BrookStina Domestic

Cadillaaaaaac Dinner

2012-01-31T20:44:00.010-05:00

So! Each year, Isobel and Jude's school holds a big fundraising dinner and auction. This year I co-chaired the auction part with my friend Dani. We worked hard and learned a lot. Here are some of the things I learned:

I'm not really a great leader, but I CAN follow directions
I know nothing about planning events
Local businesses here in Greensboro are very kind and generous in their support of B'nai Shalom
Brooke is GREAT at getting out there and talking to people and asking for things. (I already knew this, but I was reminded.)
I miss my kids when I'm away from them a lot.

But you know what? The dinner itself was really fun and successful. I loved seeing so many of my fellow mom friends lookin' fancy! I took advantage of the opportunity to buy a new dress (which I'll also get to wear to Brooke's cousin's wedding in April) and get a professional updo for the first time ever! Unfortunately Brooke was out of state for a food show; it would have been more fun if he had been there for the culmination, especially since he helped so much with all the preparation. Next year I hope we'll be able to attend together.

Don't you love that fabulous pin curl? (Thanks again, Hayley!)

Of course I can't write an entire post without mentioning and presenting photos of my children, so here are some recent favorites:

See? They're still cute. Here are some tidbits about them: Jude has skipped his nap for three days in a row now. I'm starting to worry that the end is near for my long, quiet afternoons. :( On a happier note, Isobel can write her name! She puts a smiley face in the "O" every time, which I think makes her name an adorably accurate representation of her happy, sweet personality.
After watching videos of my niece, Amélie, I realized that it's been ages since I took a video of Jude. So a couple of nights ago I took this one of him and Stella. Enjoy!

Old Salem with the Little Guys

2012-01-27T20:44:00.006-05:00

Remember when I mentioned Old Salem before? Well, recently Jude and I had a little playdate there with Amanda, a friend who has the hookups (a membership) and her little boy, Kingston. This was my first time getting to go in the buildings and see demonstrations of Moravian life. It was awesome!

I love old stuff.

Jude's Room

2012-01-14T14:49:00.016-05:00

About six months ago I posted about Isobel's room. Then I wasted a whole bunch of time feeling guilty about Jude's, since I hadn't really put any effort into making it look like it belongs to him. I had lots of grand ideas: painting the dresser, painting the wall behind the dresser, a painted shelf to display Jude's name block...

None of those things happened.

But since we're hoping to buy a house sometime within the next year or so, I'm just going to leave Jude's room as is and call it good enough. We did hang a few pictures, and it already has a great color on the walls. Jude's is the smallest room by far, but it's my favorite (even though it always smells like diapers) because it gets the most natural light.

So anyway, here's the biggest project that happened in Jude's room: I painted three lowly Ikea spice racks to match a baby gift from Nicole that I wanted to use as the basis for the room's color scheme.

Here they are before books...

And after!

They were really easy and quick to paint and put together. My only complaint is that they aren't very sturdily attached to the wall (I just used nails because I stink at hardware-type things) and if anybody hangs on them they're going to come a-tumblin' down. They've been up for a week, though, with no unfortunate incidents. So maybe it won't be a problem. (Knock on wood.)
Here are a few more views of the room:

I love love love those yellow walls! How do you like the smears of white and blue paint? They're left over from when we painted Isobel's furniture in this room. Maybe it's because I'm used to looking at them or because I know I'm too lazy to do anything about them, but I kind of like the way they look against the yellow.
The prints above Jude's bed are from this awesome etsy shop, Collage-O-Rama. And the cars lined up on his dresser are automoblox: toy cars that are aesthetically pleasing enough that they deserve to be displayed.

Bathtub Rave!

2012-01-10T22:08:00.004-05:00

Glowsticks in the bath, people! It's the simple things that end up being the most successful, amirite?

Christmasy happenings

2012-01-07T13:34:00.015-05:00

This year we stayed here in Greensboro until Christmas day, when we drove up to Pennsylvania to spend the holiday week with Brooke's family. We did the same thing two years ago (before Jude was born) and I really think it is the ideal way to spend the holidays. Of course I miss my own family this time of year; we alternate, so we were in Colorado in 2010 and we'll be there again for Xmas 2012. But I love discovering new things to do around here, and I like having Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in our own home.

Here's one really cool thing: Christmas Eve LoveFeast at Home Moravian Church in Old Salem. It was a beautiful service, with a brass ensemble playing prelude music, coffee and delicious orange and nutmeg rolls for everyone, lots and lots of carols, and colonial-style hand-dipped candles. Isobel felt pretty grown up holding that candle.

Another cool new thing was visiting Burlington City Park with our friends! The carousel, train, visits with Santa and hot chocolate were all free for one special night.
We were also lucky to have Brooke's sister, Allison, come down to spend a few days and then drive up to PA with us. Having a guest made those days leading up to Christmas extra exciting. Here we are in Old Salem after the service:
We made the Greensboro-Carlisle drive in five and half hours (including one stop), which is the fastest it's ever been! Brooke's parents' house is especially homey during the holidays, with lots of little people running around and, on colder days, a fire in the hearth.
Don't worry! I didn't forget about the obligatory photos of the kids in front of the Christmas tree. In fact, we had two fairly unsuccessful photo shoots: one in front of our tree, and one in front of the Shifflers'. Here's what I got:

I always seem to have a terrible time getting good photos in front of the tree. They're either blurry with no flash or washed out with the flash. Anybody have a tip or solution for next year? Or am I just going to have to wait until my kids get old enough to hold still?

We've done a few cool project-type things lately, so stay tuned for another post sometime soon!

December

2011-12-21T16:44:00.008-05:00

Ah, December. Doesn't it seem to go by faster every year? I would really like to spend most of my time cuddling up with Jude and watching TV (though Teletubbies might not be my first choice) but instead I have been rather productive this month.

Isobel has had a bunch of exciting firsts: Attending Disney on Ice with Azucena, having a big girl date (lunch at Liberty Oak and then The Nutcracker) with the Lufts, and performing with her class in the school's annual Chanukah Show.

Jude sat on Santa's lap for the first time today but other than that he's mainly been a passenger/spectator or the one at home with a babysitter. It's a good thing he's so laid back- he doesn't care (or doesn't realize) he's missing out. He did get to watch the old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with me and Isobel tonight (another first for both of them).

Brooke and I attended our first ever Roller Derby Bout last weekend and IT WAS TOTALLY WICKED. People, here's some advice: look up your local Roller Derby. Attend a bout. You will enjoy yourself!

The next few days will be exciting, too- lots of dinners with friends and Aunt Allison coming to visit (yay!) before we head up to Pennsylvania. Isobel is most excited about visiting Safari Nation tomorrow.

So, without further ado, photos from The Nutcracker! These appear courtesy of Dani, since I (as usual) forgot the camera. Isobel and Shaina got to meet Clara!

And a video of Kitat Nitzan performing The Dreidel Song. This is a professional one, and the quality is 100 times better than the one I took and posted on facebook. Isobel and friends come on at about the 6 minute mark.

And finally...

Happy Holidays, everybody!

School Portraits

2011-12-02T21:22:00.006-05:00

Those are my children! MY children! I almost didn't bother having them take school portraits this year because the prints are so ridiculously expensive and I feel like I can generally get better photos myself. But there's something special about that cheesy blue background, maybe because I remember having similar pictures of myself taken every year.
And I have to admit that I'm happy with these pictures. Doesn't Isobel look so grown up? I feel like that chapped lip is the only thing in the photo that makes her look four instead of fourteen. Jude looks so handsome with his rockstar hair. I'm so proud of these babies!

Thanksgiving!

2011-12-02T20:18:00.014-05:00

As has become our habit, we spent Thanksgiving in Pennsylvania with Brooke's family. We had a really nice visit, lots of quality family time, and even a midnight showing of a certain movie.

Thanksgiving morning we went to a park for a walk and some kickball/frisbee play time. I hope this will become a new tradition; it was so nice to get out and get some fresh air and exercise before all the cooking and then the feast. Of course, this year it helped that the weather cooperated. It was a perfectly crisp (but not cold) Fall day, and everybody had fun. Of course I forgot the camera, so Instagram saved the day as usual.

Nicole let me fool around with her camera and I got lucky and snapped a new favorite of Jude. Look at that cutie-pie! Just look at him! :)
And while you're looking, you can also take a peek at our feast, provided by Brooke's mom and dad. We ate like kings (thankfully, of course).

And finally, here is Isobel raising a potato masher in triumph!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

I am the luckiest girl in the world.

2011-11-16T14:32:00.007-05:00

Brooke went to New York on business and I got to tag along! Isobel and Jude had a great time here in Greensboro with Brooke's parents, who came down to watch them. Lucky, lucky, lucky!

I haven't spent much time in New York, but I love what I've seen of it. Highlights this time included visiting my friend Claire in Brooklyn, eating incredible French food at Les Halles, hearing Jeffrey Eugenides (a favorite author) read at the 92nd Street Y, and seeing a tiny fraction of the amazingness that is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a fantastic trip.

AND I got new boots. Yaaaaay!

RenFest Instagram Photo Dump

2011-11-07T20:21:00.007-05:00

Saturday last we did with joye partake in ye olde Carolina Renaissance Festival. Forsooth, the Shiffleren did party like 'twas 1499! Feast thine eyes anon!

(ok, a few explanations: Isobel rode the camel with total strangers because we were too cheap to pay another $5 for Brooke or me to ride with her. She was also asked to dance on stage with some rather unenthusiastic child performers who were accompanied by their father on the lute. And she got to hold a very sweet goose or duck or something and pet it. Brooke bought me a stem of beautiful orchids. It was a good time for all.)

October IV: Halloween

2011-11-01T11:02:00.007-04:00

For the last few years, we haven't made Jack-o-Lanterns. It makes a mess, it's one more thing to do in a busy afternoon before trick-or-treating, and (this is the main reason) I'm not very good at it. But this year Isobel was old enough to know that pumpkin carving is a part of this holiday, and she really wanted to do it. When I asked what kind of face she wanted to do, she requested "sneaky." So I tried, but we wound up with something that looked kinda like a demented hillbilly baby. The photo above doesn't really capture it. I guess that's one good thing about jack-o-lanterns: I am so clumsy with a knife that I usually wind up with something way weirder-looking (and, hence, creepier) than I intended.

Hope you had a safe and happy Halloween!

October III: Grandma and Papa Visit

2011-10-30T20:11:00.013-04:00

Brooke's parents came to celebrate Isobel's birthday, too, a few days after the fact. It has been a whole month of celebrating Iso!
We had several outings with Grandma and Papa. One was the Lexington BBQ Festival. As you might remember from this post, Lexington is a town south of here that is famous for its own special style of barbeque. I expected the festival to be sort of a small-town podunk affair, with various local barbeque restaurants hawking their pulled pork.
Boy oh boy, was I wrong. It stretched on for blocks and blocks! We never even found any actual barbeque, there were multiple stages set up for ongoing live music, and there were all kinds of vendors. It brought on flashbacks of the State Fair experience last year. I kinda regret passing on the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to taste deep fried butter.
Another outing with Grandma and Papa: our pumpkin patch expedition. This was our third year visiting this farm and, as always I took lots of photos.

Isobel and Jude had a great time. I get a little sentimental when I see my kids frolicking on a farm, and especially running through a cornfield. Even though I don't really have a rural background myself, it still feels like going back to our roots somehow.

And finally, a few recent photos I'm proud of:

(The old tree stump in our back yard has erupted with mushrooms. They are the perfect subjects)

(one more from the farm)

October II: Isobel's Birthday Party

2011-10-29T21:09:00.017-04:00

Here we are in the second installment of the Brookstinobelude October series! Huzzah!

