pugmire studio

valentine's baking.

2012-02-15T07:45:00.000-08:00

spaceboys.

2012-02-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

i made spaceboys for the tate and beck for christmas. they were to replace the original spaceboy...who unfortunately suffered a fatal accident. and i made a spacebaby for wells too. though spacebaby has some weird proportions...i think the pattern i used has a mistake in the seam allowance. anyway the boys like them. tate named his (the blue and green one) nicholas. and beck named his (red and blue) ted. he has been naming everything ted lately. i believe he currently had a pet peregrine falcon named ted. and a brother named teddy. (both imaginary of course). the baby we just call baby.

p.s. have i ever posted about treebo? must do that.

fun in a box.

2012-02-12T13:09:00.000-08:00

the joys of cardboard boxes. and little brothers to push around in them. and big brothers to push you around in them.

10 months-ish.

2012-02-04T12:04:00.000-08:00

the little man is ten months old! and likes to rock a bow tie. not many new tricks since the very belated nine month update. i keep expecting him to let go when cruising and try to take a step...but not yet. he kinda needs a haircut...but i'm not sure i'm ready to do it. or that he will stay still enough for it. oh...brian and i both think he says baby! in fact just a minute ago the screen saver popped up (which is pictures from iphoto) and he saw it and said baby! that is the most definite time i've heard it from him...so i am going with first word: baby. way to go wellsy.

new england aquarium.

2012-01-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

penguins.

hey guys.

sea turtle!

feeding time for the penguins.

feeding time for the big ray.

hey wellsy.

fur seal.

touching rays.

we got a membership to the new england aquarium with some christmas money...we love having memberships fun places. this particular the day the aquarium was a bit crowded..it was saturday and the aquarium isn't that big. we had fun though! and we caught feeding time for the penguins (each fed by hand and recorded..there were some sneaky penguins stealing fish though). it was also feeding time in the big tank. the tank is a huge tube that is 3 or 4 floors high. we saw them scuba-ing down to feed the rays and some particular big fish and also cleaning the windows. we caught a bit of the fur seal "show" and i learned a few things. i always thought that outer ears = sea lion. not so. and the boys and i touched sting rays. pretty fun day. we'll be back soon.

jfk museum.

2012-01-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

the boys and brian had martin luther king day off...so we went to the john f. kennedy library and museum. the boys did surprisingly well. there was enough navy/space program/american flag things to keep them interested. i thought the museum was way more interesting this time (last time i went i was in eighth grade so i was totally bored by it) and brian of course loved it (as he did in eighth grade also). i actually brought my camera and was going to take photos but was so busy explaining things to the boys, looking/reading the exhibits, pushing the stroller...that i never got it out. so a snapped a few with my phone at the very end. nice museum, cool architecture, and a pretty spot. and good company.

snow.

2012-01-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

hailey's quilt.

2012-01-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

our dear friends sean and ashley had a sweet baby girl...so i made her a quilt. the pattern is stacked coins from last minute patchwork and quilted gifts...combined with the proverbial quilt pattern for her name. the best part was that we could give them the quilt in person and meet hailey since we were all in san diego for christmas!

9m ++.

2012-01-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

yes...wells is almost 10 months(!). but here are his nine month stats...height 30.5in (97%) weight 18lb 12oz (19%). long and lean. the little dude is just a happy guy. likes to explore and try to get into mischief. he has started clapping. he has added some new sounds to his repertoire...including dada. thinks dad is the funniest. also thinks doggies by sandra boynton is hilarious. has been sucking his index finger and thumb interchangeably. cannot escape from his new highchair. adept at finding something small to put in his mouth no matter how often i sweep/vacuum. has had a runny nose for the last three months straight i swear. likes to give me "kisses" (more like eat my face). it's easy to get a smile or laugh out of him. his balance is getting good...will be standing alone soon. growing too fast!

more christmas.

2012-01-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

santa left a lego table and starter box of legos at our house. and the boys bought some legos with christmas money they got from uncle tim. beck choose the space shuttle and police car. tate got the little boat and lunar rover. the others they already had.

to make the lego table we- i mean santa- adhered baseplates to an ikea table we had lying around. ideally i would have found a coffee table with storage...but that didn't happen. i googled and found this tutorial which helped us figure out how to cut the baseplates and line them up properly. we used e6000 to adhere the plates. and i painted a chalkboard road around two edges (since the baseplate and table sizes didn't match up perfectly). it has been getting some use...i think the playmobil the boys bought with christmas money are getting the most playtime. i should take a picture...they use all the people and have them play games. like football and baseball...and other made up things.

and with his christmas money wells bought a highchair he can't escape from!

christmas morning.

