April 29, 2011

fail photo 28 - cake bandit

today at work we had a goodbye party for our colleague Bryan Smalley.
it included us wearing a fabulous shirt that his students had made for their hall council that said "Bryan Smalley is my Homeboy."
over whatever we had already worn to work.
seriously.


that's bryan in the middle.
and that's bryan's face on each of our shirts.
hilarious.

this send-off also included a ridiculously tasty cake that was half red velvet and half carrot.
bryan and i both share the sentiment that cream cheese frosting is perfection.
which brings me to this week's fail photo.

this one is of anth.
and is clearly a few years old.
i no longer even remember from where i brought home a piece of my personal favorite, carrot cake.
i do, however, remember how excited i was to eat it.
and i remember setting it on the coffee table.
and going to the kitchen for a glass of milk.
and coming back to THIS.



and yet we love them still...

April 28, 2011

baseball and bubbles

tonight we are spending some time saying goodbye to a gem of a colleague who is heading off to his next big adventure.
and you know what that means...

lazy post!

not so long ago, we had a few consistently sunny and beautiful days here in Columbus.
for the boys, sunshine translates directly to baseball and bubbles in the backyard.

which clearly requires shades.

really classy shades.


and lots of blue clothing.

 
apparently, benny was not pleased with the umpire's call.

 
also, note that anth was the one playing baseball.
yet also the one assisting his brother, who was watching, to his drink.

ben quickly moved on to bubbles.

 
which requires an intense level of focus.

 


this might be my favorite from the day.
becuase they thought i was off taking photos of benny.
(i'm sneaky like that. stealth, even.)
love. love. love.

April 27, 2011

candy colloquialisms revisited

tonight, i'm having fun helping out with Homecoming Court Interviews here at OSU.
so this is just a short and sweet follow up to my post regarding benjamin and his confusion about the proper name for his Pez-dispenser.

i just wanted to make it clear that, should my littlest peanut approach you and tell you he "wants to eat a kitty kat,"...yep.
he is still seeking candy.
of the crispy wafer and milk chocolate variety.
in that case, please do NOT give him one.
unless you are willing to babysit immediately after he eats it.

April 26, 2011

check-ups and other legal forms of torture

with birthday season comes the annual trip to the pediatrician.
i told anth that i had called his doctor and scheduled him for a visit.

anth is old enough to know that, as much as he loves his pediatrician, visiting him goes hand in hand with getting jabbed in the arm/thigh with a needle.
this part of the visit trumps the fun of showing his doctor how much taller he is, or what random bit of info he has learned recently.

this has clearly been on anth's mind, as he approached me in the kitchen recently to ask, "hey mom? you know why i don't like to get shots?"

the sudden burst of pain?
i mean, let's be real, that's why i don't like them...

but, not anth.
"i don't like them becuase my arm gets all sore and then it's hard to get good rest at night."

who is this kid?
i am torn between this being,
   a. evidence of his sheer endearingness/desire to be his best, or
   b. a quite masterful attempt at getting out of a shot for a quality reason.

i can go either way, really.

April 25, 2011

allow me to explain...

should my youngest little man approach you...
and request..
or demand...
or basically say anything to the effect of wanting his "Piss Bunny"...


first, i apologize. 
second, please know that he is requesting his bunny-shaped Pez dispenser. 
the one he received in his basket on Easter morning.

and, no need to check with me. 
you are more than welcome to give it to him. 
why, you ask? 
because he refuses to eat the contents. 
he insists that it is "bunny-rabbit food." 


as a result, he spent a good portion of the day begging for candy, with his faithful little "piss bunny" in hand. 
(TIP: should he approach you in this fashion, he definitely does not appreciate you giggling in response.)