We held Isobel's birthday at Artquest, an art studio for kids downtown. Last year was a church friends party, so this year was a school friends party. And I'm not gonna lie, it was so much easier to do it somewhere other than our house. Artquest had a party coordinator who kept the kids pretty well entertained. They made birthday crowns, then ate pizza, then made play-dough, then had cake and finis! Very low stress for mommy and the other parents, and lots of fun for the chilrens. So without further ado, the photos:

I love looking at these photos! Isobel is lucky to have so many good friends to celebrate with her. Yesterday she said "Mommy, I wish I could go to school every single day," and I know it's because she loves all of her friends (and her teacher) so much. I can't believe she's four already! Such a big girl. I am so proud of her.
P.S. - Note which hand Jude is using to stab that play-dough! I suspect him of being a southpaw.

October I: Nana and Grandad visit for Isobel's Fourth Birthday

2011-10-23T14:36:00.039-04:00

Oh boy, it's been another month! And what an eventful October it has been. I was going to do one huge monster post, but I got overwhelmed just thinking about it. So I'm going to do a series instead.
My fantastic parents came to visit for Isobel's birthday, and we did lots of fun things. One of those things was visiting Pilot Mountain State Park.

This was my dad's first time ever visiting North Carolina, and my mom hasn't been here since Jude was a newborn. So we were especially excited to have them here.

Here are some photos of the actual birthday day:

Why do I have so much trouble coming up with post titles?

2011-09-25T17:03:00.014-04:00

Yay, it's time for our monthly Brookstinobelude update! I'll start posting more when we have more news (which, actually, could be soon) and/or when I have more free time. Stay tuned, bear with me, all that junk. Until then...

We haven't had too many opportunities to hand down clothes from Isobel to Jude, so it's pretty exciting that these skeleton jammies are seeing their second Shiffler family go-round. I love them. I also just really like Stella in both of the photos with Jude. She's like a doggy model or something. Isobel is fresh out of the bath in that photo, so that explains the slicked-back mullet hair.

I don't usually think the kids look much alike, but seeing them at around the same age and wearing the same clothes, I can kinda see some resemblance.

Here they are on the first day of school! I've spread this picture around a bit, so it may not be new to you. I like it because it captures their attitudes toward school and their personalities in general. Isobel is eagerly looking to the next exciting thing; Jude is warily clinging to something solid and safe.

Actually, it's not fair to simplify Jude that way. He's very loving and enthusiastic once he warms up. He totally digs school now. And both of my kids are wonderfully easy-going if we're considering the broad spectrum of neuroticism.

I guess Jude is a sitter and Isobel is a rover.

Moving on, I'm going to post a few images I've been using to make greeting cards, in case anyone wants to use them. Aaaaand, I was going to post "via"s, but I'm too lazy to find the pictures all over again. So I hope nobody gets too mad.

I used the first for a first birthday card, with a number one on the chalkboard. The second and third were for new baby cards, for a girl and boy respectively. I actually upped the exposure and contrast on the girl one to get rid of the gray- let me know if you want that version and I will gladly send it to you. Enjoy!

OBX 2011: Photos

2011-09-05T15:41:00.008-04:00

Wherever you go, there you are!

2011-08-12T10:38:00.015-04:00

So... remember how I mentioned in my last post that we were in Utah? Well, guess what! I forgot my camera on that trip. That's why the professional photos are the only ones we have. But then, a couple of weeks later, we went to Pennsylvania and (huzzah!) I remembered the camera. We had some good times at the Army heritage trail, despite the abominably hot, HOT heat. In that first photo everybody is taking a relaxing break in the relatively shady life-size replication of a WWI trench.

My children were terribly uncooperative. They just didn't appreciate the many adorable photo opps around all that period stuff. Luckily, Johanna and Caroline obeyed me and posed for a photo. Aren't they pretty!

And Jude, since he was restrained, didn't really have a choice. He gives a good stink eye, doesn't he?

Speaking of Jude, he had his first haircut while we were in Carlisle! Well, technically this was his second haircut; my grandma sneak-attacked his bangs while we were in Utah, thereby accentuating the mullet and encouraging us to finally get our shaggy boy cleaned up. Here's the before and after.

Other highlights included swimming in Grandma and Papa's pool and watching a movie with the cousins. (The pool photo was taken before the haircut, by the way.)

Back at home, Stella puts up with Isobel's love and Brooke plays our NEW (to us) PIANO!!

I found the "free to a good home" piano on craigslist. It needs some work, but it has a beautiful, rich tone and it looks GREAT in our living room. After we get back from our trip to the beach, we're going to have it tuned/repaired. I'm pretty much giddy with the idea that we can FINALLY make music in our own home. Hooray!

I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking.

2011-08-03T16:44:00.009-04:00

A thousand thanks to Kelly Anderson, who took these beeeeeautiful pictures about a month ago at the Meibos Family Reunion in Bear Lake, UT. She made us look so good! Go ahead and click each pic if you want to get up close and personal.

And my favorite photo of all:

Isobel's Room (with shout-outs)

2011-07-01T11:58:00.010-04:00

As promised, here is a post about Isobel's room and the many fantastic friends who contributed to it.

Can you spot the remnants of the patriotic teddy bear print? Yep, all that's left of it is the frame, which I painted yellow. I really like the way it draws the eye toward the vinyl peacock decal. A friend, Mary, helped me apply the decal; I'd never done one before. The frame was an easy and cheap project ($5.00 for the print/frame at Goodwill- isn't that kinda steep? And a coat of primer and two coats of paint, both leftover from the nightstand) but not as easy and cheap as the lamp Brooke and I spray-painted a couple of weeks ago.

Last fall, our friend Arminda generously gave us her childhood bedroom set, after her own daughter graduated to more teenagery furniture. The bed, nightstand, and dresser (from a line called Bonnet, by Sears) were in great condition and really cute, but we wanted to make them our own. And I wanted to coordinate with the rug we already had (thanks, Mom Shiff!) and the beautiful blue and yellow fabric art made by Nicole.

So we painted them! This was a big project. Brooke sanded the furniture, then we primed it and painted it and applied the new hardware.

THEN, a couple of months ago, my ultra-talented friend Rachel came over and painted peacocks on the dresser and nightstand. I LOVE them!

I've put way more thought and effort into Isobel's room than any other room in the house, and I love the way it looks now! If only it weren't for those drab purplish-gray walls...
But no. It's time to turn my attention to Jude's pitifully under-decorated room. But first, one more photo of Isobel's bed. I was nervous about painting it turquoise, and it took some convincing to get Brooke on board. But I'm so glad I did.
Have a GREAT holiday weekend, all y'all!

A Project

2011-06-24T22:11:00.014-04:00

Last weekend (on my birthday!) I spray-painted something for the very first time.
Well, ok, so Brooke actually did the first coat because I was afraid I would mess it up. And he did a great job. This lamp belonged to his grandparents, and I have always loved it. But I wanted to make it stand out a little more, and Nicole suggested spray paint. Check out the metamorphosis!

The whole endeavor took, like half an hour and cost about $2.50. We got the paint that is intended for plastic, so there was no sanding or priming and each coat took only 15 minutes to dry. Next up is Jude's dresser, which will soon be a lovely shade of green! In lieu of photos of the dresser, here's Jude himself, just waking up from a nap:
I love the yellow walls, but I can't take credit for them- they were already painted when we moved in. I haven't done anything in his room, but I do have plans. Isobel's room is nearly finished (or as finished as any room ever is) and I'll be doing a post with photos as soon as I finish this one last project that involves this gem:
I know, I know, you'll be in suspense until them. What oh what will Christina do with that $5.00 Patriotic Teddy Bear print from Goodwill?? You'll just have to wait and see.

In other news, Isobel and her BFF Shaina had ballet camp every morning this week and they were ADORABLE. And they loved it. And they were adorable, did I mention that?

The Coast!

2011-06-17T15:47:00.029-04:00

At the beginning of this week we took a quick trip down to Wilmington with Brooke's parents for a little coastal getaway. We were only there for two nights, but it was a lovely retreat. We went to the Ft. Fisher Aquarium (which we also visited during our trip South at the end of January) and I bit my tongue, once again, about the hideous alligators.

I have a major problem with crocodiles and alligators. But the last thing I want is for Isobel to pick up on my fear and adopt it. So I try really hard not to show my discomfort, and you know what? Pretending not to be afraid has actually helped me to be a little less afraid, I think. So it's good for everyone involved.

It's getting easier and easier to take good photos of Isobel, now that she's old enough to understand what I mean when I say to hold still and look toward (or away from) the camera.

Contrast Jude, who has suddenly turned into an active toddler. You'll notice there aren't very many pictures of just Jude in this post. Can't you just see him begging to be let loose from the stroller?

And yes, we spent some time at Wrightsville Beach. It was glorious. Cool water, not too choppy, soft sand, empty stretches of beach... ahhhh. I handed the camera over to Brooke's parents, and they got some great photos of us all frolicking during the "golden hour" late in the afternoon.

(p.s. - Note my new swimming suit! It's my birthday present to myself! I'm so happy!)

Anyway, here are the promised beach photos. I love them.

I'm having formatting problems, so we're just going to let this last photo of me and Brooke be down below the Isobels rather than between them.
You win this round, stupid Blogger.

Awesome Isobel

2011-06-12T16:19:00.007-04:00

I am really proud of my big three-and-a-half-year-old girl, Isobel. She just finished up her first year of preschool, she's growing up incredibly fast, and she's just really cool. So it's high time I bragged about her a bit.

Firstly: She's got this facility with strangers that just blows my mind. She introduces herself to everyone we see, and she's totally confident that they will love her. When we go to a park or museum, she usually makes a friend right away and spends her time playing with that new friend. I don't know how much of this is childhood innocence, but I can't tell you how much I hope she keeps this outgoing, confident personality through adolescence and into adulthood. What an asset, to be an extrovert!

Secondly:

The girl is coordinated, athletic, and fearless. She wows (and, occasionally, frightens) other parents at our local park with her junglegym skillz, like hanging upside down, swinging standing up, and sliding down the fireman's pole. She's also REALLY close to being able to do the monkey bars on her own (something I was never capable of).

Thirdly:
She is gentle, patient, and at-ease with animals. She and Stella do annoy each other sometimes, but generally they're good together and Isobel really loves all animals. She's not crazy about bugs, but she's getting more and more comfortable with them as she gets older. I'm always proud of her when we're out and about and she shows good dog-greeting etiquette.

A few other tidbits: her favorite word today is "appetite," she loves to paint and draw with markers, she can count to three in several languages, and she's beautiful, agreeable, and kind. What more could I ask? Isobel is the greatest.

Jude is also the greatest. I wouldn't want you to think I'd forgotten him, so here's some babycuteness for you:

Jude can walk!

2011-06-03T10:28:00.002-04:00

Liver Bread Recipe (with mouthwatering photos!)

2011-05-31T17:21:00.055-04:00

Liver Bread (via)

Ingredients:
· 1 lb liver (any kind- I used chicken livers)
· 1 cup flour (any kind- I used Self-Rising this time, but the texture was better with regular old All Purpose)
· 1 cup corn meal
· 2 Tbsp garlic powder (more or less)
· 1 Tbsp oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and oil it.

2. Dump the livers into a blender and puree.

3. Mix in all the other ingredients.

4. Spread liver mixture over foil. Bake for about 25 minutes. Open all the windows in your house; the smell will be overpowering.

5. Let cool. Slice into bite-size chunks- a pizza cutter works well. (I forgot to oil the foil this time around and so had to flip the bread over and peel the foil off the back before cutting it up.) Divide and store, refrigerated or frozen, in ziploc baggies.

Enjoy!

Mountains n' Sterrrburry pickin'

2011-05-22T16:56:00.016-04:00

[Here's what you've been waiting for: a post by Brooke! Enjoy.]