2012-01-05T12:29:00.000-08:00

santa found us and brought the boys a few (highly portable) things! some cars 2 cars, legos, a rubber ducky (now that i think about it i think we left that there...), a couple books, etc...and the rest of the day was spent building and playing legos. legos and playmobil are where it's at. the boys are obsessed. (of course the boys are into things with tiny little pieces right when we have a baby who likes to find tiny things to put in his mouth).

more soon on what santa left at our house...

sd instagrams.

2012-01-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

we have been busy the past few weeks...i had a birthday, i made a few things, we went home for christmas, wells turned nine months...more pictures will be coming. so for now, just a few snaps from my phone...

the most christmas spirit i've ever seen on one car...or anywhere.

tate + legos = love.

budding artist.

balboa park fountain at night.

enjoying the sunshine..and the grass.

said hello to the seals.

ate as much mexican food as possible.

posed with/as bats.

why did we leave?

zoolights.

2011-12-15T08:21:00.000-08:00

brian and beck posing with the baby reindeer (eight months old).

peacock. while i was taking this a woman walked by and said, "oh look at the turkey!"...um, no.

everything looks good covered in lights.

all bundled up.

there were slightly creepy displays with moving elements. i should have taken more pictures of them...the "ice skating" barbies were my favorite.

tate liked the train set the best.

so did beck. it was the coolest (least creepy).

we went out to stone zoo again for zoolights...their holiday tradition. it was alright. but we are spoiled when it comes to zoos! we had a good time..saw the lights...and a few animals. i think the boys were disappointed that they couldn't see more animals. so we will go back during the day again to see more animals. i was disappointed that i had to wear my coat...been holding out as long as possible! i have only worn it twice...and only because we were outside at night! take that new england weather! i probably shouldn't taunt the weather...there's still january, and february, and march...

more trouble.

2011-12-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

yes, wells is in the dishwasher. it is his favorite thing...he comes in a hurry when he hears it open. silly boy.

trouble.

2011-11-30T10:48:00.001-08:00

birdwatching.

2011-11-29T08:26:00.000-08:00

had to document the awesome sweater.

birdwatching is exhausting...especially when there are no birds.

tate liked my "indian" sweater.

wells loving the leaves.

last week tate wanted to outside and do some birdwatching. i was down with that because it is so hard to get the boys to play outside (apparently it is boring and we need a trampoline, a play structure, a sandbox, and a basketball hoop). so tate wanted to out front (which for some reason they prefer over the back..less boring i guess...) and he brought his notebook to sketch some birds. he drew one before getting bored and realizing there were no birds. i reminded him that most birds fly south for the winter. oh yeah. it was still good to be outside on a warmish sunny day. and wells got to crawl around in the leaves. beck choose to stay inside...probably playing with a helicopter...in case you were wondering.

8 months.

2011-11-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

leaf in the hair, food on the face, trash in the hands. oh yeah.

i had to dig something out of this cabinet...so of course he climbed in.

this crazy, happy boy is eight months old today! and i am on top of posting about it this time...since i completely missed 7 months i think. wells is so sweet and happy...but he is trouble! he gets into everything and is all over the place. he crawls super fast now and pulls up onto everything and is starting to cruise a bit. his favorite things are things he shouldn't be into...the bathroom trash can, the dishwasher, electrical cords, cupboards. he has one little tooth and another one is getting ready to pop out. his favorite sound to make is still baa or bla. but will say ma when he is mad. he is a mama's boy. he likes cheerios. he likes being thrown in the air and held upside down. oh i'm sure i could go on...but i won't. we all love our silly wellsy boy.

thanksgiving.

2011-11-25T13:14:00.000-08:00

roasting.

setting.

peek-a-booing.

rising.

coloring.

reading.

devouring.

we invited friends over and had a nice thanksgiving. i roasted turkey breast, made rolls, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a pumpkin roulade. everything was way good. success! in addition our friends brought three side dishes, three pies, a cheesecake, and homemade peppermint patties! we had so much food! thanksgiving is going to last all week!

at the park.

