about 30 years.)

this post also assumes one other thing: that you are cool with gratuitous photos of babies with heart-shaped nostrils. i mean, i don't really know for sure. maybe you hate babies. or (gasp) maybe you hate heart-shaped nostrils?!? i have no way of knowing. but then what's the alternative?

NOT posting pictures of the one-month-old baby with his special, magical nostrils?

impossible.

right?

right?!

(are you totally disturbed by the crazy postpartum lady talking to herself? don't tell me. tell me? oh, geez. i'm going to hit "publish" now, even though it's safe to say this post is proof that if blogging is weird, bloggERs are even weirder.)

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update: it's been pointed out to me that none of these photos really showcase The Nostrils. here's a good one from instagram: heart-shaped nostrils. go ahead, pin like crazy. :)

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diy valentine heart rings

olivia's very cool older cousin runs an etsy shop where she sells handmade polymer clay jewelry. (check it out. a teenage artist and entrepreneur = i wish i were that awesome.) anyway, she showed olivia the ropes over the summer, and olivia's been hooked on polymer clay crafting ever since. we decided to make these heart rings as valentines that she took to a party last weekend. they turned out so well, i asked insisted she make one for me too. cute, right? you know you want one too.

as for the boy, we sadly didn't get around to making any manly valentines this year, but if we did, i'd want them to be as cool as these:

"wild about you" animal valentines by casey

"out of this world" astronaut valentines by danielle

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our holidays at home

These days between Christmas and New Year's have been really joyful, corny as that sounds. More than anything, it has to do with being together as a family, and that sounds even cornier. But it's true. When the family is whole and both parents are home, the tone of our days is different. I don't know quite how to describe it--more relaxed, content maybe? All I know is it's nice having The Engineer around during daylight hours. His presence here at home has a stabilizing/comforting effect. There is opportunity for more one-on-one time with the children, and for stolen moments by one's self (without guilt...mostly).

These are the days I am content to stay holed up at home and be...completely ordinary. Read, play board games, watch movies, wear stretchy pants, eat. Oh yes, eat. K and the kids are mostly content to do the same, except when they aren't. And then there they are, coaxing me out of hermit-mode and into the world for a bit of family adventure. We have been to Union Station and to the art museum. Such outings are so much easier with two parents, one of whom is NOT pregnant and big as a house, and once again I'm so grateful to be together for a few days.

Some random bits:

- Peanut butter blossoms are still my favorite Christmas cookie, and the only ones we made this year.

- I'm always on the lookout for fun family board games. Qwirkle is a definite keeper. Good for ages 5 and up.

- Les Mis--I liked it very much.

- I accomplished a long-standing goal and learned how to do a braided crown on Olivia. (See photos. It's not as hard as it looks.)

- I had a birthday.

- I really hope my mother-in-law sends me some of her homemade divinity this week.

- More random bits on Instagram: @cee_dee_oh

Thanks for reading here. I mean that reallytrulysincerely. Wishing you and yours a happy New Year.

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family dinner

hi and happy thanksgiving tomorrow, everybody! don't let the images fool you. we're going out to dinner again this year. and very much looking forward to lots of food + no dishes. :)

but today i'm reminded of this dinner last summer with my siblings and their spouses (and my nephew and his then-girlfriend now-fiance!). an adults-only evening was one of the things i wanted to do most while we were in utah visiting family. my sisters ended up doing most of the prep-work as i was busy surviving/bemoaning the beginning stages of gestating another baby. to my credit, i somehow managed to muster enough energy to boss everyone around about the strict dress code ("no shorts!"). ha. of course my brother made some typical brother-y comment like, "what's the big deal? it's just family." but truthfully, i can't think of any people i'd rather make a big deal for. our about.

are you thinking about family at this time of year? do you have siblings? are you close?

p.s. in case you're wondering, i'm the 6th of 8 kids. big family! two sisters and a brother (and their spouses) weren't able to make it to the dinner, so they are not pictured in the group photo. also, my parents would have been there, but they were on their mission in peru at the time. (they just got home two weeks ago--hi, mom and dad!)

p.p.s. can you believe my sister's yard/house? gorgeous. especially by twinkle light.