Recently we had a Saturday morning free, so rather than rise at the crack o' noon and mutter about the darn kids across the street that are always gettin' into our recycling and playing with the bottles and cans to make Björk-like music at two in the a.m., we went in search of nature's gifts to fill our empty bellies. I'm talking about strawberries. We picked a few baskets worth, then got the heck out of there before the workers had a chance to realize that Jude had eaten his bodyweight's worth of free berries.

Christina got all haute couture on me after I mentioned that James McAvoy had been spotted down at the local Golden Corral. She swore she would converse with him over Snackums and Skillet Cornbread and she was so excited about the prospect that she screamed "MAAAAACAVOY" and bit this hole in the rug. Isobel snapped the pic on the right below while Mommy was gone for the next 36 hours with McAvoy on the set of his next documentary movie: "American Food Buffets: Why I love those wee houses of deliciousness."

Then we took our redneck coonhound to the top of the Pilot Mountain so she could feel at home with all the squirrels and birds and other rednecks.

Isobel, 3 and a half, is the prettiest girl in the whole wide world. Just try and deny it. You'll find yourself in a world of hurt if Stella hears.

PA

2011-05-14T13:47:00.015-04:00

Six cousins in a box!

We love visiting Brooke's family in Carlisle. It's so convenient, having two of his three siblings AND their parents, all in the same town. And that town is a manageable six-hour drive from us. Now if only we could get Allison to move in an Easterly direction. Actually, I'd like all of my family to move Eastward, too. C'mon, people!

But yes, a highlight of this trip was the fantastic and enormous sandbox that Bobby built for the twins' birthday. My children LOVE sand. LOVE. More often than not, Isobel comes home from preschool with sand in her hair and shoes and underwear.

Another highlight was watching Stella and Maggie play together. Maggie is Brooke's parents' Brittany puppy; she's about a month older than Stella. They loved each other! It was a huge relief for me to not have to watch Stella all the time; she and Maggie (and the ol' timer, Simon) ran around the Shifflers' nice big yard all week. Next time we go up, I'll have to remember to get a video of puppy playtime. They were moving too fast for me to really get any good photos with both pups in the same frame.

Grandma and Papa have a nice-looking and sort of working piano that we all like to play a bit when we visit. We don't have a piano, so all four of us fight over anything with 88 keys. I try not to think about how ridiculous it is that I have a degree in piano performance; I only play about once a week, in church. Brooke, whose playing-by-ear abilities are miraculous, has even fewer opportunities. How depressing. Now I'm feeling sorry for us, which I should definitely not do because we have this adorable JUDE to gaze at all day every day!

This last photo is by Nicole. Oh, how I love it so!

Remember that holiday we had last month?

2011-05-06T13:59:00.010-04:00

What was it called again? It was so long ago, I almost don't remember... oh yeah! Easter! We celebrated it!

We had a very quick egg hunt in the front yard. Yes, one of the most glorious things about living here is that an outdoor egg hunt is actually possible! When I was a kid we almost always celebrated Easter indoors, since Spring is still Winter in the Midwest.

One of our holiday traditions is Mommy trying to get both children to sit nicely and look at the camera. HAHA! It's a hilarious game. Here are the fruits of my labors this time around:

On Easter Sunday we drove up to Brooke's parents' house in PA and stayed for the following week so that I could attend Yoga for Congo Women, this incredible benefit event organized by Nicole. It was a very nice visit, and I have lots of pictures of Cousin BFFs and Puppy BFFs to share. I'll do another post soon.

Life with Puppy: week one

2011-04-16T18:03:00.011-04:00

Not long before we brought Stella home, I was talking to a friend of mine and I mentioned that we were getting a puppy. She said, "Oh, wow. Get ready to have another newborn!" And I was all, "I know, right?!" I mean, I had read FOUR puppy training/preparedness books and I had dogs growing up, so I felt like I knew what I was getting myself into. And there haven't been too many surprises. It's just an adjustment, having another family member.

Those photos make it look like she sleeps all the time, but the fact is that she's moving too fast for photos when she's awake. She does take several naps a day, but overall Stella's not much like a newborn. She's more like a toddler who doesn't wear a diaper, doesn't speak English, and has very sharp teeth.
BUT, I gotta give Stella some props, too. She's a real champ in the housebreaking department! I don't think I need to go into more details with that, but yeah. She's doing well. And as puppies go, she's really quite calm. A few times a day she'll get rowdy and clobber the kids, and I'm not sure how to get her to stop doing that. I'd love some advice from you veteran dog owners.
Walks are fun, and I like that having Stella has forced us to get out more than we usually do. So far we've been good about taking her for at least two walks a day, and today we even got out in nature. Complete with lake and forest. Beeeeeeautiful. My favorite of the pictures below is the one in which Isobel looks like some kind of intense warrior maiden. Too bad I didn't dress her tough-looking clothes.
Check out Stella's shiny red coat! She so purdy. I tried and tried to get a photo of her holding still AND looking at the camera, but had no luck today.

Stella!

2011-04-09T20:52:00.007-04:00

She is wrinkly and soft and cuddly and good. We love her.

I thrive best hermit-style, with a beard and a pipe.

2011-03-30T09:51:00.009-04:00

I haven't left the house since Sunday. We all have colds, the weather's been uncooperative, and Brooke is in Las Vegas at a food show. Not the funnest week ever, but not the worst either. And I can't really complain because we had an awesome weekend! It was the big NO KIDS trip up to the wedding in Baltimore, and everything went swimmingly. I took a few photos with my phone (thank you, instagram, for helping me to not regret forgetting my camera).

The wedding was held in an incredible library in The Peabody Institute- Johns Hopkins' well-respected music school. It was a stunning setting, a lovely ceremony, and a lot of fun. Nicole captured the event with beautiful photos that you can see here if you're into wedding stalking. (I know I am.) Here's one of my favorites:
And while I'm at it, I've got a few other fairly recent instagram pics to share. I love this app.

in time of daffodils

2011-03-23T14:52:00.014-04:00

in time of daffodils (who know
the goal of living is to grow)
forgetting why,remembering how
in time of lilacs who proclaim
the aim of waking is to dream,
remember so (forgetting seem)
in time of roses (who amaze
our now and here with praise)
forgetting if, remember yes
in time of all sweet things beyond
whatever mind may comprehend,
remember seek (forgetting find)
and in a mystery to be
(when time from time shall set us free)
forgetting me, remember me

- e.e.cummings

New hobbies, a dress, and puppy love

2011-03-15T13:07:00.011-04:00

A few weeks ago we had Brooke's parents down for a quick visit to celebrate Jude's birthday. His mom brought her faincy new camera and got this fantastic portrait of Jude.I'm honestly a little obsessed with that photo. His fuzzy hair, his expression, those serious dark eyes... she really "captured" little Jude.

She also took this shot of Isobel participating in one of her new favorite activities: climbing. We have these decorative iron grates on either side of our side door that hold up a little roof. Isobel climbs them all the way to the top, until her feet are at my eye level. It makes me a little nervous, since she's surrounded by our concrete patio; I tend to hover. But she gets up and down just fine, and the girl seems to have no fear.

Apparently, little Brooke was a never-tiring ball of energy who used to climb the doorjams inside the house. Is the urge to climb things a hereditary trait?

And is loving to read hereditary? Because Jude has a new hobby, too! Books.

We've cultivated a pretty nice collection of children's books, and they're shelved on an Expedit bookcase in Isobel's room. Jude likes to take all of them (or as many as possible) off the shelves. Note his glee.

I usually let him get away with this, though, because it's a pretty safe and healthy thing for him to get into. And the best part is that he'll usually sit there and flip through the books, looking and pointing at pictures, for a few minutes all by himself. It is adorable. One of my biggest hopes is that my children will love reading as much as I do. And maybe someday they'll also learn to love the rather time-consuming task of putting away the books.

In other news, I finally bought a dress for the wedding Brooke and I will be attending next weekend! The original three contenders were all sold out in my size, but that's ok because I'm in love with the Ingrid dress from Shabby Apple. Hold up. Can I just say how much I HATE HATE HATE that brand name? HATE. It's so stupid, and it doesn't match the style of clothing at all. But obviously I got over my hatred to some degree, since I now own a dress (at left) with a tag that says Shabby Apple. Now if only I could resist rolling my eyes every time I read those words.

To answer the question everyone must be wondering, no I did not lose enough weight to justify this purchase. I ran out of time and so I just bought the dress I wanted. Cheating didn't really work out so well, though, because it fits like a glove. Like the glove O.J. Simpson tried on to prove he wasn't guilty. I'll definitely be more comfortable in it once I lose a few more pounds.

But enough about me. Let's talk about PUPPIES! We are getting one! In a few weeks! I can hardly wait! I grew up with dogs, and weaning Jude gave me puppy fever bad. I read about lots of different breeds, conferred with Brooke the small dog h8r, and settled on a Redbone Coonhound. Here are some photos- the first is of our puppy (or possibly her sister) from a few weeks ago. The second is a redbone at about 8 weeks- the age she'll be when we bring her home.

zOMG!!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I've been reading about puppies and puppy training nonstop. I haven't settled on a name, but I've narrowed it down quite a bit. Please help me out by voting in my poll (see top right of this page).

Oyvay, this post has gotten long. I think that's it for now.

one.

2011-02-25T19:55:00.016-05:00

I can hardly believe that one year ago today Jude was born. A year sounds like such a long time for him to have been with us, but then I also think "He's still such a baby! Can he really be a whole year old?" And what a wonderful baby he is. He's so calm and sweet and (if I do say so my self) cute as a bug's ear. We love him to bits! I'm so happy to have him in our family.

To celebrate we had a nice little lunch party with our friends, The Warings (Ashley made the cool cut-out at left!), before Brooke left for a business trip this afternoon.

I think we'll leave the photo garland up for about a week, and then I'll dismantle it and put it in a photo album. I did the same thing for Isobel's first and second birthdays. I forgot to do it for her third birthday. Yeah, I'm a bad mom. So maybe it'll just be a baby thing. Actually, I think it'd be cool to do it as a New Year decoration, with the family's best photos from the previous year.
Those cupcakes are nutella flavored, and they were delicious. I have no idea why they're concave, though. Can any of you master bakers explain that to me? I followed the recipe to a T, honest!

Good times were had, especially by Jude. Can you imagine what it would be like to experience cupcakes for the first time? Talk about a red letter day for him. The only other time he's had sugar (to my knowledge) was about a week ago when Isobel sneaked him an Oreo. And he only had it for, like, 30 seconds before I snatched it away from him.

Happy birthday, little loverboy.

Catch Up

2011-02-20T17:26:00.010-05:00

At the beginning of this month, we had a visit from some of our very favorite people in the whole wide world. It was fun, and crazy, and fun. I'm not sure why I didn't take very many pictures. Might've been because we spent a lot of time indoors and I don't feel confident about the photos I take without natural light, so I didn't even bother. These are Nicole's beautiful captures:

We got to celebrate Brooke's birthday with NicoBob & Co. Brace yourself; this photo doesn't feature a delicious and lovely birthday cake.
Brooke doesn't particularly like cake (or any manner of sweets, really) so he requested his favorite cookies. They are known affectionately in my family as "Gorilla Turds." Nicole's family calls them "Poo Burgers." I like how both names are sort of the opposite of euphemisms. Which moniker is less appetizing?
And lastly, a photo of everyone squinting into the sun. Thanks for the memories, guys! Come again SOON!
(Oh, and if that wasn't enough Shiffler family excitement for you, you can check out Nicole's posts about the trip: 1, 2, and 3.)

Bald Head Island, Ft. Fisher, Kure Beach

2011-02-04T22:28:00.014-05:00

Last weekend, we went down to the shore. Instead of babbling about the good times we had, I'm just going to post a bunch of photos. Enjoy!

Frosting Sandwich!

