The Quiet Life of Violet

And Now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Last year 

  around this time:   

 

  

And now:

 

Oh motherhood.

Wouldn't change a thing!

Roman Writes: My First Easter

Dear people who read my Momma's bloggie,

I had my first Easter a few days ago! The Easter Bunny brought me a little basket and it was filled with some new caterpillar ball things (I'm perfecting my throwthemonthefloor move), a Star Wars shirt (my Momma is so cool), my first tooth brush and some travel spoons (I love to eat beaaaaaannnnns). Next year I WILL eat chocolate.

I visited Great Grandma's house! I saw my Great-Aunts and Uncles, my Momma's cousins, my Auntie Effie and Uncle Joey and of course my Granny and Grandpeedo. I was kind of cranky because I refused to take either of my naps, but everyone kept me busy. I played with a light-saber and loved it! (Mental note: get Mom to buy me one for my birthday - I need to practice my skills before Dawth comes back.) My Uncle Joey took me down the slide and flew me around Great Grandma's giant backyard. I was taller than everybody! I gotta get used to that if I'm going to be a Jedi. Serious business, folks.

After some lunch, I sat on a blankie with Momma and Auntie Effie and played with eggies and this chewie toy my Granny got me. I had to take my sweater off 'cause I'm a sweaty baby (at least, that's what Mom says) and the sun was making me hot. My socks came off too. I was thisclose to being a nakie baby, but it didn't happen. One of these days I'll get to be a  nakie baby in the sun, I swear on my Stinky Bear!

I was gettin' really cranky, so Momma and Daddy packed me up and we drove home. Of course we made a quick stop at Sonic for a cherry-wimeade for Mom. Mom kept going on about the ice, but I don't even know what ice is! Momma is soooooo silly.

I hope you guys had a fun Easter! Did you get lots of chocwate? Next year I'll sneak attack into your house and munch all your chocwate... you've been warned!

It's time for my nap now. I've gotta get my milkies, my blankie and my Stinky Bear. Must hide Stinky Bear - he's getting a little ripe (just how I like him) and Mom keeps threatening to wash him!

Hugs and slobber kisses,
Roman

 

Easter on a Sunday

 

    Happy Easter, sweet friends!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May your day be filled with love, laughter and a boatload of chocolate peanut butter candy.

 Lots of love,
The Clark Family

 

 

We Had a Sweet Day! (in pictures)

Our day went something like this...

Mom took this obligatory outfit picture. Please excuse my Husband's BRIGHT-ASS ORANGE watch and the bit of trashcan on the right.  It felt like Prom all over again!



Mom and Dad babysat the Squid for us. They went to Berkeley and had calzones and checked out the Japanese dollar-fifty store.

We had lunch at Benihana, as the picture states. The service SUCKED, as in the WORST we've ever had there. I had my plate of food for 15 MINUTES before Dustin got his. I know it was a holiday, but damn, get your stuff together. It's not like the food was free or anything!

 

Went to the movies (FINALLY!) and saw The Vow. It was good and cheesy and we saw Channing Tatum's butt - both cheeks, not partial. HELLO! (I don't think Bub was as excited about that part as I was... Buns!)

Oh! I got these beauties from my sweet man. My first pair of diamond earrings! (Flowers and chocolate, too! Dark with sea salt - my favorite.) The movie theater lighting made me look like Golem and I must confess that this shot is uncomfortably close to my ear hole.




Met back up with Mom and Dad and drove home with our boy. He's our favorite valentine's present. Any kid who will eat sauerkraut with a smile on his face is a-okay with me.

As far as Valentine's dinner goes, I put "Valentine's Day" as what we were having on my weekly menu/shopping list, so I had nothing planned. Whoops! It was a freezer scrounge dinner for us!  I wouldn't have it any other way. <3

On This Tuesday

I love this boy something fierce.
He's my one true love.
The Daddy of my baby boy.
The kisser of my lips.
The scratcher of my back.
The holder of my hand.
The looker of my, "Is that a bug bite?"
The supporter of my dreams.
The partner of my future.
The love of my whole life.

I love you, Dustin.

Happy Valentine's Day.
Let's put fanny packs on and be tourists.


(2003)

Ringing It In and Resolutions

 We warmly welcomed the New Year with some lovely friends, Matt and Natty and Kerena, Patrick and their sweet daughter K. We had snacks and sweets and drinks, drinks, drinks! The kids went to sleep around 9p.m. (late night for my baby boy!) and the adults stayed up and talked and talked and watched Dirty Dancing. We don't have cable, so there was no ball drop, BUT... amazingly enough, after chatting with the girls for over an hour, I checked the clock on the xBox at EXACTLY 12:00 am (what luck!) so we all took a moment and kissed our men. We had an awesome time!

Roman woke up around 2:30, so I changed him and fed him and snuck a picture - my first of the new year. He's taken to putting his fingers in my mouth as I give him a bottle. A cheesy little midnight snack for Mommy. SO gross but I wouldn't trade it for anything!