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have a happy halloween

here's the gang all dressed up for halloween. you might recognize the chicken costume from years past, but princess buttercup and the wolf are making their handmade holiday debut. (full disclosure: i cried/cursed a little sewing that red dress. and the wolf's costume is all kinds of safety-pinned.)

have a fun and safe holiday! and, hey, if you want to leave a link to your own costume photos in the comments--i'd love to see!

p.s. halloweens 2004–2011

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lucky 13

good news! the engineer made it home from his latest business trip just in time for our 13th anniversary today. while we sort of forgot to make plans to celebrate, it's enough that he is here, carry-on suitcase in hand, full of Kinder Eggs (illegal here in the States, who knew? America, you are weird) and gummy bears and a giant inflatable airplane. as far as i'm concerned, all is right in the world. (for the record, i could have done without the airplane.)

i've been thinking lately about some of the things that make our marriage work. i know you didn't ask, but i feel like talking and it's not often i have such deep thoughts, so warning: unsolicited relationship advice ahead…

1) marry someone who a) laughs at your jokes and b) is not boring. if he has pale green eyes and looks good with (or without) a full beard--well, that is a very nice bonus.

2) put your marriage first. end of story.

3) so many people go their whole lives without ever learning to say "i'm sorry". master the skill of apologizing. (it is a skill.) own up to your mistakes and never just pretend something didn't happen.
 
4) related: forgive each other.

5) be your spouse's favorite person. regularly do and say the kinds of things that will make him/her fall in love with you all over again. it's usually as simple as bringing home gummy bears or wearing red lipstick. do it.

6) say "thank you" at least as many times as "i love you".

7) when times get hard (and they will), forget yourself completely and rescue the one who is drowning, even if you feel like you're barely treading water yourself.

8) be loyal. always speak kindly of your spouse to other people. no exceptions.

9) have adventures together.

what do you think? anything you'd add/change? i'd love to hear your own do's and don'ts.

[nerdy self-photo taken with my iphone in the rain at the Pat Benatar concert last month]

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independence day

we went to breakfast again like last year (sidenote: no buffet this time. we couldn't find one! an unfortunate circumstance we all agreed = distinctly un-american. ha!) and swam and watched fireworks and somewhere in between browsed at the bookstore for new activity books to keep everybody busy in the car on our upcoming road trip. all in all it was a good family day, and for that i am grateful. the long summer days, while completely awesome in many ways, aren't devoid of challenges and i've been pretty discouraged of late by what i perceive to be an excess of negative energy in our home. teasing, arguing, getting on each other's nerves--all of it normal stuff but, you know. sometimes it feels like...a lot. i'm hopeful that a vacation and change of scenery will be just what the doctor ordered.

how are things with you?

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a low-key LEGO birthday

Okay, so Asher turned 6!

On his actual birthday, he was on a Man Campout with K and the other fathers + sons from church. We didn't get to celebrate like we usually do, but the upside is that Asher found a real live skull in the woods, and after bleaching it and baking it (safety update: our smoke detectors work) he now has a super manly keepsake of the day he ceremoniously entered the second half of his first decade of life.

We decided to forego birthday parties in favor of family adventures this year. Asher wanted to go to LEGO Land, so a week or so after his birthday, that is what we did. I wanted it to feel like a birthday, even if were celebrating a week late, so we did it up right and decorated his bed the night before (LEGO colors) and put out surprises like we usually do. There is one major DIY surprise not pictured, but I will show you that in a separate post. (This is me committing. To posting. You are hereby permitted to hold me accountable.)

You'll notice I made a cake. From scratch. It was six layers of LEGO-colored awesomeness that tasted like...nothing special. Ha. We threw 2/3 of it away. Do I still get points for over-achieving?

And there you have it: Asher's 6th birthday. I love birthdays! But most of all, I love Asher. There is so much that is strange/mysterious/endearing about him. He likes the *idea* of candy but rarely eats it. He loves animals and wrestling and inventing and pretending and the outdoors and anything that can be classified (however loosely) as manly. More than anything in the world he wants to grow up to be a...dog. Or a wolf. Mostly a dog.

Oh, he makes me smile. And shake my head. Mostly smile. Happy birthday, Asher!

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hello again

i'm just gonna say it: coming back after a long blawging break is haaaard. somebody say something encouraging. :)

photos are of the delicious mother's day fajita feast prepared by k and kids.

i hope your summer is off to a great start!

p.s. this would make a great summer read. it's non-fiction but reads like fiction. fascinating. loved it.

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