Two cute girl pics

Fiona and Rory, playing peekaboo over the side of the couch, and Rory, as captured by Craig dancing in the light of the sunset.

Family flashback time

We were out of town last week for Easter, so I have been too busy to post, and now I am up to my EARS (your ears if you're lucky!) at work. That said, I unearthed these photos on my work computer, and thought they'd be cool to share. The first one is of my sister, Liz, and I when we were young-ins. These pictures were taken at Flanagan's Pond in Glastonbury (I drove by the very same pond last week, and told Craig how we used to ice skate there all the time).

The second picture is of my dad and his sister (Toni) when they were kids - and a bunch of other family member. From left: Delphine (my grandmother - looking at an album), Emmet (my great uncle - behind Delphine, looking down), Lina (my great-grandmother), Toni (my aunt - looking down from behind), Joe (my great-grandfather), Mary (my great aunt), and my dad, Douglas (wasn't he adorable?).

What a classic family photo. I find that everyone looks classier and movie-star-esque in older photographs. I don't think *I* will look that good in photos viewed 60 years hence!

If I made any mistakes in my list, someone in the family needs to let me know. Stat! =>

FIONA WALKS!!

Off she goes!!

On Monday night, as I came through the door from work, Fiona walked from the front window all the way to the top of the stairs. Craig and I were *dumbfounded* and SO excited! Even Rory squealed, "Fiona walked!" So sweet!! And because Fiona weighs 29 pounds, SO nice (my lower back thanks her steady feet, her sturdy legs, and fabulous sense of balance).

Enjoy the video! =)

Jars attack!! (Aka, the hunt for great red sauce)

A while back I was hell-bent on creating the perfect homemade red sauce. I blame this in no small part on local restaurant Buon Appetito, who produces an awesome rendition: nice and tomato-ey, garlicky, and herb-free - a plain, tasty red sauce for the masses. The kids can't eat enough of it.

So anyway, I decided I had to try and make it at home - as close as I could get it, anyway. My friend, Susan, lured them into divulging the general recipe, and I have made it a few times, achieving about a 6 out of 10. Because I can't make fresh sauce all the time, however, I decided to try and find a comparable jar sauce.

I feel compelled to point out that typically, prior to this experiment, we ate almost nothing BUT jar sauce. The shame, I know! (I hope my friend, Martha, isn't reading this - she probably just fell off her chair.)

I embarked what can best be called a "sauce tasting frenzy," buying all major supermarket brands, fancy pants brands (Paul Newman, et al), and other brands previously unknown to me.

I am sad to report that none cut the mustard. None. And only now did I clean the "failures" out of our fridge. What a sight! Imagine the room we have in the fridge now. It's awesome.

Back to homemade sauce I go!

Going home for Easter!

As of this writing, I am pretty sure we will be heading north for Easter. Yay! More details to come, but I think it is a lock. We haven't been up there since November, so it has been a while. Whee haw! Plus, I found out today that I have 70 hours of vacation time that I *must* use before the end of March, or I lose it (aka, I won't get paid for it if I don't use it). That's a lot of vacation time!

So off we go!

Happy birthday, Gramps!!

Gramps turns 68 today! The youngest 68 year old in history. Except, maybe, when Pat crushes him like a bug in table tennis (and possibly court tennis, too). Happy birthday, Gramps!!

Chefs in the making! (and a Sesame Street rant)

BFM (Best Friend Martha) sent the girls these adorable chef hats! Time to teach them to cook... or perhaps we will first start with baking. Less oily splatter!

Maybe it is time for an Easy Bake Oven. Do they still make them, you wonder? Yes!! But now it looks like a microwave. What are we teaching our children??

On another note, a coworker today informed me that Sesame Street is available on DVD (very exciting - I loved that show as a kid). He was out shopping, noticed it, and picked it up to check it out. On the cover was a huge sticker proclaiming the following: that parts of the first two seasons of the show are no longer considered "appropriate" for preschoolers.

Here is the label's text: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.”

Um, seriously?

So now, of course, I can't WAIT to buy them for the girls. Is it that Oscar isn't allowed to be grouchy? That the streets are a bit too rough? That there aren't many white people on the show?

My generation of parents seem hell-bent on protecting our kids from things that aren't relevant. Just my .02.

How's THIS for terrifying?

He may kill me for posting this picture, but the good friend who sent it to me - Harlen - lives hours away from me, so I figure I will have time to run and hide if he heads down South for some butt whoopin'.

Yeah, that's me on the right. What, I didn't mention that I was a blonde all through college? Try not to let that emotionally traumatize you... maybe you find Harlen's glasses more disturbing. Craig thinks he looks like a beat artist (I vote "unabomber").

I'd like to point out that the lovely woman on the left, Kathleen, was gorgeous then - and is gorgeous now. It's tough being friends with people like her. You should see her kids. It's sickening, really. => In a nice way.

This was included in Harlen's email: "When I picked 'A Passage to India' off the shelf a few weeks back, the attached picture fell from between the pages. Try as I might, after looking at it closely, I have no comment." HAH!

I feel like I look SO much better now (if you disagree, keep it to yourself). Not bad for almost 40!!

License to play

Back in March of 2006, I took a 9-month old Rory to Arizona to visit my mom and sister. I didn't want to bring Rory's birth certificate as proof of her existence, so I instead brought her to the DMV and got a child ID card for her. Fiona and I recently went to AZ to visit my mom and Roger, and I did the same for her (we strive for parity in the Mayhew household).

For $10, you get an ID card with your kid's funny face on it, and an amusing memory book item, to boot! Rory's picture is shown first; I think she looks like a drunken elf (about to tip off the chair). Fiona is busily waving at the photographer, who was flailing a toy around to keep her attention front and center.

The entire process takes about two hours, but what doesn't at the DMV? It is well worth the wait. Enjoy!

Fabulous Smarch weather!

It is about 65 degrees, sunny, and lovely here today! Craig and Nana took Rory to the farm this morning, when she apparently ran from creature to creature, happy as a clam (there were no clams at the farm). Fiona is is daycare, getting stiffed.

BTW, the subject line of this post is from a Simpsons episode (isn't everything?).

Henry on the tuffet!

Aunt Lizzie bought Fiona a squishy chair for her birthday, and Craig renamed it "the tuffet" (as in "Little Miss Muffet"). Henry really REALLY likes the tuffet, as you can see!