2011-11-18T07:02:00.000-08:00

mom! take a picture of me!

no problem.

uh, mom. will you take a picture of me?

yes i will.

and how could i resist taking a pic of this one?

especially when he finds a really big stick!

(actually at a different park...same jacket though)

we need to get out to the parks while we still can!

stone zoo.

2011-11-09T08:18:00.000-08:00

which bear is best? black bear.

making discoveries at the discovery center.

wellsy kicking it.

coyote.

puma. cougar. mountain lion.

proper jaguar with beck.

sleepy proper jaguar with tate.

brian had a half day last friday...and our library lends out museum passes...so we took advantage and went to stone zoo. certainly nothing can compete with our beloved world famous san diego zoo...but this was a cute little zoo. there were probably four other people there with us. and most of the animals were up close and easy to see. i am sure we will go back again!

more snow pictures.

2011-11-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

snow pictures from the big camera. what can i say? the boys loved the snow. they threw snowballs and tate even made a little snowman. or snowbird i think actually. hopefully it will still be super fun all winter long!

dining room.

2011-11-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

the dining room! i almost forgot about posting pictures...but here they are! much improved from the before, huh? about a million other things are in progress...trying to finish up the living room and the boys room. i will share photos as things get done!

halloween.

2011-11-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

tate's pumpkin.

beck's pumpkin.

baby in a cape.

super wells!

super lightning tate and super beck!

ready to head out.

we only got a few trick or treaters...loads of candy leftovers.

wells helped me pass out candy.

tate's loot.

beck's loot.

glowing pumpkins.

oh...yes, the baby is a monkey. he is hanging from the bottom of the chair. and he didn't even have any candy. oh boy.

nor'easter.

2011-10-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

beck loved the snow.

brian got in on the snowball action.

tate liked the snow too.

a fire engine pulled up while beck was throwing snowballs at a tree (and everyone else had gone back inside). best day ever?

and then two snowplows came. the best day got even better.

the reason for the vehicles...can you see the big branches that fell? two houses down from us. they landed on a power line. (we have power though).

branches in our yard.

branches on the roof.

fall leaves and snow.

in the yard.

snow covered fairy ring. (or fire pit. i prefer fairy ring).

branches on the roof.

quite an exciting weekend. now i request no more snow until thanksgiving. at least. we'll see how that goes.

what...

2011-10-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

why yes that is snow. in october.

not cool mother nature.

grandma judy and grandpa thad came to visit.

2011-10-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

we did loads of fun things while grandma and grandpa were in town! we didn't get to do a ton all together because thad had a conference and brian had to work. bri had columbus day off though...so went to plimoth plantation (and the mayflower 2) with judy. history come to life?...we are in.

then judy and i went apple picking with the boys. super fun. we went to honey pot hill. the apples were delicious. there was a hay ride. and farm animals. oh and the cider donuts! amazing. we got a pie too...also way good. will be going back for sure.

and we did some things i didn't photograph...we went to the museum of science, lexington and concord, dinner in the north end. mike's pastry! holy cannoli it was good (ha!). back there for sure also. and thad and judy painted the boy's room! it looks great. will have to take a picture soon. it was a really great week. thanks for coming! who wants to come visit next?

6 months stats.

2011-10-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

(these shots a from a few weeks ago...in the front yard)

this is super late! wells is getting close to seven months now...but i had to get this done.

height: 30 inches (100+%). crazy tall. weight: 17lbs 3oz (60ish%? don't remember). long and lean!

the baby is mobile! he has been army crawling for weeks and is starting to figure out the real deal. watch out. everything goes in the mouth...including leaves. started solids last week...got the hang of it pretty quickly. still just as happy as can be. been waking up at night recently though...don't know what is up with that. likes the swing at the playground (tate and beck never did). squaking and screeching are his new fave noises. also loves blowing raspberries. the hair is less crazy...getting longer and less humidity. his hair is kinda reddish though. he is getting so big so fast! i can't keep up.

picture day.