2011-01-27T11:05:00.013-05:00

Endless January got you down? Here's my prescription: One (or four) Frosting Sandwich(es) ! So easy! So sugary! So delicious! So bad for you!
Yep, it's just what it looks like. Take a graham cracker, break it in half. Spread frosting (leftover from some much more exciting baked good) on one half, cover it with the other half. Enjoy blissfully.

At least, enjoy it for a few minutes until the crushing guilt sets in. :((((((((( I seem to suffer from an unending cycle of guilts: Eater's Remorse, Buyer's Remorse, Imperfectionist's Remorse, repeat. And I've decided to take action and break the Eater's Remorse, even if it means leaning a little more heavily on the Buyer's Remorse. (We'll worry about that last one some other time.) Here's what I mean:

If I don't publicly state a goal, it gets conveniently forgotten. So this is going to count as my public forum. And it's not a goal so much as a bribe. If I lose 5 to 10 pounds by the end of March, I will get to buy a new dress to wear to Brooke's cousin's wedding in Baltimore. 5 lbs.=$50 for said dress. 10 lbs.=$100. It's significant that it will be a dress; I will have weaned Jude (FINALLY, HOORAY) and so I will actually get to wear non-breastfeeding-friendly clothing for the first time in a year. Here are some of the lovelies I'm thinking about, all of them from modcloth:

<----The Deuce Coupe Darling Dress.
Too hausfrau-ish for a wedding?

The About the Artist Dress.------>
Too funeral-ish for a wedding?

The Soda Fountain Dress in Grape! Just right! If only my size weren't sold out. Boohoo.

I'm definitely still in the market. Have you seen any desirable dresses lately? What do you think of these ones? This will be the first (FIRST) non-Mormon wedding I've ever been to, and I'm not totally sure about the dress code. Am I way off?

Household Happenings

2011-01-13T12:44:00.011-05:00

It's cold here. We've been spending lots of time at home and, after the excitement of The Holidays, that's ok by me. One of Isobel's new favorite hobbies is removing the cushions from the couch. It's an incredibly effective method of instantly making our house look disheveled!

A couple of days ago we made cupcakes (From a box. Well, the frosting wasn't from a box. It was from a canister.) and Isobel went hog-wild with the sprinkles. She had been asking to make cupcakes for a while, but I think really she just wanted to wear her pretty new apron and cover something yummy with sprinkles. The little jar of sprinkles lasted for about three cupcakes and those were her cupcakes. I'm happier eating plain old cream cheese frosting anyway, but there's no denying that her sprinkliest one is the definitely the prettiest.

Today our big activity will be the library downtown, and these kids are dressed for something much fancier and more tropical. I just can't resist putting them in their adorable matching retro Aloha-wear made by Aunt Nicole.
I have a cute anecdote to share! Back in December we checked out Pocahontas from the library and watched it for a "Special Movie Night" (Special Movie Nights, complete with "salty popcorn," are one of the most exciting things that ever happen in Isobel's little world). She liked the movie ok, and I had fun watching it; it had probably been 15 years since I'd last seen Pocahontas.
The next day Isobel walked around the house beating on things and singing "SAVAGES, SAVAGES, BARELY EVEN HUMAN!" The song that stuck with Isobel most from the movie was Savages. Not one of the pretty songs about love and nature, oh no. She loves the one about war and hatred. *facepalm*
Then, when we were in Colorado, my Mom heard her singing "Cabbages, Cabbages, barely even human!" And then, when we were picking Brooke up at the airport in Raleigh and meeting him at the Baggage Claim, it became "Baggages, baggages, barely even human!" Haha! She is some kind of creative genius.

And, the moment you've all been waiting for. A video of Jude:

С Новым Годом!

2011-01-02T19:28:00.010-05:00

Our camera was among the approximately 1,000 important things I failed to pack for our trip to Colorado. So these babies were taken with my mom's little coolpix, which is kind of a fun little camera even if the quality isn't quite what I'm used to. Oh well, any photographic evidence is better than none? Here is Isobel enjoying sledding for the very first time!

And here are the chil'ren in all their Christmas Eve finery!

And here's my adorablest, newest little niece, Amélie!

Other highlights included me running a 5K in single-digit weather on New Year's Day, and Brooke and Spencer rocking out.

And lastly, never fear! I bring good tidings of Jude being cute and angry!

Farewell to Fall and Happy Hanukkah!

2010-12-07T16:44:00.011-05:00

Don't let that photo fool you; I took it a couple of weeks ago, before it suddenly got COLD here in North Carolina. Jude has gotten pretty good at smiling for the camera. Isobel... not so much.
We went to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, where my talented and energetic sister-in-law, Nicole, made pilgrimwear for the children. Check out her post about it here. There's a really fantastic photo of Jude. And don't be fooled by the way she (generously) acts like I helped with the project. I watched. And I probably asked Isobel to hold still for the photos. So I guess that counts as helping.
I didn't have to ask Johanna and Caroline to hold still because they are wonderful models! Aren't those bonnets cute?

Here's a fun game: compare the babies. While we were in Carlisle, I tried to recreate a photo taken by a FAR superior photographer, Mike Dirle, when Isobel was about 10 months old. Jude is 9 months. Do they look alike?

Last week Isobel brought home a menorah that she painted at school. So I bought some candles, and we've been lighting it every night. I've really enjoyed learning about Hanukkah through Isobel. It is such a beautiful, joyful holiday. Here's Isobel with the menorah. We had only one candle lit (plus the shamash) since it was the first night.
And behold! Jude is moving around on his own, slowly. I took this video a few days ago, and he's actually gotten a bit faster since then. He's such a little sugarpie.

Mixin' it up.

2010-11-08T19:08:00.007-05:00

Why can't every day be dress-up-as-Catholic-clergy day?

Jude loves him his monster hat and raises his fist in 'Baby Power!" That's what he wore to church on Halloween. Yep, we like to mix it up. Sock monkey makes no apologies.
Isobel wore her lion costume, which you can check out here if you missed it. She was too busy running around in a sugar-induced frenzy to have her picture taken on Halloween, so here's a photo of her at the fantastic Children's Museum in Raleigh.

PUMPKIN

2010-10-28T08:06:00.015-04:00

I love everything about Fall, but pumpkins are sort of the physical embodiment of that love. Here is what I did last night:

Yup, I made that there Glitter Pumpkin, and it is the most perfectest sparkly thing since Edward Cullen. Plus it was an easy enough project that it would be pretty difficult to screw up, even for a person such as myself. (Thank you Martha or whichever of her underlings came up with this idea!)
In other pumpkin-related news, we went to a pumpkin patch last week, the same one we went to last year. The light was perfect and we were all feeling festive, so I took lots of pictures.

On Saturday we went to the North Carolina State Fair, which was, to be honest, kind of a bust. It was hot, crowded, expensive (Brooke paid $8 for a BBQ plate that tasted terrible), and Isobel and Jude weren't old enough to enjoy much anyway. But we did see cows, goats, some amusing T-shirts for sale, and some incredible pumpkins:

I've been eating lots of pumpkin-y sweets. LOTS. And because I can't not share something that brings me so much joy, I made a google document full of recipes. I haven't tried all of them, but the ones I haven't tried yet come from friends who are very reliable sources. So here it is, the pièce de résistance:

PUMPKIN EXTRAVAGANZA

You'll note the absence of a pumpkin pie recipe. Here's the shocking thing: I don't particularly like pumpkin pie. I know, it's strange, given my passion for pumpkin. I think it's the custard-y texture that bothers me. Another glaring omission: I don't have a recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake! Anyone have one to share?
**Edit: Master Baker Amy shared a Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe, so I've added that and fixed the blank page 6 problem. Enjoy!**

In closing, I think this is beautiful:

(Don't laugh. I lived in Nebraska for 7 years as a kid, so corn has sentimental value.)

In which Isobel is fêted.

2010-10-21T11:43:00.012-04:00

That's right, folks, wee Isobel has completed her third year of life. Can you believe it? It's strange to me that she is no longer an infant, no longer a toddler, but a preschooler now. Luckily, she's the size of your average 18-month-old, so I can still scoop her up and pretend she's my little tiny baby. A lot of older children have the same urge. She gets picked up a lot, and then she says, indignantly, "Hey! I'm not a baby!"
Come to think of it, I can understand how she feels. I've always been fairly tall, but as a tween I was extremely scrawny. I had a few friends who were bigger who liked to exert their physical strength by putting me in frequent headlocks, throwing me over their shoulders, etc. Isn't that weird? I mean, these are girls we're talking about, not big tough jock boys. Maybe the way they treated me was an extension of their frustration with their own changing bodies. Anyway, it was humiliating at the time, but kinda funny in hindsight.
Moving on, here are a few photos from Isobel's birthday party: the cake, the tiger (face paint by Grandma), the friends.

It was a good time! Isobel has a great group of friends who all play together really well, and they didn't make me sorry for not planning any games. We did have a piñata (at Isobel's request) and some fantastic food, provided by Brooke's dad.

In other news, we had my friend Wendy here visiting for a week. Highlights included sushi and the North Carolina Art Museum. Regardez!

(Isobel liked rice at the sushi joint, but she wasn't particularly impressed with the museum.)

And, just to balance out this Isobel-heavy post, here is a photo of Jude's party face on during Isobel's birthday snacktime shindig at school:
Speaking of babies, I HAVE A NEW NIECE!! Her name is Amélie, and she is beautiful. Photos will be posted here sometimes soon.
One more thing that you probably already know, thanks to my shameless self-promotion on facebook and gmail: I'm now a reviewer for The Blue Bookcase! I love this book blog. So far I've reviewed Tender at the Bone and shared my Top 10 Literary Crushes, but you should really just read the whole blog because all of the writers are cool and smart.

T.T.F.N.

run, run, run, run, run

2010-10-02T20:47:00.003-04:00

This morning I ran my very first 5K, the Women's Only Walk and Run here in Greensboro at Women's Hospital (where Jude was born just over 7 months ago! Ah, the memories). Isobel ran in the Girls' Only Mini Walk and Run, and she rocked it. She even ran an extra lap around the course, just for good measure.

Ha! That face just says "Yeah, that was fun... I guess... but what was the point?" I think the whole procedure was a little confusing to her, but she didn't mind getting a medal and a bandanna.
Jude was pretty sad for most of the morning. It was MUCH colder than I expected, for one thing, and I didn't dress him warmly enough. Plus he just didn't appreciate all the commotion and being separated from me. Poor little guy.

He perked up a bit as it got later (and hence warmer) and he took THREE naps today to recover from the ordeal.
Here I am, looking triumphant!

My primary goal was to RUN the whole time, and I did it! I ran harder than I do on my usual morning jogs, and I came in at 33 minutes 27 seconds- 384th place (out of 2,203 finishers). I had a really good time, and the best part was proud Brooke waiting for me at the end.

Brooke is back!

2010-09-28T14:15:00.012-04:00

We were on a routine visit to the G'bo library and found out that MR MCFEELEY WOULD BE THERE!!! OMG, LOL@@@!! It was epic. Generations of kids have been inspired by this man to dress up like an old-timey deliveryman and maintain a positive attitude even in the face of insurmountable odds. Just uttering the words "Speedy Delivery" could change you from that malodorous, ordinary kid that had to eat reduced lunch, wear homemade outfits complete with knockoff sneakers and had to barter the sweets in his lunchbox for safety to a middle-aged postman reeking of self-confidence and gentility. Also he created a whole generation of kids obsessed with punctuality and impeccable grooming. He showed some old puppets from the show like Daniel Lion (pictured) and King Friday. Also he is a PA native and therefore was better looking than most people in the room. Isobel sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" for all.

Giada De Laurentiis showed up and helped Christina with this recipe and told her "I LOVE your hair". Then she got in to a rusty 1992 Ford Taurus and muttered something about "being late for that...uh...cooking thing...out there in the woods. With the bears." and sped away. It was weird, but the food was amazingly delicious. Pictured: Brown Butter Risotto with Lobster and Sautéed Spinach with Garlic.