We woke up around 8:30 and it was New Years Day! I baked the cinnamon buns that brother made for us (from scratch!), made fruit salad, Dustin made eggs and Kerena made the frosting for the buns. We all shared our first breakfast of 2012 together and watched Tangled, too. Dustin and Natalie played Barbies with little K. Notice the Rapunzel doll in his hand? For some reason his Rapunzel speaks like a little old British lady and sounded much like Mrs. Doubtfire. I love that boy.

We all got ready, Kerena, Patrick and little K headed home and the rest of us packed up to drive out to Mom's house. My family agreed (with gusto!) to watch the baby while the four of us went to the movies, with a pit stop to In-N-Out (Chipotle was closed, boo) first. We saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie, which I enjoyed. I actually fell asleep for the first 20 minutes (hey, 5.5 hours of sleep, a dark, non-baby filled room and the shoulder of the warm man that I love? Who wouldn't take a cat nap?!), but I really liked the rest of the movie. Well, with the exception of Sherlock Holmes looking a whole lot like Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr., like Jack Black and Nicholas Cage (among others), plays himself in most of his movies. Do you know what I mean?

After the movie, we headed to Dustin's Mom's house (our parents live 5 minutes away from each other) to get ready for dinner. My sister dropped Roman off so the other Grandparents could watch him for the rest of the evening and everyone got their baby-fix for the day. Sweet deal, man.

Natty and I got dressed in the room and had lots of girl talk and make-up and, "Does this look good?" - it was so much fun getting ready with another female... I've almost forgotten what it was like! SO glad she's in my life.

We drove out to Benihana and met up with K,P & little K again, as well as our friends Marquita  and Mike, for grand total of NINE people at dinner. We filled a table and had such a blast. We all shared our NewYear's resolutions and ate like fat kids at the cupcake factory.

 
     

After we finished up, said our goodbyes and went separate ways, Dustin and I decided to stop in to Barnes & Nobles for some grown-up magazine and dessert time. Yeah, by that time it was 9:30pm and we were old and tired and laughed at ourselves - we used to go to B&N at least twice a week before the baby was born, and we'd stay 'till closing time. It's funny how kids change things. :)

We spent Monday cleaning the house, loafing in Pajamas and I snuck off to the grocery store for some shopping. Grocery shopping is so much better when you stop at the bookstore first and buy a half-price calender and two books, and you get to enjoy the time all ALONE. I swear, little "mom" breaks do wonders. I am a better Mother and a better Wife when I take the time, no matter how short, to do something for me. To enjoy some solitary silence where I am in charge of no one but myself. Ahhhhh... peaceful.

 

With that lovely weekend behind us and a full, fresh year ahead of us, I'd like to share my resolutions and goals for 2012.

  Two Thousand and Twelve:               

My word of the year  is:

"Courage"

I will no longer allow myself to be afraid of my life. God has got my back. Homeboy. <3

"Let it go. Rejoice and be happy with what you have in your life now." - Gary Busey

I figured that I'd make monthly goals, too. No more excuses. I will have the courage to try because doing nothing at all is WORSE than trying and failing.

January:  De-clutter and Organize!
Get my blog sorted and do all of the little things that I've been meaning to do for a long time. This includes getting all of my pages, series (**cough**1,300 things**cough**) and links currents, updating my blog-reader grab badge and taking an updated banner picture, updating all of my should-dos and series that I've slacked off of. Super excited!

 Get all of Christmas packed up and everything back to normal. This includes getting all of our thank-you notes written and mailed, all decorations packed and put away, the cupboards cleared of junk and clutter tossed with glee. A fresh start for a new year.

Go through ALL (oh dear GOD) of the pictures on my phone AND computer. This is going to be an all day task. Save me!

February: Put my business and shop into the top priority slot (after Dustin and Roman, of course!) this month. I'm so nervous and excited at the same time! Refine my business plan and map it all out. YES!

March:  I want to be one of those people that sends cards on birthdays and anniversaries. I have a little binder, book thing that I got at some memory book party (about 8 or 9 years ago... yikes) that's designed specifically for this purpose. I will fill the thing out and become "one of those people"... note to self: buy stamps. 

April: I have LITERALLY been trying to think of something for the past few days. Help me out, guys.. What is a good thing to accomplish in April?

May: Mother's Day! I want to do a "Mother" feature on my blog.

June: The month of parties! I turn 28, my brother turns 21 (beer), my father-in-law turns 50 (I think! Am I right Mr. Pop-pop?) and sweet Roman turns 1!

July: Have a REAL 4th of July cook-out with friends.  Hang flags, wave sparkler and be as patriotic as possible. I love my Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

August: Take Roman to the beach. Play with water balloons (supervised!). Get a kiddy pool and splash, splash, splash!

September: Go apple picking as a family. Make pie!

October: Take Roman Trick-or-treating for the first time. Celebrate our 8 year wedding anniversary with an overnight trip somewhere.

November: I want to actually vote this year. Yup, I've been of voting age for almost ten years and I think I've only vote once? Shame on me!

December:  Take Roman to the snow!

 

Let's get this party started, guys!