I spent the last 3 days attached to my real camera – between shooting and editing and messing around with my equipment it was a very photography filled weekend. I’m totally feeling it tonight though. Taking pictures requires a lot of crouching and stretching and bending and balancing and walking and carrying furniture out into an orchard (ok, maybe you don’t HAVE to do that last one) and I’ve reached critical mass in my pregnancy. Meaning my legs and back are DEFINITELY critical of my mass and shout at me.

Sunday:

Someone is a little wired on candy at 8 am.

Walking to church helps burn off a sugar high

OH NO I GOT FROSTING ON MY DRESS I BETTER LICK IT OFF BECAUSE I HAVE NOT HAD ENOUGH SUGAR TODAY

Monday:

Running errands

Running away

The only angle at which my room looks semi-clean

Tuesday:

Peeps donut is ridiculous.

OMG A STICK I LOVE STICKS (I think Caroline might be a dog)

My pale, pale feet finally have pretty spring nail polish

Wednesday:

My only picture from Wednesday. The whole day was a bit of a blur (BA DUM CHING)

Thursday:

These are her friends who we have to bring with us everywhere all the time. It’s not annoying at all.

HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT TARGET WITH THAT FACE YOUNG MAN

Dinner = world’s easiest tomato sauce

Friday:

Caroline and I had a morning adventure

Ordering her sandwich all her own self

My children are very attractive.

Saturday:

Just looking at this picture makes me want another cheeseburger.

Calibrating my camera lenses made me insane, but is hopefully worth it.

She was SO whiny we suggested she just go take a nap…and she agreed. That is a tired child.

I am going on vacation this week. REAL vacation. The kind where I do not have to wipe anyone’s butt or clean up powdered sugar someone has dumped all over the kitchen. Even better, it’s for the Mom 2.0 Summit conference in Atlanta, where I get to see some of my favorite people, meet some writers I really admire and go to fancy parties.

Obviously being 6 months pregnant puts a damper on both cocktails and fancy shoes, but NOT doing mom-stuff for 3 days is just the break I need (so. much. whining.) before I have ANOTHER small person to take care of. I might actually skip half the conference just to sleep and/or eat yummy southern food.

Forgive me, it was party week, so I am late. Basically everything between now and August will be late, although my only real excuse will be “pregnant” or “giving birth”. Those actually sound like better excuses than a 5 year old’s birthday though.

Sunday:

Random 6 am barfing = morning bath

Clearly she felt much better a few hours later

This is not actually very good, but that did not stop me from eating it with a spoon

Monday:

I HATE YOU SNOW

TA-DA!

Helping

Tuesday:

Pirate Fairy Day. It was really all we did.

Dancing to the pirate song

Flip-flop weather!!

Wednesday:

She accessorized.

Swim class is their favorite

Helping me make frosting is THE BEST THING EVAAAAAR

Thursday:

We had houseguest coming, so I cleaned while the kids had a lazy day.

Very, very lazy.

Friday:

I found these two like this.

Bump.

Helping Bumpa clean our yard

Saturday:

AHOY! BIRTHDAY AHEAD!!

Front porch party mess

Evan got TWO of these rockets for his birthday and they are both his favorite. Highly recommend for any kid.

Even for us, that week involved a lot of dress up. My laundry pile is sort of insane right now, but I HAVE TO FINISH MY TAXES. I HAVE TO. RIGHT NOW. NOTHING ELSE IS BEING DONE UNTIL I FINISH THEM.

I figure if I type that enough times I might actually do it. Anyone want to barter tax prep services for a photo shoot next year? Or you can come punch me repeatedly in the face. Or how about a kid? I will give you this next baby if you agree to do my taxes forever. (Not really, but it’s tempting. I’m really, really overwhelmed.)

p.s. It is supposed to be 65 degrees tomorrow and I will probably take the kids to the beach. Because that’s how we roll in New England.

p.p.s. My birthday is Thursday. I’m getting my teeth cleaned.

As of RIGHT NOW if someone knocked on the door I wouldn’t be ashamed to let them come in. All the general living areas of the house are in fairly decent shape with no visible disgusting messes. Except the basement. The basement is full of water.  Hopefully it stops raining before the whole house floats away and no one gets to see my nice clean kitchen.