Jude told another one of his "dirty diaper" jokes again here. I keep telling them they're getting old, but he thinks they are comic gold!

Greensboro Greek Festival! Now with more baklava! Christina ate 13 pieces of this stuff before convulsing on the floor like a tent revival meeting. It took 5 Greek dancers to revive her. She would later claim that eating that dessert was a life-changing experience.

Pictured are the Greek hotties. Character shoes are universally flattering.

DUDE! I HAV TEH BES DIRTEE DIPR JOK EVERR! CHEK THIS WUN OUTT....

five things I like

2010-09-17T11:32:00.004-04:00

#1:

Bento. I may or may not have spent an inordinate amount of time making this octopus out of muenster, nori, and fake bologna (baloney bologna? Har har.) for Isobel's school snack. I blame it on Brooke, who came home from Boston last week with this book for me. So I guess I'm joining the ranks of type-A moms who can't even make a freaking snack for a preschooler without it being perfect. But you know what? Bento is so cuuuuuute! And, miracle of miracles, Isobel actually ate the octopus. So that in itself makes it worth the effort.
#2:

Haupia with fresh fruit. This is a wonderful light, cool Hawaiian dessert that I had forgotten about for the last 10 years or so. And it's super easy. (recipe from the aformentioned book)
Coconut Pudding (haupia)
4 to 6 tbsp sugar
4 to 6 tbsp cornstarch
1 (12-oz) can coconut milk
a few raspberries or other fruit
-Combine sugar and cornstarch and stir in 1 and a half cups water. Pour coconut milk into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar mixture, cooking and stirring constantly until thickened.
-Spoon into container or pour into a square pan and chill until firm (like Jell-O). Top with fruit.
#3:

Our back yard. I can now let Isobel disrobe before bringing out the non-washable sidewalk chalk. We can have a soundtrack to our hopscotch sessions (there's a working outlet in our back yard). And we still have highs in the 90's here, so we're making the most of it.

#4:

Seriously, So Blessed! One of the funniest, cleverest, perfectest spoofs I've ever seen in my long 27 years of life. Go there and be entertained.
#5:

Puck. A jar of this deliciousness was given to me just a few weeks before I came back to the U.S. from Kazakhstan. I loved it, and then forgot all about it. So imagine my surprise when I saw that happy little flower at Madina Market yesterday. It's like a more spreadable cream cheese. In Almaty I was told it was Russian, but the label says it's a product of Denmark. Anyway, tasty, tasty stuff.

grapes, and other happenings

2010-09-07T21:07:00.003-04:00

Isobel is in preschool! My oh my, where does the time go? She's being stoic here, but actually she loves, loves, loves "may shawome" and would be happy to spend all day every day there. Sometimes when I'm not giving her what she wants, she dramatically cries "I want to go back to my school!"

My latest favorite photo:

And Jude eats food now! I have a little bait-and-switch technique that I use to get him to swallow a few bites of rice cereal each day. He's more okay with the whole food in mouth idea than Isobel was, but still not particularly enthusiastic about the mush. Here he is, waiting patiently in a stylin' bib made by Anne Gish:

This last Saturday was mercifully cool and not humid, so to celebrate the imminent passing of Summer we went to Benjamin Vineyards,

where we picked two pounds of these beauties:

I had heard that wine grapes aren't like table grapes. Actually, I think someone told me that wine grapes are inedible, which isn't true. Brooke had eaten those two pounds of grapes by the time I returned from the E.D. Sunday night. Isobel and I politely declined. I can't abide seeds in grapes, and I think Isobel was also turned off by the thicker than usual skin. But the ripest ones do have a lovely, very sweet flavor that really is remarkably different from your run-of-the-mill grocery store grapes. Smell a glass of wine, and you'll sorta get the idea.

But even if I wasn't too interested in eating them, picking the grapes was a pretty cool experience. They're so aesthetically pleasing. This particular orchard had black, red, and golden varieties, and we gathered an assortment.
In lieu of grapes, Jude got his first taste of apple that evening:

Mmmm, fruit. Definitely a bigger hit than yucky mushy rice cereal, and I can't blame him.

Beached Shifflers

2010-09-01T15:17:00.005-04:00

Caroline, the picture of childhood bliss

Hatteras Lighthouse

Brooke and Jude on the Okracoke Ferry

Some sort of alien flower on Okracoke. Anyone know what this is?

These girls LOVE ice cream.

Johanna

Isobel

Jude, meet Ocean

These last three were taken by Nicole Shiffler. Doesn't she do beautiful work?

In which we commune with nature. Twice!

2010-08-30T15:36:00.006-04:00

I have a mental list of about a thousand things I've been putting off for the last few weeks, but instead of doing those things I am composing a blog post. Check out these two lovely ladies:

Jenny
and

Claire

When Jenny came to visit a few weeks ago, we decided to check out Hanging Rock State Park. We hiked, we splashed in waterfalls, we swam, we frolicked. A great time was had by all.

So, the next week when Claire was here, we decided to go there again. This time we wanted to see the actual hanging rock, and that entailed a more strenuous hike. We didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into.

Isobel says "Nature is so stupid."

Jude says "Nature ROCKS!"

The views from the rock were totally worth all of Isobel's bellyaching.

Colorado and Two Good Things

2010-08-13T20:50:00.005-04:00

I know, I know, long time no blog. This has been one wonderfully busy Summer. We visited my family in Colorado, then we moved to a new house, and for the last week we've had my sister Jenny visiting us. And the good times keep on rollin': next week we have our friend Claire coming to visit, and the week after that is the Shiffler family's Outer Banks vacation. THEN, the week after that, Isobel will be starting preschool at B'nai Shalom Day School. So much good stuff is going on up in here! How did we get so lucky?
Anyway, here are a few photos from our Colorado trip last month. Isobel had her first hair cut while we were there, and I like this "before" photo better than any of the "after"s. Her hair does look healthier after having about 3 inches chopped off, but the change isn't particularly dramatic.

We love swimming!

Jude is 5 months old! Actually, he's 5 and a half months now, but that picture is from his 5-month birthday. My, my, he's one handsome little man.
Every time we go to Colorado we go to the zoo and I take tons of photos of the children playing and climbing on things and sitting on statues. So here you go: Kimball, Simon, Eleanor, and Isobel on a giant spiderweb.

Stay tuned for photos from the week-long PARTY we had with Jenny! Till then, here are a couple of good things I've been wanting to share:
There's good:
Jenny and I made two recipes from this cookbook this week- the Shrimp and Grits, and the Crème Brulée French Toast, and they were both AMAZING.
And then there's even better:

Our first date

2010-07-23T01:15:00.001-04:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Meet Gudrun!

2010-07-18T22:21:00.003-04:00

Check out the latest addition to the Shiffler household! That's right, Jude is no longer the baby of the family. Gudrun is. And she is one sweet, sweet baby.

"Shake it like a Polaroid picture. You know what to do!"

2010-07-09T21:27:00.007-04:00

Ok, this post is probably going to sound like a commercial, but I'm so excited about this app I can't help it. It's called ShakeItPhoto, and it was introduced to me by the lovely and hip Allison Shiffler. (check her out!)

It turns your iphone into a Polaroid camera! Not literally (alas) but functionally. Isn't it cool? I feel like this photo could be me running around, it looks so legit 80's.

This is what Brooke looked like when I said I had spent 99 of his hard-earned cents on this app.

Just kidding. He digs it. Isobel is a fan, too, because it dispenses the photo onto the screen with a polaroidy sound and then you can shake the phone and watch it jiggle while you wait for the image to develop.
Here's my favorite:

(I applied the effect twice for this one. Don't you just want to poke that little tummy?)

4 months

2010-06-25T21:18:00.002-04:00

That's right, it's been FOUR months since this boy came into the world. According to my unscientific home scale baby weighing method, he weighs about 13 lbs.- not too shabby! He's due for a well baby checkup, but we won't be having one for another couple of weeks since we begin our Pennsylvania sojourn tomorrow. Fine by me! I'm in no hurry to have my perfectly healthy and happy baby scrutinized.
Well, he isn't always happy.

But when he's in a good mood he's quite energetic and very interested in social interaction. Usually he loves to check out that handsome baby in the mirror, but when I tried to catch it on camera he wasn't all that interested in doing anything but swimming out of my arms and over to Daddy and the camera.

eventful weekend

2010-06-23T14:39:00.005-04:00

With my birthday on the 18th and our anniversary on the 21st, and Father's Day inevitably falling within a few days of them, we tend to have one EXTRAVAGANZA of a weekend every June.
Brooke and Isobel baked me a delicious birthday cake! Don't I look like I'm ready to take a fork in one hand and a knife in the other and just go to town?

Isobel decorated the cake (with a little help). Doesn't it look cool? A warning, though, DON'T buy this red icing, whatever you do. It tastes like the dentist's office. No, seriously, it tastes exactly like that bitter fluid that leaks onto your tongue when you have to have your mouth numbed. Novocaine, maybe? I don't know what made Miss Betty Crocker think it would be edible.
On Saturday everyone was still in a good mood and lookin' good. I cannot believe how big Jude has gotten all the sudden! He's like, a full-size baby! Regard!

And on Sunday, for Father's Day, Isobel gave Daddy the gift of cuteness:

I gave him the gift of one tasty dinner: Greek-Spiced Baked Shrimp with couscous and Spinach with Garlic. Oh, and some hip new glasses, too.
Then the next day, for our anniversary, we gave Isobel the gift of a babysitter, and took Jude with us to celebrate at Print Works Bistro. It's a pretty classy joint.

And Mmmmmmmm, the food was wonderful. It's hard to tell from the photo, but my tart was served on a wooden cutting board rather than a plate, which I thought was aesthetically pleasing and delicious. The tart, not the cutting board. Har har.

Lately it seems I can't write an entire post without mentioning food/recipes/eating. I think I enjoy these things because they feel productive and purposeful and yet, unlike most of my daily tasks, they still involve some element of indulgence.
And that reminds me- I'm hungry. Birthday cake? Don't mind if I do!

Bugs and a Thumbderstorm

2010-06-17T14:21:00.004-04:00

So remember at the end of that last entry how I said I loved North Carolina more than ever? Well, I might have to rescind a little piece of that love on account of something that happened a few nights ago. Story time!
I was half asleep, feeding Jude at about 3 a.m., when I felt a tickling sensation on my left arm. Jude often tickles my arm with his fingers, so I didn't think much of it. I automatically let my other hand brush/itch the tickly spot, but I didn't touch a little baby hand. I touched a COCKROACH. I brushed it onto the bed and from there to the floor, shrieking all the while. Naturally, Brooke woke up. I (tearfully) explained what had happened. Brooke hunted down the little bugger and squished him, so at least I have the satisfaction of knowing he got his just deserts. Ah, Brooke. My roach-vanquishing hero.
I don't really have a big problem with insects. They have their right to life and have their place in the ecosystem and blahdy blah. But I have a MAJOR problem with bugs crawling on me. I get the willies just thinking about the aformentioned episode. And now, when Jude does draw his little fingers lovingly across my skin while nursing, instead of being overwhelmed with love for him I am overwhelmed with THERE'S SOMETHING CRAWLING ON ME.
North Carolina has way more bugs than any other place I've lived. Well, Arkansas may have had more, but I don't really remember much about it because I was four when we moved away. Yesterday, as I was cooling down after my run and thinking about writing this very blog post, an enormous black and white hornety-looking thing landed on my elbow and it was all I could do to keep from shrieking again right there in the street. Uuuuuuuuugh. I could share more crawly-related incidents, but I don't think anyone would enjoy that.
Here's something everyone can enjoy! Cuteness!