April 23, 2011

bunnies on the brain...

tonight, anth and i were lying on the floor next to benny's crib at bedtime. 
yes, this has become a part of the routine that i have accepted. 
judge as you will. 


anth, being a logical child, has been focused on the logistics of being the easter bunny. 
he used this time together to ask the following...
is he the size of a real bunny?
or is he huge like the ones in the mall? 
does he look like a real bunny or the "dress up" bunnies? 
does he have helpers?
is he magical? 
how does he carry all of that? 
etc...


for the most part, bern and i let him know that because we were such good kids, and listened to our parents who told us we had to go to bed, we don't know. 
you see, we were angels. 
and went to bed early. 
and fell asleep right away. 
and did not get up and go poking about. 
hence, we have never actually seen the Easter Bunny. 
anth accepted this at face value. 
and went to bed. 


he then became concerned that we needed to "leave something for the bunny." 
he hopped out of bed and dashed downstairs.

he drew a quick picture and note for the bunny and grabbed a bowl. 
he then asked us to "leave him some salad." 
which we have done. 
(we hope the Easter Bunny enjoys a Romaine Blend.)
anth then went back to bed. 


i went up to check on him a few minutes ago. 
he is quietly lying in bed awake. 
i asked him what he was doing. 
he said he was going through the first floor of the house "in his brain," picturing all the places a bunny might hide something. 
(at least he's being productive up there.)


i think i mentioned previously that we took anth to see HOP on his birthday.
(meh.)
on my way out, anth shared one last thought. 
"hey, mom. wouldn't it be really cool if daddy was the real easter bunny? then we could be his helpers."


wouldn't it, anth? 
;)

April 22, 2011

fail photo 27 - bunny fail

i love dying easter eggs!
thankfully, i have kids, so i have an excuse.
and i'm pretty darn excited about the festivities ahead this weekend.
with that in mind...


may your weekend bring a little bit of this...


and a lot of this...
(the easter  bunny hid bubbles last year along with the eggs. this is his reaction to finding them. the kid LOVES bubbles.)



but, perhaps, not so much of this.
(because, clearly, one of a few dozen eggs having a crack? tragic.)

April 21, 2011

curses!

this little gem was observed by Bernie...
and, for the most part, this post was written by my lovely hubby.
with some "additions" on my part.

because he is just too nice to be sassy about the boys...

heading into bedtime, bern asked anth to go ahead into the bathroom and brush his teeth, telling him that he would be right there.

we typically let the boys do the initial work, and then come in for some recovery.
and by recovery, i mean to actually brush their teeth.
because, were it up to ben, he would just stand there and quietly eat the toothpaste, happy as a clam.

as bern was changing into his "pajamas" in the next room, he heard anth let out a disapproving “ugh…”
this was quickly followed by a vehement, “curse you tooth brush!”

bern got up to see what was wrong.
anth was standing at the sink, staring at his toothbrush.
he was giving it the universally recognized look for "you are a dissapointment to me."

of course, bern asked anth what was wrong.
anth: “I can’t believe my tooth brush. It just stopped working”

note:
anth uses an electric tooth brush and it had stopped spinning.
likely because the batteries died.
apparently we have spoiled him far too long with a mechanized tooth brush…
so much so that he has no idea that he could “manually” scrub his teeth and get the same result.

April 19, 2011

let it rip!

right now Beyblades are all the rage in our house. 
ask ben. 
he can sing you the entire theme song. 
Beyblades are little cylindrical metal pieces that attach to a piece with a ripcord.
you pull said ripcord to send them spinning. 
before you spin them, you MUST yell "3-2-1 Let it rip!" 
like this...



yes, friends....they are fancy tops. 
but the boys think they are a very modern concept. 
we just go with it. 


they also come with a Beyblade Stadium. 
this looks like an oversized dog's waterbowl with a few rivets in it. 
here, you are to send two of these spinning at the same time. 
the one that stops the other from spinning wins. 


recently, anth decided to teach me "how to bey."
after about three rounds of me v. benny, anth leaned over to my ear and whispered, 
"just so you know, you're better at this than ben." 
about 30 seconds later he came back for a second message in my ear.
"but don't tell him. it's probably just because you're old anyway." 