2011-10-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

the boys had picture day at school recently...but i wasn't planning on buying the pictures. so i snapped a few in the backyard. tate was into it and came up with all sorts of poses to try (do you see the flower behind his ear?). beck let me take exactly three photos. oh well. it was a last minute decision to try to document picture day in some way! (if i would have thought ahead i would have planned better outfits...these shirts are too short! but i thought they should wear something nicer than a t-shirt...and the cute t-shirts were dirty anyway. and i knew i wouldn't be able to convince them to wear button ups. again, oh well.)

wells + swing.

2011-10-05T08:43:00.000-07:00

cuteness overload.

aviator hats.

2011-10-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

this time wells' hat is too big! the boys' fit...but they didn't want ties. and they picked their colors. i'm amazed tate didn't want blue. overall i think they came out fine. a little wonky. but fine. i'll probably be really good by the time i make one that actually fits wells!

p.s. you can see peeks of the new rug and sofa in the background. still waiting on one piece of backordered furniture. then i will have to take pictures of the living room!

experiment.

2011-10-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

we did the milk, food coloring, and dish soap experiment. i feel like it didn't work that well...i only had gel food coloring. but the boys had fun! and we need to find some new experiments to try.

oilcloth table.

2011-09-29T08:31:00.000-07:00

i finished the table! i am really happy with how it came out. i had to do about a zillion coats of white on the legs..but oh well. it was really easy to stretch the oilcloth on and staple it down. yay for that. and check out the new metal chairs...i'm a little conflicted about them. i do like them...but i think it all looked better in my head. the finish isn't quite what i was expecting. i think i'll make some cushions for them...and that should tie it all together a little more. and i need to put stuff up on the walls too. yay for progress!

bunker hill.

2011-09-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

we went to the bunker hill monument and museum. it was a beautiful (but a little windy) day and it's a really nice little spot. brian and tate climbed to the top! we'll have to go again so i can have a turn to see the view. the boys liked seeing the weapons and pressing buttons at the museum. of course.

park&museum.

2011-09-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

we went to the science museum again a couple weeks ago. we went on a saturday so brian could come! there is a park across the street...and it was a beautiful day...so we had a picnic lunch before going into the museum. while we were at the park we saw a rescue helicopter circling the hospital. we think it was doing practice drills. we watched it circle for awhile, then it landed and took off again. the boys were thrilled!

lunch bags.

2011-09-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

i guess i should call them snack bags....the boys don't take lunch to school, just snack. but these are big enough to be lunch bags! i kinda followed this tutorial (found via good old google)...i used the dimensions but put it together differently. the boys picked out their fabrics and zippers. they came out pretty cute i think!

5 months+.

2011-09-16T11:14:00.000-07:00

this boy is getting too big! he has been practicing sitting up and is rolling all over the place. and he is going to be crawling in no time. he has gotten up on his hands and knees, rocking. he manages to scoot pretty well by tucking his knees under and lunging forward. wells prefers his thumb over his fingers, but isn't picky about which thumb it is. he loves sophie. he smiles at everyone...and will keep looking and smiling until you smile back. he thinks diaper changes are the best. he is silliest right before bedtime. wells thinks his brothers are hilarious...they don't even have to do anything and he starts cracking up. and he has crazy hair.

painting everything yellow.

2011-09-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

dining room before.

deciding on a color.

finished.

better, right?

small counter height table left by previous tenants- before.

hello yellow.

and hello metal stools.

checking more off the list. dining room painted. still want to line the shelves of the built in with pretty paper. i would also love a really awesome chandelier...but we will see if that happens. and i am working on redoing the dining room table. that counter height table was in iffy condition so i painted it. it looks better...but i'm not totally thrilled. the yellow is a little streaky and i did about a million coats and even primed it...so i don't know what is up with that. it works fine for now though. yay progress!

our favorite intersection.

2011-09-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

pick a direction. any direction.

labor day.

2011-09-07T08:27:00.000-07:00

two lakes in one weekend! this time we went to cochichuate...good luck pronouncing that. we went out with friends who have a little boat...but unfortunately we weren't able to go in the boat...thanks to a stringent park ranger. so the kids just splashed in the lake instead. still fun! and we will try the boat another time.

saturday.