Jude has been sucking his thumb. Only his left thumb. I think it's pretty cute, and it makes me curious about whether he might be a southpaw. It would be wonderful if he would start soothing himself with that thumb so that the pacifier retriever (me) could have a break once in a while.
Speaking of soothing oneself, we've been eating lots of rice pudding lately. Last week I made a double batch of horchata for play group, and so I've slowly been using up the rice by trying different recipes. Coconut Rice Pudding is especially rich and creamy. Mmmmmmm.
Lastly but not leastly, we had a fantastic thunderstorm yesterday. Isobel loved it.

I'm not gonna lie, I loved it too. It redeemed this place of the hideously humid weather we've been having. A good thunderstorm helps me to maintain a grip on myself so that I can resist running westward. Here are a few other things I like that temper the mugginess and bugginess:
Blue Jays,
Cardinals,
and
Red-Headed Woodpeckers:
three birds I haven't seen much since leaving the Midwest when I was 15. And of course, I love the trees and the green grass and the flowers and lots of other things, too. So... yeah, I do like it here after all.

Asheville

2010-06-10T14:07:00.005-04:00

Last weekend we took a road trip to Asheville, which is about 2 and a half hours west of us, in the mountains. It was very cool (literally and figuratively) and beautiful, sort of an eastern Boulder. I loved the hotel Brooke picked out for us:

And the restaurant we liked so much we ate there twice:

And the café inside an English double-decker bus:

On the way back we stopped at The Blowing Rock:

And drove through Pisgah National Forest, along the incredible Blue Ridge Parkway, listening to the perfect music. We fed baby carrots to a friendly horse:

And had a successful photo shoot:

And

I love North Carolina more than ever!

Lasterday

2010-06-03T22:06:00.006-04:00

Lasterday: (n.) any previously-occurred day; "Remember, lasterday was Christmas!"
(adv.) any time in the past; "Lasterday I was sick, but now I'm all better!"
Sickness may not seem like a blog-worthy event, but in our family it is. Isobel crashed on the couch (see photo above) twice in one day. This is something she has never done before, probably because she never gets sick. She had a pretty high fever off and on- up to 103.3F at one point, poor thing. While she was sleeping it off, togetherness time was enjoyed by Brooke, Jude, and Dagny. Well, "enjoyed" might not be the right word for Dagny's experience.

Jude told me he wanted a warm, black carpet with a layer of fat that exceeded the earth's crust (but with the same sulfur content). This, my son, is my gift to you.

Tonight, to celebrate Iso's return to health, we had a super-super, fun-fun, crazy-crazy, sweet-sweet, boondoggle of a time at Speedy's BBQ in Lexington. Isobel loved this pig that I (Brooke) called "Sweet wittle Dinner".

3 months old!

2010-05-30T21:27:00.002-04:00

Little Jude turned three months old last week! I voluntarily took him in for a weight check, just so I could congratulate myself on 3 months of breastfeeding well done. This turned out to be a BAD idea, and I should have known, since I've been through it all before with Isobel. Here's how things went down:

[at the scale]
me: Wow, he gained over a pound in only a month! That's got to be some kind of record!
nurse: Uh-huh. HE IS THE CUTEST BABY I'VE EVER SEEN. Seriously, how do you stand it? I see a lot of babies every day, and HE IS THE CUTEST.

Ok, she didn't really say that. But she definitely was charmed out of her wits by his adorable smile, even if she didn't admit it aloud.
Then the doctor came in and expressed concern that last month Jude was in the 25th percentile for weight, and now he's only in the 10th percentile. She suggested that I try to get him to nurse longer at each session, but that hasn't really been happening. And this whole issue is EXACTLY what happened with Isobel at about this same age. So I know what's coming:
the herbal tea and pumping to try and get my milk supply up,
the absurdly frequent feedings even when the baby isn't hungry,
the weekly weight checks, and ultimately
the formula and starting solids early.
Aaaaaaargh. I know he's perfectly healthy, and given his genes (Brooke was in the 10th percentile and Isobel and I both "failed to thrive") I'm not surprised that we're having this issue. But how can I prove that he's getting enough to eat? I can't. So I'm just going to enjoy exclusively breastfeeding until his next appointment at the beginning of July, and I'll try to keep this zen-like mindset:

Someday he'll be a healthy toddler running around and none of this will matter.

On a happier note, he rolls! Tummy to back AND back to tummy! And he giggles, and he smiles, and he drools! He is wonderful. Here he is with his friend Oliver:

Lest you think she's been forgotten, here's my new favorite picture of Isobel:

A tidbit about her:

Isobel LOVES to play in the dirt. She loves sand, too, but what we have around our house is dirt, so that's what she knows best. I have to keep a close eye on her when we're on our way out to the car because she will make a pitstop in the dirt and soil her hands/face/clothes before I can say, "Please don't play in the dirt right now!"

Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 1

2010-05-24T22:56:00.002-04:00

Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 1

Christina | MySpace Video

Sometimes when I feel insecure from facebook-stalking old boyfriends, I watch this video and it makes me feel MUCH better. Because even if I'm a boring old mom now, I used to be really cool. And skinny.

cards!

2010-05-19T16:05:00.004-04:00

For the last few months, I've been making these cards for various occasions- thank yous, new babies, birthdays, etc., and today Nicole suggested I share the idea. It's so easy that even a person such as myself can handle it. Please don't tell the feds about my (probably) infringing upon copyright laws to make these. I don't sell them! That makes it ok, right? Sorta? Anyway, here we go...

Supplies needed:

your favorite children's books
white cardstock or sturdy white paper
computer and printer/scanner
notecards (I buy them cheap at Michael's- the ones that come with envelopes)
something sticky, like tape or glue or those little photo stickers
contrasting paper (optional- I only use it when I'm using white notecards)

1. Scan pages from your favorite books. The ones pictured above are (left to right) The Best Nest, by P.D. Eastman, Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey, Are You My Mother?, by P.D. Eastman, and Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gág. I've also done The Little Engine That Could, Corduroy, The Runaway Bunny, and my personal favorite, The Story of Ferdinand. And in the works are Where the Wild Things Are, Make Way for Ducklings, and Caps for Sale. I have LOTS of favorite children's books, and I can get seriously carried away with this kind of thing. But I digress...
2. If you have iphoto, crank up the contrast and the saturation until you have a nice bold image. I've sharpened a few of them when the scan comes out a little blurry, but I don't stress out about making it perfect. On a PC, you can probably do these things in MS Paint? Or, even better, download Picasa.
3. Drag the photo into Word and adjust the size (locking the aspect ratio) to fit your card.
4. Print it onto your sturdy paper or cardstock, cut it out, and stick it on the pre-made card.
5. Give credit where it's due: On the back of the card, write (or print and paste) the author and/or illustrator's name and the title of the book.

Finito!

Stawberries and Baseball

2010-05-17T21:39:00.004-04:00

This last Saturday was the most fun we've had since that Saturday when we went to Raleigh, the weekend before Jude was born. It's wonderful to feel like we are adjusted enough to the new 2-child arrangement that we can actually get out and enjoy ourselves every once in a while.

We picked our own strawberries at Rudd Farm and it was AWESOME. There were perfectly ripe, red strawberries everywhere you looked; I haven't had such good fruit since Kazakhstan. Isobel ate at least as many as she contributed to our basket. Do you like how I strategically dressed her in a strawberry-colored shirt?

I don't think I can overstate how gloriously delicious these strawberries are. This picture doesn't do them justice.

And tonight I made a small army of chocolate-dipped strawberries. I wish the lighting were better so these would look more appetizing. They really are beautiful in real life.

That evening we went to a minor league baseball game: Greensboro Grasshoppers vs. Hickory Crawdads. Yes, those seriously are the teams' names. I love living here.
Jude disapproves of the Grasshoppers because they lost by lots of points.

But we had a great time anyway with our friends, the Carpers, and (because?) all of the children were remarkably well-behaved!

Hootenanny!

2010-05-05T12:58:00.008-04:00

It's high time I blogged about something I love besides Isobel and Jude. I do love lots of other things, you know. One of them is BREAKFAST:

That there's some good eatin'. The bigger dish holds what my family calls German Pancakes, but I've also heard it called Oven Pancakes or Hootenanny. I'm not going to lie... there may have been times in my life when I've eaten a whole pan all by myself. And you know why it's so good? Because that liquid pooling on the top is BUTTER.
The stuff in the little container is delicious Lemon Curd, which is served atop the German Pancakes for a party-in-your-mouth combination. So, without further ado, here are the recipes for both!

German Pancakes (from Karen Little)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/8 tsp salt
4 eggs
Preheat oven to 425 F. Put the butter in a 10-inch square pan and put it in the oven until the butter is melted. [I've been using an 8" square because that's what I have and it works.]
Combine the flour, evaporated milk, and salt and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, whipping with a wire whisk after each addition. When the butter is melted, add the batter to the pan and return it to the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until it's puffy and golden-brown and the only liquid is that glorious butter. This recipe can be doubled and made in a 9x13 pan.

Lemon Curd (from Cheryl Meibos)
4 lemons (4-5 tsp. grated lemon peel and 2/3 c. fresh lemon juice)
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
In a stovetop pan, combine peel, juice, eggs, and sugar; whirl until smooth. Gradually add in melted butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes or until mixture bubbles and begins to thicken. Remove from heat. Ladle into jars [I used tupperware] and fill 1/4 inch from the top. Store in fridge no more than 3 months. Can be frozen. Makes approximately 24 oz.

Mini Farrah Fawcett here ate two helpings of German Pancakes this morning. That's really saying something, since we're talking about the girl who doesn't eat. And, just for good measure, here's a picture of Jude looking cute:

(His eyes are turning brown! And a few days ago I heard for the first time that he looks like me. :)

Ask and you shall receive, Jenny!

2010-05-04T09:58:00.001-04:00

check my specs

2010-04-27T17:02:00.002-04:00

Right now I'm in the throes of self-consciousness so I'm only posting one doctored-up photo of me in my new gecks. It's an adjustment, but I definitely enjoy not having to force my eyes to focus on blurry things all the time.
They are cool glasses. You can't tell in the photo, but they're brown on the outside and turquoise on the inside. Plus they make me feel cosmopolitan because they're Danish.

So this is what people mean when they say "They grow up so fast!"

2010-04-26T21:59:00.003-04:00

When Isobel was a baby people would say that and I would have to resist laughing. I'd think "Not this one! She doesn't grow up fast. She doesn't grow AT ALL." And it was true. But with Jude I keep wishing time would slow down. I spend ridiculous amounts of time deciding which of his cute clothes to put him in because I worry he's going to grow out of them before wearing them more than once.

He was two months old yesterday, and had his checkup today. 10 lbs., 4 oz. and 22 inches long. That puts him in the 25th percentile for weight and 10th for height. That might not sound so impressive, but I'm in awe. I mean, I know he's not a porker, but I guess my perspective is skewed, thanks to Isobel's tinyness.
He's still adorable and wonderful, of course, and a total Mama's boy. He smiles a ton and really asks so little of us, though he has discovered his voice in the last few weeks. The sleepy newborn is definitely gone, and this more opinionated Jude really knows how to wail when The Cow (moi) has tried to pass him off on some other non-lactating and therefore inferior person.

I can't think of anything else to put here except HE'S SO CUUUUUUUUTE!!!!!

The BOSS

2010-04-26T21:43:00.004-04:00

She Who Must Be Pleased has had some good times recently. Her first painting experience was a HUGE hit, enjoyed by Isobel...

and Dagny...

And everybody who visits our living room! It's called "Scary Monster" in case you were wondering. I can see it, even without turning my head to the side and squinting.

