First Kiss

So...Emma Ties decided to make a move on Isaac Orr. From the looks of it, he liked it. could this kiss be just the begining of a beautiful relationship??? Only time will tell. :)

New Art: Water Song

About two years ago I was at an art fair at oakbrook mall and saw this awesome painting with a poem incorporated (I would have loved to buy it but it cost over $1000). I loved the poem so much that I wrote it down and put it in my wallet. I have been wanting to use it in a painting. Below is my newest artwork with poem included.

hard drive gone...

A couple weeks ago my computer wouldn't turn on. It just kept saying cannot find hard drive. This was directly after finding my computer on the floor...I didn't remember leaving it on the floor. After taking it in to diagnose my problem, I found out the my hard drive was damaged beyond repair and beyond getting any info off of it. I could pay $1500 and have another shot at getting the info...but no guarantee. I have been so sad as I have not backed up anything for over a year. All those pictures gone. thank you blog for all the pictures that you have.

Moral of the story - BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER REGULARLY!!!

Now I hope to use this experience as a motivation for more blogging and more backing up my computer.

Yesterday Isaac, Lily, and I took a bikeride to downtown wheaton. It is one of my favorite things to do with the kids. We stop at the park on the way, (the blue park...as Isaac calls it), and then eat lunch by the fountain, then go the popcorn shop and get sweedish fish and popcorn. It was such a beautiful day and so much fun!!! Some pics below.

March and April Highlights

The past month or so has been filled with lots of fun, great weather, and a lot of fun time with family and friends.


On Tuesdays over the past two years we have play group. There are six moms and a combined 12 kids (3 more to be born this summer)! Play group lunch a few weeks back.

Dan's cousin Marcia from Northern Ireland came to stay with us for a week. We had a wonderful time getting to know her and show her around Chicago. We ate lunch at the greatest little cafe in Wicker Park called Mild & Honey. I HIGHLY recommend!

For Easter we took a trip to Cincinnati. The weather was wonderful and it was great relaxing and hanging out. Isaac enjoyed the easter egg hunt. And Isaac and lily got to share a room at Anya (grandma's) house. Kind of a headache, but they were both soooo excited about it. They would be up there laughing and making all kinds of noise and when Dan or I would walk in the room to tell them to be quiet they would both immediately fall down into their cribs and act like they were sleeping. Pretty cute! One other funny side story, is that a week after we got back from Cincinnati we put them to sleep at a friends house and we all went out to dinner. When we got home I asked Ricky (babysitter) how it went. He said...well once I put them into their own pack -n- plays they went to sleep. He had assumed that I put them together in one crib. When actually after we left Isaac had crawled out of his and into Lily's.

Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds.

Hanging out in Anya's kitchen.

Lily's sweetest little easter dress. A gift all the way from New Zealand!

When we returned home from Cincinnati our entire yard was FILLED with daffodils!! I actually counted over 700. Seriously.

Lily enjoying McDonalds play land.

Isaac and Lily sharing bathtime with Kyle.

Good old uncle Mike...with a lap big enough for all the good little boys and grils.

My latest Art Projects

If I had more time on my hands, I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do with all the paintings I would be cranking out. I just LOVE IT!!! I highly encourage anyone who has any desire at all to express themselves through art to just go for it!! It is fun and exciting to create things that express who I am and what I see in the world around me. It is even more than fun and exciting, it is truely life giving. Below are some of my latest creations...

This is my take on a self portrait. I really wanted to find a way to express the way that I feel so many moments and people in my life have all collaborated to create what I am today. I cannot exist apart from all those people/experiences and the way I move out into the world is directly related. So this is my best shot at that. This project brought forth a lot of emotion for me.

A closer look at the pictures that compose my head.

After getting this far, I was really tempted to stop. I just loved the look of the painting without adding any of the pictures. There's a bit more drama here. But in the end I decided to add the pictures because it just got more at what I was trying to express. (I'm still kind of considering going back and painting over the pictures....a work in progress I guess.)

This was just a little project for my friend Bronwen who just had a baby girl named Sage. I loved the name so much that I looked it up and found the most amazing definitions...so that was my inspiration. (It's kind of hard to get the effect of how it actually looks because of the flash on my camera.)

I finally finished my ABC project for Isaac's room. I love how it turned out. Isaac loves his letters.

trains, boggle, and unexpected pancake shapes

We have recently found a fun way to spend a Saturday morning with two little ones. Take the train to a nearby suburb, get off, eat food, walk around, get back on train and go home. It's actually quite fun. The kids love it!! And it's especially fun when friends come with us.

Isaac has been in a real hugging Lily phase. I guess I shouldn't complain and just be happy that has moved out of the "pushing my sister down the stairs and laughing about it" phase.

Isaac is again being a little too affectionate with his sister for her taste. And I just can't get enough of little Ella's smile. So sweet!!

Right when you get off the train in Oak Park there is this little bakery call the Prarie Bread Company. I don't know if it is chain or not, but it is REALLY YUMMY!!!

Isaac just can't get enough of his little sister.

Fam train shot.

I LOVE this picture. It is so perfect. It is so Lily. The other day I decided as a special treat to let her play with the boggle game. Her and Isaac always beg to play with it, but I always say no. I decided to let her one night. And now she is totally obcessed. She will not let Isaac even touch it, which I repect. And as you can see from the look on her face she is VERY protective of her boggle game.

OK...so Dan tells me that I am really immature for taking this picture or thinking this is funny, BUT...I noticed the other day that this pancake somehow formed in the shape of a butt. I thought it was so funny that I just had to take a picture. Hope it might make one of you laugh.

Laughing

These days just seem to be filled with laughter. I love Isaac's take on life and language. It is so innocent and sweet and many times make me laugh so hard!! Two funny stories:

1. This past weekend I was getting ready to take a shower. Isaac was in my room with me while I was changing. He looks over at me and kind of gahsps and says....Mommy...you have a PRETTY BIG butt. I just burst out laughing. I guess it must have been kind of shocking for his little eyes. Because of my laughter he just kept saying it over and over...really great for my self esteem. :)

2. Isaac is in the stage where he is always talking about who has a peepee (boy parts) and who has a peepers (girl parts). The other day we were in the car and he said that sitting behind him in the car were Pac (his imaginary friend), God, and thunder (there had been some thunderstoms that day). He told me that Pac, God, and thunder all have peepees. Good to know Isaac... good to know. :)