2011-09-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

this weekend our ward went camping in new hampshire. we couldn't spend the night friday because brian had to work late...but we drove up on saturday had lunch and played. we didn't know that there was a lake...so we didn't have the proper gear. the boys just splashed around in their shorts. tate and beck loved it and immediately asked when we could go back. the ward does it every year...so next year we will be prepared! and will maybe even camp...there are cabins!

first day of kindergarten.

2011-09-02T06:56:00.001-07:00

leaving the house.

outside the house.

up the stairs.

posing outside school.

lining up inside.

standing in line.

welcome.

class door.

how many times can you find your name?

names.

sit on the rug.

wednesday was the boys' first day of school! they were so excited. they were ready for me to leave the second we got there. "bye mom." "you can leave now." but i stayed...and took some pictures so that everyone could see! their teacher is very nice...i think she has been teaching kinder for awhile. the school seems really awesome too. the schools out here in general are very good...and our district is particularly good from what i hear. i asked the boys what their favorite thing was...

tate: "recess. no. playing inside with the legos. i made a fire boat."

beck: "playing with my friend boys. we played cars...i was the police car!"

the first day was early release for the whole school. and they staggered the kindergarteners starting so only half the class was there the first two days (so the boys started on the second day actually). then thursday was the first full day. kinder is half day...but you can pay to go full day tuesday-thursday. we didn't do that option. probably 95% do. i think there were four other parents when i picked the boys up...and there are four classes. i forgot to explain this fact to the boys though...so beck was so confused. he was crying and asking, "why are the other kids staying? i want to stay too." tate didn't care though. and i did explain what was happening. and now the boys have today and monday off. funny scheduling...it just doesn't feel right to me for school to start before labor day. oh well. regardless it went well and the boys love school.

oh! the awesome first day of school shirts i ordered for the boys did not arrive on time. boo. they will have to be like 12th day of school shirts or something (still waiting on them).

irene.

2011-08-30T04:16:00.000-07:00

so irene turned out to be not as bad as anticipated. we got rain (though it wasn't really heavy) and wind (which got fairly strong at times). our power stayed on the whole time so we watched movies and played on the wii. some people in our town did lose power...so we were lucky. and the aftermath is just a lot of leaves and sticks in the yard and a little bit of water in the basement. thank goodness. other areas were hit much harder...trees falling...rivers flooding...power lines down. so even though irene was a tropical storm instead of a hurricane she still did cause a lot of damage. i can't image how bad it would have been had she stayed a hurricane.

boston children's museum.

2011-08-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

on friday we ventured out to the boston children's museum. the boys were very excited to go and loved it. i had a couple issues. first i called ahead to make sure i could get in with my san diego pass (reciprocal program) they said yes so down we went. but when i tried to get in they told me i didn't have the right level pass for the program. what? no one ever mentioned that. so i kinda complained...because i had called ahead to verify and all. so i had to talk to the manager...but they did let us in for the day. my other issue was parking. apparently there are discounted lots around...but the website only gave the street not the actual address. there was another lot mentioned on the website with an address and i thought it was the one i had driven past. i checked...it was...and it was the only lot i could see...so i parked. i ended up paying $30 for my parking. not cool. parking in boston is pretty ridiculous but the discounted lots were half that price. but where are those lots? i was (am) annoyed that for a family friendly place that they wouldn't have a better parking system. ok...sorry...enough complaining. the museum itself was very fun. lots of different areas and exhibits to explore. power...using your body to make stuff work (pic 1). peep's world (tv show?...pic 2 &3) which had sand and water tables. construction zone! (pics 4,5,6) the boys could have stayed there forever...hard hats and diggers? heaven. boston black (pic 8)this had a truck you could drive, a market, a barbershop, etc. there was also a wizard of oz exhibit...so the boys were asking all about it and i was trying to explain everything...i think we should watch the movie. oh and there is a three story climbing structure thing. really cool (forgot to take a pic though). wells was great hanging in the stroller most of the time (pic 7). the boys could have stayed for hours longer than we did...we will have to try it again.

uss constitution.

2011-08-27T09:42:00.000-07:00

last weekend we went and saw the uss constitution and uss cassin young. the boys loved going on the boats. the constitution museum is really cool...lots of hands on activities for the kids. of course the boys were most interested in the weaponry. cannons (or canyons according to beck)...torpedoes...anti-aircraft guns...basically awesome for 5 year old boys.

and now we are preparing for the hurricane...battening down the hatches and the like. brian seriously nailed the bulkhead (cellar) door shut (it is kinda broken). and we went to target to get flashlights and water...all out of both. i was able to get lemon scented tealights though...so at least the house will smell good while we sit around in the dark (if our power goes out). and home depot had water (all out of flashlights though). it could be a very interesting weekend...wish us well...

projects.