Sunday:

Aquarium day

Mr. Ray says hi

Peas in a pod enamored with technology

Monday:

Despite the face, she was very excited about the flower

Scanned and Artkived 6 months of kids art so I could THROW IT AWAY

Hugging the bump

Tuesday:

I got an emissions inspection, he built a castle

Comparing our big bellies

Wednesday:

Happy to be in a second session of swimming

Pretending it’s spring

Drive-thru dinner makes me happy too

Thursday:

Hats

Getting their namaste on

Thank you Aunt Sara! Unicorn is their new favorite!

Friday:

ALMOST warm enough to be outside

Helping Brutus be brave

All of us doing things we love: Caroline is napping, Evan is building, I am watching HGTV

Saturday:

“Reading” me the info about her first dance recital!

Father-son bonding over blowing shit up

I spent 2 hours last night trying to pick a font for a new header. You probably didn’t even notice.

This is going to be a crazy week leading up to Evan’s birthday party on Saturday (FIVE! FIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!) but I’m excited. The weatherman is promising it will warm up, there are crocuses blooming in my yard, and my house looks like it’s been attacked by pirates. In a good way. They left a lot of hats.

I also have big plans to get my eyebrows done. I live a very exciting life.

I was also accepted to promotion for that new Disney Pirate Fairy movie that means I HAVE to go buy it the day it comes out and the kids HAVE to watch it. Considering they both scream their heads off every time the preview comes on it shouldn’t be a hardship. Like my friend Sara said, Disney basically buys ad space on the inside of parents’ eyelids, but in this case they’re also paying me to make my kids wicked happy. Blogging is still cool, even if I’m not super good at it anymore.

I did more stuff this week than I’ve done in ages. I might die. Luckily (hahahahahahahaha NO NOT LUCKILY) we’re supposed to have a snowstorm this week so we’ll probably get a weather-related vacation in the middle of the week. I would rather we have gorgeous, amazing weather and I just take a day off to lie on the couch and let my hips recover, but it looks like instead we’ll be trapped in an eternal winter. I blame Frozen.

Sunday:

This is all we did Sunday. Alllllll day.

Monday:

REALLY EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING

Yo ho let’s go

Father-son computer game bonding. Or something.

Tuesday:

Solo shopping with a coffee is like vacation.

Now they can stop asking when it will come!!

Hello baby face

Wednesday:

The last patch of snow (until #$%&*@# Tuesday)

Caroline is wearing a bathing suit, I don’t let her go out without pants on a regular basis.

Where did Evan go????

Thursday:

It’s spring, time for butterflies! (says Caroline)

I made the closet a fort, which means I’m her hero

Dr. Seuss & jammies night at Evan’s school

Friday:

If he REALLY minded, he would just move

360 freeze frame camera fun

Evan’s favorite part of the science center

Saturday:

Newborn session!

Watching Frozen extras and editing photos. My Saturdays are EXCITING.

I am going to actually write works and things on my blog this week. Stay tuned for much excitement.

I spent 3 hours and $900 on my minivan today, and if anyone had ever told me that would be my life 10 years ago I would have died.

Sunday:

Chalk markers changed my life.

She will literally sleep on any flat surface.

Bunk bed building buddies

Monday:

Good bye, see ya, I’m done here.

Matching princesses

My goal for Monday was to clean the new shared room. This was after THREE HOURS. We own too. Much. Stuff.

Tuesday:

Everyday I’m scooterin’

SO CLOSE TO SPRING. WE WERE SO CLOSE.

Peek-a-boo princess

Wednesday:

Hugging a beach ball

Hugging a different beach ball

Learning to dive is his MISSION IN LIFE

Thursday:

Go $#%& yourself, Winter

Birthday balloon update: Still mostly floating after 3 months.

Thursdays are exhausting

Friday:

Dress up and glitter slime playdate

Showing off the muscles he grew when he ate his whole sandwich

Saturday:

Warm up moves

She thinks having a blue tongue is the most AMAZING thing ever

Handsome

ONCE nice day this week and I’m ruined. I’ve lost my ability to handle the cold at all. I’m like a snake that shed its winter skin and all I can do is think about how nice and warm I would be if I lived in Florida or California or Hawaii.

Although right now I will accept 2 more weeks of cold as long as we can have beautiful, warm, sunny weather for Evan’s 5th birthday. The world of “these are your friends because I like their moms” and “these are my friends because I go to school with them” collided, and my guest list is a little out of control. Mostly that’s exciting, since this might be the first party Evan REALLY remembers and it’s going to be super fun. But also having all those people trapped in my house instead of using the porch/patio is going to be…well, horrible. It would be horrible.

Fingers crossed.