April 18, 2011

now we are six

ok...so this is pretty much a week late.
and i'm perfectly happy with that fact.


why?
because it means the gents and i have been hanging out and having fun and getting in some good quality time in our post-MBA life.
so here's to more sporadic posts due to extra time with all of my boys.


but...as promised...here are a few photos from anth's bday.


for a variety of reasons this year, we chose to forgo the "friends" birthday party for one year. 
bern and i took the day off of work to spend it with anth. 
i forgot my camera...
imagine lovely pictures of the following: 
he choose McDonald's for breakfast, and to see the movie Hop after that. 
(if you like...plots...not high on my list of recommendations.)
he then wanted honey chicken for lunch (no idea) so we went to Pei Wei. 
where he officially declared honey chicken to be gross. 
we also hit the LEGO store for some Star Wars and Harry Potter fun, as well as Target. 
then it was time to pick up benny and do the rest of the festivities at home. 


one must always decorate for a birthday party in the savvy abode. 


little man did his very best to only help open the presents with his eyes. 


sometimes the presents were really exciting...


sometimes, not so much...


anth chose a "funfetti" cake. 


we asked him what the best part of being 6 was...
his sentiments? 
"i finally get to do all those things i couldn't when i was younger." 


ah. 
yes. 
when you were young...

April 16, 2011

out of control

tonight, bern and i are going out with my friend heather and her beau dave. 
we had an exciting week and want to celebrate. 
(for those who felt i was being awkwardly vague in my previous post, heather and i were both elected to serve another term in our positions on USAC, Ohio State's University Staff Advisory Committee. we are both big nerds and very excited about this. what's USAC? check us out.)


no, i won't be having a "'rita" tonight, thank you very much. 


when telling the boys that benny's friend "Phe-ow" was coming over to babysit while we are gone, anth threw his head back and and exclaimed, "but you JUST went on a date!"


yes, sweet boy. 
mommy and daddy did already go on A date in 2011. 
at this rate, we're heading for a banner year. 


watch out. 

April 15, 2011

April 13, 2011

grammar matters

first...on a note unrelated to my kiddos or this post...today was a good day. 
a good friend bought a flight to come and visit this summer, and i was given the opportunity to take on a leadership role i've been hoping to have a chance to serve in. 
i really let myself want this and was nervous about it on a variety of levels. 
ask bern. 
i'm sure he can share some charming stories of my hot mess of a self over the last few weeks. 
so, a quick word of thanks to those who put their vote of confidence in me, as well as to my lovely colleagues in Archer and Neilwood Gables for their barrage of kind words and "love notes" this morning!


now, for the good stuff...
(that might just make one question backing me in the former process.)


this story is truly a little homage to my own brilliance.

AKA, prepare to be impressed.

in this particular "Real Mom Of Genius" moment, the boys and i were driving home after work/school.
specifically, we were driving on a local street called Henderson.
anth has recently taken to noticing various signs and either reading them aloud to us,
or asking us what they spell.

we had just passed an old Mexican restaurant that had closed down a while ago.
i was engrossed in some random thought or another, and anth pulled me out of it when he asked,
"hey mom, what does R-I-T-A-S spell?"
i asked him to repeat it again.
he did.
and then he shared the fact that it had an "a-pop-strophe."

'ritas.
right?
CLEARLY.

i started to explain that " 'ritas" is a nickname for a drink that some adults like.
anth then suggested "oh. well, have you had a 'ritas recently? we could go get 'ritas together."

yep.
YEP.

it was only after my 5-year-old offered to get cocktails together that i realized he was, in fact, referring to Rita's.
the Italian Ice stand on Henderson.

moral of the story?
punctuation is really important.

April 12, 2011

anth: a pictorial review

eek!
these are a day late!

here is bern with our not-so-little 8 pound nugget!


here are anth and daddy one year later...looking notably more tired...
(this was actually taken after his first birthday party and little man was completely wiped out.)
(also, i have no explanation for his hair.)


anth was officially the Baker Hall West mascot that year. 
here we are in my office with the cake that my partner in crime, kelly jo, made for anth. 


flash forward to 2007 and here are those same two gents on anth's 2nd birthday!


by the time we got around to his 3rd birthday, anth had another adoring fan. :)


but he still had those pinchable cheeks!
this was his party at Grandpa Savarese's house.  


and here we are back at Grandpa Savarese's for birthday number 4. 
mom and anth snuck off to do our own little photo shoot. 
this was the "best" one. 


part two of his 4th birthday happened back out our house. 
(the berber carpet still makes me twitch when i see it. yuck-o.) 
this year, benny was old enough to "assist." 
(and yes, for those who are really observant, there is a gift in christmas wrap. oops.)