One of the best things about North Carolina is this early spring. A few weeks ago I heard a friend say that people in her apartment complex were swimming in the outdoor pool. This was on APRIL 15th. And doesn't it look like Summer? Evidence:

and

Easter

2010-04-26T21:20:00.003-04:00

Yeah, I know, Easter has come and gone and is long since forgotten, but since I've been so remiss in my blogging duties I feel like I need to play catch up. Hence the forthcoming multiple posts in one night.
We went to PA for Easter and I forgot my camera. That ended up being ok, though, because Nicole took so many beautiful photos. She took the first three here:

Let's hope Jude is a little more enthusiastic next year. Isobel, on the other hand, was all up on this holiday, and of course she looked precious in her Easter dress and hat from Grandma. I LOVE this picture.

Brooke also looked beautiful!

We took a drive out to the little country church where Brooke's parents were married. It was really a charming place. Brooke had his senior pictures taken there when he was 18, and he is probably even handsomer now:

This is my favorite picture of triumphant Jude, posed with his REALLY cool baby gifts from The Youngs.

Jude is one month old!

2010-03-26T20:09:00.002-04:00

He's starting to smile. This is the closest thing to photographic evidence I've gotten so far:

He weighs almost 8 and a half pounds now, which means he's gained more than two pounds in less than a month, counting from his lowest weight, which was 6 lbs. 2 oz. This is amazing to me and very gratifying. Isobel never gained weight as quickly as she was supposed to. She weighed only 7 lbs. at her one-month checkup. So yay! Good job, Jude. And good job, me! I provided the food.
And here we have domestic bliss with Nana:

Nana (my mom) leaves on Sunday and I don't know what I'm going to do! I'm spoiled. I've loved not having to cook or clean or entertain Isobel. My mom RULES. She even brought The Princess and the Frog for Isobel. We hadn't seen it, and had a cozy movie night together.
(Yes, that's our macbook, sitting on a chair in front of the couch. You get creative when you don't have a TV.)

Nana took us to the zoo! Isobel got to brush goats and sheep. I politely declined.

Grandma

2010-03-19T14:43:00.002-04:00

Grandma (Brooke's mom) came to visit us and help with the adjustment period after Jude was born. She planned and made our meals, entertained Isobel full-time, and generally kept everything from getting totally out of control. She made it so easy for us to get used to life with a newborn, and Isobel LOVED having Grandma all to herself for two and a half weeks.

I wish I would have gotten a photo and/or video of Grandma and Isobel playing. I loved hearing them make-believe together as I was nursing Jude for hours on end. And Grandma was endlessly patient with Isobel's demands and tantrums- far more patient than I am.
When we left Grandma at the airport, Isobel was totally heartbroken. She cried all the way home, and continued to cry, "I don't want Grandma to go!" as we walked through the door. The only distraction significant enough that I could come up with was the introduction of the idea that Nana (my mom) is coming to visit, too. So now she's excited about that, and also our trip to Pennsylvania for Easter! I'm not going to lie- I'm at least as excited as Isobel is about both of those things.

two and a half weeks

2010-03-15T17:00:00.003-04:00

First things first: The Firstborn. She says, "TRAIN TRACK!"

And have you ever seen anything more beautiful than this? No. You haven't.

Jude looks a bit like my little cousin Kimball here, which is funny because generally I think he looks like Brooke and Isobel, and nothing like anyone in my family.

We celebrated his being two weeks old by going to Harris Teeter! Woohoo! It's surprising, the things that become exciting/taxing when you have a newborn. He wore an actual outfit for the occasion, complete with PANTS and SHOES!!!!!!!

Shoes detail:

Naptime FAIL

2010-03-09T19:16:00.004-05:00

The trouble with being born into a family full of girls is that you have to suffer indignities like this: a pink baby swing.

(he doesn't really seem to mind yet)
And here we have Isobel in a summery outfit, complete with kerchief decorated by Johanna. The lovely Isobel has turned her nose up at naps for almost two weeks now, and Mommy is finally coming to terms with the fact that there may never be down time in the afternoon again.

In other news, I find that the only non-baby things I can concentrate on these days are videos of the PS 22 Chorus and this music video:

The Rest of the Story

2010-03-02T20:13:00.003-05:00

I realize that not everyone is interested in birth stories, but I LOVE them, and I think that Jude's is a particularly good one. I'll do what I can to give you the whole story without getting too gory. If you're squeamish about labor/birth/women's bodies, though, you probably want to skip down to the bottom of this post, where there are cute photos of the baby.
So, on Thursday morning I woke up at a little before 6 a.m. with a contraction that I was pretty sure right away was the real thing. A few minutes later, I felt a strange pop in my belly, and I wondered "did my water just break?" It being 6 a.m. and all, I just laid there wondering and didn't get up. I downloaded Contraction Master for the iphone and started timing the contractions I was having, which were about a minute long and 5-7 minutes apart. After an hour of those bad boys, I woke up Brooke and told him I thought I was in labor. He said something to make me laugh and that was when I felt a little gush of fluid. I stood up to go to the bathroom, and there was no question- I was definitely leaking a lot of amniotic fluid.
So I called the hospital and said "I'm pretty sure my water has broken, but my contractions are still pretty manageable. Should I come right in, or can I take a shower first?" The nurse on the other end of the line asked about the color of the fluid and whether the baby was still moving, and then said I could take a shower. So I got in the shower while Brooke got Isobel up and dressed. We ate breakfast, checked to make sure we had everything for the hospital, etc., and then left. All the while I was having contractions which were definitely painful and progressive, but not unbearable.
We got to the hospital at about 8:30. In triage they hooked me up to a fetal monitor and checked to make sure my water had really broken, then told me I was dilated to a 4 or 5. The nurse said "looks like you're staying!" Brooke left to take Isobel to our friends' house, the Buchanans, where Isobel would be hanging out. I told him to stop and get a snack because I thought I'd be laboring for a while and he'd need sustenance. HA! The contractions were definitely more serious now, and I was starting to question my "try for a natural birth" ideas.
Anyway, I was assigned a room and got up there at about 9:30 a.m. As I was being wheeled into the room, I had a really intense contraction that made me feel nauseated. I thought "this is weird- I thought nausea was a Transition-stage type thing." But I felt better with the next one as I stood and paced the room. During that next contraction, my nurse came in and asked me to get into bed whenever that one was over so that she could start an IV. I did, and she tried to start the IV but apparently the veins in my hands are full of valves and things were difficult for her. While she poked around in both hands my contractions were starting to come very quickly, they hurt A LOT, and I was extremely uncomfortable sitting immobile in the bed.
This is where things start to get fuzzy. I know that my nurse called in another nurse to help with the IV, but by that point these contractions were VERY painful, I couldn't hold still, and I couldn't help moaning. I remember asking to get out of bed, but they were still trying to get an IV in. It felt like the contractions didn't stop. They were like waves, coming right on top of each other, not stopping and then starting again like the earlier ones. I couldn't process it at the time, but looking back this is definitely when I was in transition. I couldn't believe the pain, and I couldn't think about anything else. I was pretty out of it and definitely making some noise, but all the while the nurses were STILL trying to put in the IV.
Suddenly, along with all the pain, I felt a strong urge to PUSH. I didn't think I could control that urge, and I said "I'm gonna have to push!" My nurse checked me and said to the other nurse "She's complete." It's really blurry in my memory, but they must have called the doctor in at that point. All I can really remember is the PAIN and the discomfort of trying not to push. Brooke came in around that time and one of the nurses said "you're about to have a baby!" He says I was screaming when he came in, but I think it was probably more like very, very loud moaning. About a minute later my doctor got there, and a minute or two after that they were putting little Jude on my chest, at 10:10 a.m.

I was so out of it from the whole experience, I couldn't really even process what was happening at first. He was so small, and he was peeing. Dr. Marshall offered to let Brooke cut the cord, and Brooke handed the scissors to me so that I could do it (I love you, Brooke). Jude was there! I couldn't believe it! I kept thinking "how bizarre, he's already here."
I never even pushed. I was trying all along to resist pushing, and I guess it's a good thing I did because if I had pushed when I first got that urge, Brooke would have missed the birth of his own son.

He weighed 6 lbs., 12 oz., and was 19.5 inches long. He's a wonderful baby- he's enthusiastic about nursing, and when he's not nursing he's sleeping or looking around calmly. He hardly ever cries and he seems so patient and laid-back. I hope all of these great personality traits are really him and not just the sleepy newborn phase.
We all love him so much and can't wait to watch him grow up. Actually, to be honest I keep thinking "He's so perfect, I wish he could stay just like this." I never felt that way about Isobel because I was always so stressed out about everything. Now I really understand why people say the second baby is easier. Not just easier, but more enjoyable. I can really ENJOY how much I love him this time because I have the confidence and perspective that I didn't have with Isobel.

(he was the talk of the nursery in his fashionable babylegs. One of the nurses teased me because she thought they were too girly- she called him little Richard Simmons. Ha!)
And that's the rest of the story.

Jude Michael Shiffler

2010-02-26T22:59:00.003-05:00

a museum, a license plate, and a statue

2010-02-22T11:56:00.005-05:00

On Saturday we drove to Raleigh to visit the fantastic (and FREE) North Carolina Museum of National Sciences. We spent a couple of hours there, and Isobel loved every moment. It reminded me how much fun it is to experience new things, like floating pterodactyls and dinosaur footprints, through her eyes.

Another exciting thing that happened this week:

Our first ever personalized license plate! If you know what it means, you probably also know that it would have been cooler if I had spelled it properly (kpyto) rather than phonetically. Oh, well. I'm still pretty excited about not having a random spattering of letters and numbers.
And below we have Isobel with a "statue" that she created. I tried to move the magna-doodle out of the frame, but she moved it back and insisted on standing on it. I guess she and it are part of the installation!

Aren't you impressed by all the blogging that's been happening up in here? I think maybe my nesting instinct is coming out in the form of electronic communications. Somebody should write a dissertation on that.

Some of that Sweet, Sweet Carolina BBQ!

2010-02-17T11:42:00.004-05:00

As you can probably tell by the wreaths above, this post is a little late in coming. Back in December we took a lunch trip down to Barbecue Center in Lexington to try some authentic North Carolina BBQ. Well, Brooke tried it. As a vegetarian, I'm just going to come right out and tell you that this isn't very appealing to me:

But Brooke LOVED it. And really, it was a successful trip for all because those hush puppies in the right corner of the photo are, like, my dream come true. And the red coleslaw and fries were tasty, too. Isobel even ate a little bit of her grilled-cheese sandwich, and also had fun cavorting with the many pig statues. Just in case you have a tendency to forget which animal you're eating, BBQ Center reminds you thus:

There's something oddly Animal Farm-ish and also cannibalistic about that statue. But again, this is coming from a vegetarian. :) We really did have fun eating some reeeeeeally delicious food, served up by friendly Southerners who doted on Isobel. So if you were looking for an excuse to come and visit... barbecue it is!

Celebrating a Birthday and Hoping for an Eminent Birth Day

2010-02-15T11:24:00.002-05:00

A week ago, we celebrated Brooke's birthday with delicious Indian food and one HAPPY two-year old. As you can see, Isobel was much, much more excited about Daddy turning one year older than Daddy himself was.

We had store-bought cupcakes (one for Isobel and one for Mommy, since Brooke doesn't get excited about cupcakes). If you're curious about why we had restaurant food and no homemade cake for Brooke's birthday, see the photo after this one.

Brooke has been working really hard learning the ropes at his new job, and he also recently suffered a terrible and mysterious injury to his lower back. Despite all the stress and pain, he still spoils his fatty wife and demanding daughter. He is the greatest! I'm so glad he made it through the last couple of years to see the good times and exciting happenings of 2010.

Here we are at 38 weeks+1 day. Notice my unamused expression. I'm at the part where I start to think, "oh right, THIS is why women don't enjoy being pregnant." I'd especially like to thank little Babycakes for the recently acquired gestational hypertension, which has caused my feet to swell so much that I'm wearing flip-flops every day even though it's February!