benny's version of "assistance" was questionable. 

with little brothers comes great jealousy.
it can be traumatic when you are 13 months old and realize it's not YOUR birthday. 


this was a ridiculously intense year of Star Wars. 
no, those aren't all from us. 
yes, it is excessive. 
4 was a good year. 


year 5 brought anth's first "friends" birthday party. 
he opted for The Little Gym. 
precious.




jealously part 2. 


and this was the worst. 
here benny is watching his big brother get...


his first bike! 
from Grandma and Grandpa Welch. 

and, here is my wonderful little man at the age of 6!

(there are currently a variety of cooties attacking my person, so i'll post photos from the actual birthday festivities in a few days!)

April 10, 2011

last day of 5 - the journal




yep.
that's right. 
tomorrow my sweet boy will be 6. 


unbelievable. 


we will be taking a special day to celebrate all that is anth. 
and yes, seeing the movie Hop is on the list. :)
i am currently taking a break from cake baking and gift wrapping to post this. 


which means i should probably get back to work. 
check back tomorrow for a fun collection of anth's birthday pics through the years.

April 7, 2011

wayfinding

while walking to a meeting on campus recently, i came across this sign...


i would like to believe that even Benny, without the ability to read, would figure out on his own that this is not a viable walking path under the present conditions.


(for those unfamiliar with this site/sight, this is a giant, muddy, pit of construction that is part of a geothermal well system going in on campus. not sure what that means? this site explains all that and more about our fun projects going on around South Campus at OSU...) 

April 6, 2011

beautiful. . . in every single way

we use U-Verse in the savvy abode. 
in the past three weeks, our service has gone out 4 times. 
it takes our access to TV, DVR, and the internet with it. 
we were somewhere in the midst of round 4 of this, and our only tech-ish connection to the outside world was through my phone's 3G connection. 


i came across two things, a la Kelly Ignatoski, that i thought were worth sharing. 


the first was this little gem that I found on her FB wall. 
it's a video of a collaboration between the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus and the Columbus Children's Choir in support of the Trevor Project and the It Gets Better Campaign. 
i played it for the boys while we were reading our bedtime books. 
they were both sitting in my lap in the rocker in benny's room. 
benjamin, being his usual patient self...and knowing how to operate my iPhone...pushed the button at the top of my phone to shut it off and informed us, "dat song is too wong." 


when it was anth's time for bed, he asked me about the song. 
he wanted to know if it was meant just for "pretty people."
i informed him it wasn't, and a little bit more about the intention behind it, and he asked if we could watch it again so he could "listen harder."
ugh. 
i love him. 


later, i was on kelly's blog, kelarious, catching up on a few recent posts. 
two of them centered on children's books. 
which i know she has a little penchant for, from several giggling trips to the kids' section of Barnes and Noble together in our early Hall Director years. 
in this post, she outlines a few of her go-to favorite books for gifts. 
recently, benny received Dooby Dooby Moo and Click, Clack Moo: Cows that Type from Kelly for his 3rd birthday. 








actually, all the Savvys received a little something compliments of a kelly care package. 

bernie was recognized for graduating, benny for his bday, and anth for just being anth. 
even i got a little something fun in recognition of having my life back. 

kelly is familiar with my nerdiness.
and knows that i am a complete sucker for chex mix. 
she was also my crafting partner-in-crime before she moved up to Madison. 
the button is from a craft shop...commenting on the current political issues in her state. 



here is benjamin being excited about his new book. 
:) 


and here is book #1 being employed at nap time. 
it took two books to do the trick...






















benny can now be heard at night through his bedroom door, quietly dooby-mooing to himself. 

it's both endearing and hilarious. 
so, thanks kel. 


she also highlighted a website on her blog. 
it was created by James Patterson to encourage wee ones to become life-long readers. 
and, being passionate about this myself, i couldn't help but re-post for anyone interested...
check it out...





too lazy to read about reading? 
(slacker)


here are a few fun videos of some of kelly's, and now the boys', favorites... 
click clack moo: cows that type 
diary of a worm.
dooby dooby moo 
duck for president