But really, how can I complain when I've got this little honeybunny in my life? She has taken to hugging my ample belly and saying "I LOVE my baby brother!" Let's hope that she keeps thinking that once he's outside the belly.
Anyway, here she is, looking the way you'd look too if someone tried to photograph you in the bath. Actually, I think she looks a lot like Brooke here.

Stop hitting yourself!

2010-01-31T19:13:00.011-05:00

Hi there. For all 13 of you who follow this sad attempt at a witty blog, you will notice that this is our first post since Halloween. I pronounce it "hollow-ween" while Christina prefers the "hallow- (rhymes with shallow)ween pronunciation. I sound regal and majestic, whilst Christina sounds like an ill-bred guttersnipe. On an unrelated note, here is Isobel after emerging from a radioactive ooze and demanding cookie upon cookie. This was taken on Thanksgiving and she refused to eat anything else.

Cousins at Thanksgiving.

I spent a week in Calgary for work and had the the good fortune to visit Banff. This was the view outside the hotel where we had a luncheon.

Hersheypark with the Furrs and Co.

Isobel's Christmas dress, our 2009 Christmas tree, and a whole horse-drawn cart-full of non-denominational xmas cheer.

I took this picture in the grassy knoll outside our house; the light was great and Isobel was a very patient, if a bit bossy, model.

While this may appear to be a staged JCrewcuts photo shoot, Isobel has assured me that these fine looking young people were just doing what they do everyday: dressing up in classy clothes and jumping on rocks in the middle of a field.

I think we all can recall a time when this happened to us:

Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeen.

2009-10-31T20:52:00.006-04:00

Merry Halloween to all the queens (you know who you are). A title befit for our daughter in the picture you see before your primitive earth-man eyes might be Lady "Shazaaaaam" Stardust Superfly Isobel. She has more sass than a peeved Simon Cowell. So THERE!

A pensive Isobel brandishes a stick with which to "learn all them po white trash, like that Emmie Slattery, an' hit that Rhett so hard, he gonna think that Ashley done wholloped him wif a ho'shoe!"

click on this picture to see a bigger version if you want to check out Isobel's TWILIGHT EYES!!!!!!

Lady #1 "Ugh, who is that awful man with Isobel?"
Lady #2 "Isn't that Pierce Brosnan's son, Froken?"
Lady #1 "No, Froken has better abs"

We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of....OMG IT'S STEPHANIE FROM LAZY TOWN!!1!11!1!!

And I think that lion just turned into sweet, sweet version of GRENDEL.

Isobel is very proud of her teeth (that she will have all of on her seventh birthday, we hope). We trick or treated on this All Hallows' Eve and then celebrated by lighting a bonfire and casting the bones of slaughtered livestock into the fire. It's all great fun!

Baby Melchior is on his way!

2009-10-27T20:54:00.006-04:00

Hello loyal subjects and serfs. Due to the recent downturn in the economy, we have decided to have another baby to prove that we are tougher than everyone said we were. So there. Oh and it's a boy, thank you very much, because daddy made it so. Here is little Melchior snuggling up to the placenta (as we are all oft wont to do now and again). He looks JUST like Isobel! ... and just like every other baby in a 3-d ultrasound photo.

Regard, the royal foot and leg:

Melchior, or just 'Chior as I like to call him, is due February 28th. Quoth he: "I can't wait to meet all y'all and try on all of the very manly outfits you bought me at Janie and Jack and Gap Kids.
And to Isobel, you best watch out girl, 'cause Melchy's 'bout to take your place as MACITSFIMHOLOL (Most Adorable Child in the Shiffler Family in my Humble Opinion. LOL.). Peace."

Isobel is two years old.

2009-10-12T20:47:00.008-04:00

Christina and Isobel frequent the park across the verge as they will take any opportunity they can to get away from me. Here is Isobel at the baseball diamond wondering if mommy's hand signals are indicating for her to steal home or charge the mound.

The North Carolina zoo is chock-full of animals of all sizes and means. Here are some animals who, lured by the offers of Mr. Dark to live out their secret fantasies, have become bound in service to the carnival (or zoo in this case) as beasts of burden. Christina suggested riding the carousel backwards, but I know (as do many of you) what would happen if they were to do that. Shucks, y'all! Next picture!

Bruce and Judy came to visit because they heard Glen Beck was in town passing out autographed hate mail for the small price of everlasting and unwavering allegiance to him. It was great. Anyway, this is in Old Salem where people churned butter and stuff. Overall though, it was a pretty fun place.

A farmer offered us a hay ride and we took it. Isobel enjoyed the ducks by the eerie green bog.

On her second birthday Isobel was buried in gifts of all makes and models. She liked all of them except one. None of you shall ever know which one that is. Cute!

Chocolate monster likes her desserts rich and her toys unbreakable.

Musings on Mommy-dom

2009-08-29T19:02:00.006-04:00

So, about 4 months ago, Miss Isabell tagged me with this, and I'm just now getting 'round to doing it:
Instructions:"Just write a post of your own 5 things that you love about being a mom and find someone to link to and tag - someone from your own country, if you like, but definitely someone from another country."

So here we go! Five things I love about being a mom. This list could probably alternately be titled "Five Things I Love About Isobel," since my experience of being a mom is tied up so closely with her and who she is.

1. Getting to share with Isobel things that I loved as a kid, and seeing her reaction to those things. She makes old things new again. A recent example:

The first time through, she wasn't too thrilled about Dumbo, but now she loves him and we talk about him a lot. This is the conversation we have at least once a day:
I: Dumbo! Everybody tease Dumbo.
C: Oh, yeah, everybody teased Dumbo.
I: Ears!
C: Yep, they teased him about his ears. Poor Dumbo.
I: Big Ears!

2. Deciphering Isobelspeak. Here are some of my favorites:
"Teeters" (Her name for Harris Teeter, the grocery store we've been going to.)
"Monkey George" (Curious George)
"Moonie" (Movie)
I know it's wrong in the teaching-the-kid-to-speak-properly sense, but I just can't resist using these words and phrases that she comes up with.

3. The sound of Isobel's voice, whether singing, laughing, or talking. I should really get a video of Brooke making her laugh, but in the meantime here's one that includes some singing:

(In case you can't tell, she's reenacting the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are.)

4. The attention she gets from strangers. I know this is shallow, but I've always LOVED hearing how cute Isobel is from random people we meet. It helps that I know she loves the attention. It just makes me feel so good to know that people who have no reason to say it make a point of complimenting her (and, vicariously, me).

5. Valuing my own life more than ever. I can't imagine not being with Isobel, and the idea of her growing up without ME as her mom is heartbreaking. So I have more reason to live, and live a good life, than I did before she was born.

So! I hereby tag: Tracy as my out-of-country pick, and also Krista and Nicole.

Greensboro Apartment Tour

2009-08-22T18:27:00.004-04:00

Greetings, one and all. Witness our apartment in HD (horrendous defiance) and tell all your friends so that THE WHOLD FRIGGIN' WORLD CAN SEE WHERE WE LIVE.

PREGGERS!

2009-08-12T23:52:00.009-04:00

While in the Salt Lake City Isobel screamed "Gimme a photo shoot pronto or I will make this trip a living hell!" every 35 seconds until we capitulated. She describes this piece as "my pensive look that Barack Obama has when he's trying to look into the future."

Photo by Little Dream Photography

Despite leaving Colorado with naught but bitter resentment and sworn revenge in our hearts we managed to fit in this family photo between fits of choking on our own rage.

My new home for classes for the next long while.

Greetings from the site of a terrible terrible foodfight...er..battle. Twas between the good guys (Union) and bad guys (Confederate slave-loving jerks). The good guys won, btw. This is a tower from which the Union troops bungee-jumped in celebration immediately following their victory.

Where there is a need: Target provides. This pool may be filled with water, but Isobel's heart is filled with the spirit of good cheer and sorority with her fellow water creatures. Any change donated to "Little Isobel Einstein's Wiggly Curious George Pool Fund" will be promptly thrown to bottom with the exclamation: "Nummy!" (that's Isobelspeak for "money!")

I picked that shirt out, ladies. I still got it.

Jumpin' Jehosaphat!

2009-07-13T14:11:00.006-04:00

The MEiBos family reunion was held in Joseph, UT. It is the only town in America where everything is still in black and white.

An abandoned miner's hovel yielded this treasure of fine design and asbestos.

Isobel used very old, very dark magic to make this building collapse (the spell included words like 'Baby Einstein', 'park' and 'shimmering scales of the Dire Naga'. Don't mess, y'all. Christina says "Git the HECK off my land!"

A pensive Isobel stares at the 'big people' with wonder at Cove Fort.

A few Shifflers and a few more Van Wagenens, lookin' sooooo good.

This face is "the look" of the season. Patent Pending.

We tried to sail to Freedom, but alas! At the end of our journey we were still in Utah.

Choot Chooooooot!

More pictures of Isobel at the zoo.

2009-05-29T22:01:00.003-04:00

Trips to the zoo and various local parks are pretty much the only exciting thing we do these days. Luckily, Isobel is just a BABY and so these places continue to thrill her. This most recent time at the zoo, she discovered her power animal. Behold:

Honestly, though, she was entranced, and followed every peacock we saw. She also does a pretty good (loud) imitation of one, and has continued to burst out in peacock song whenever the mood strikes her. Here she is pretending to be a baby peacock in an egg:

Trains do NOT fit the peacock theme. They also happen to be TERRIFYING.

Here we are at a park in Manitou Springs, which is Colorado Springs' hippie nemesis city.

And this is at our local park:

Bizzley-Mania!

2009-05-10T17:34:00.003-04:00

Howdy pardners. Greetin's from ol' Col'rado Springs. But enough of that. Here is Isobel running around in the back yard in daringly bright shorts.

Robert and Casey visited and we went to the Denver aquarium and saw...THIS!

Isobel went to Nursery for the first time and enjoyed this napkin.

Up the stairs in a pretty green Easter dress.

Royal Gorge.

Isobel got thrown in the slammer for spouting her revolutionary political views around the wrong people. We're gonna bust her out as soon as we get a long fuse connected to a barrel of black powder.

And....we're moving to Greensboro, North Carolina where I will begin yet another Masters Program in School Administration. Here's to looking forward to fried food, hot summers and occasional trips to the Outer Banks!

The Zoo and Pennsylvania, or: I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger.

2009-03-25T14:43:00.014-04:00

The Shiffler family proudly strode around the zoo this last weekend, much to the delight of our youngest member, Whatsherface. Here I am, sniffing the air with my tongue. I found the scent/taste of poo poo to be offing.

Below you will see Helga Swegenfaaaasbordismansdooooter who adopted our gypsy baby "Stanka," meaning glorious government. In English, Stanka means "she who has few teeth and will not go more than an hour without suckling her binky".

Owen Mains had his very first wild shindig of a birthday party, and tiny tiny midget people from all over town came to celebrate in the hairy-footed festivities. One of them did a jig on the table, but alas, this photo was taken before the pixie sticks were passed out.

Isobel: One written word is worth a thousand pieces of gold.
Caroline: Books are fun. The Wiggles are fun. Johanna steals my toys and Grandma and Papa said I can have a big piece of chocolate!
Johanna: 1-2-3 fishy apple.
Isobel: Ba! Meow! ya ya ya. hasof?

Valkyrie Isobel the Vanquisher spreads terror and woe amongst the humble townsfolk of Harrisburg International Airport.

Next we have Uncle Brian at the airport with Caroline. If their smiles were energy, they would power the entire island nation of Nauru.

Larry, Krista, and Ava visited from Utah while we were visiting Pennsylvania. We had a nice lunch and talked about grownup things for nearly an hour. Here we see Ava and Isobel who, looking skyward at the exact same moment, said in unison: "A UFO! Finally a sign that there is intelligent life in the universe besides you and me and the chimpanzees!"
But, wouldn't you know it, those tricky E.T.s were gone in a puff of smoke as soon as we grown-ups turned around.

*photo by Larry Furr