2011-08-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

t.v. unit before...we were over it. too dark.

and after...lightened up to a nice grey. not ideal but much better. we are trying to work with what we've got! we still need to fill the shelves...there is a built in bookcase in the living room also...and we don't have that many books. especially pretty ones. so the shelves are going to be empty for a bit till we get it all figured out.

i started this hat months and months ago...with lots of help from emily. and i finally sewed the buttons on (the crocheting was done before we moved). i think it came out cute...but it is too small for my big baby. oops. guess i'll have to make another one!

and my whale quilt. all done!

and i still have loads more in progress. i always will i think.

wells wants to say hi...

2011-08-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

and that he likes his toes. they're fun.

recently made.

2011-08-22T06:51:00.000-07:00

a gift for keri and mark...initial pillow (using scraps from the quilt judy made for them). i used the proverbial quilt pattern by denyse schmidt for the letters (the plus was all me).

and a quilt for my parents. i had my dad paint three fabric panels (one for them, one for my sister and one for us) and i stitched them and quilted them. i already sent my sister hers (and forgot to photograph it first...oops). and i just finished quilting ours. they all came out so cool! and all very different. cheney's has fish with one orca in the center, this one is a tribal print, and mine is all whales. thanks for helping me with this project dad!

p.s. see my dad's show "drawings to constructions" at the meyer gallery in little italy. it's the last week! read show write up here.

jan the mail ma'am.

2011-08-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

that is how she introduced herself. jan the mail ma'am. she is awesome. she knows all our names and always says hi if she sees us. she talks to the boys and compliments driveway drawings. and she keeps a bag of tootsie pops in her mail truck.

solar system.

2011-08-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

the boys have been really into space recently...so we had to make a solar system for their room (they also want to paint the room black so it will look like space...i said maybe we can do grey)! first we made the planets out of model magic and let them dry (for days...and the big ones cracked...repairs were made with hot glue). next we painted! and varnished. then i added eye pins (i made a starter hole in the clay before it dried...not sure that was necessary) i used longish ones and secured with hot glue. then i strung them on the dowel with fishing line and crimp beads (instead of tying knots). the boys verified that i had the planets in order and directed me on where to hang it in their room. we also made some astronauts (or an astronaut and a cosmonaut from the looks of it). [and we did include pluto...even though he was downgraded...poor guy].

the sun has fallen now...too heavy i guess. the pin pulled out...need to fix that.

new obsessions.

2011-08-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

for the boys...paper guys. this is probably a tenth of the collection. all i did was find a gingerbread man template and scaled it to print four to a page. whenever the boys want a certain kind of guy (police, firefighter, basketball player, knights, soccer player, vikings, duck feeder [? that was beck's request], guards from tangled...you get the picture...i just print a sheet and add specific details and accessories with a sharpie. then i cut them out and the boys color them in and start playing. (next up...boxes to house the collections).

my new obsession is secrets from a stylist. i love this show. i have watched all the episodes available online...in the past four days. should i admit that? i'm not sure how many episodes that is...they are all good though (and i have been sick). the host, emily henderson, has serious skills (she won design star). i want her to come do my whole house. and i also want to be her new best friend. you need to watch it.

gingerbread construction co.

2011-08-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

one day after playing at a park (for like 10 minutes...i think it took longer to park, unload and walk down to the playground) we stopped and got treats at the gingerbread construction co. a couple gingerbread boys and a variety of muffins...they were all pretty good (nothing can beat my homemade gingerbread...if i do say so myself). we will probably go again sometime...there are a few more muffin varieties to sample.

k&m.

2011-08-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

we just returned from a little trip back home...for the wedding of keri and mark. so adorable. so happy.

In the air.

2011-08-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

befores.

2011-08-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

dining room.

kitchen.

wells' room.

tate & beck's room.

our room.

bathroom.

playroom (basement).

office/craft room (basement).

guest room (basement).

sink area (basement).

washer/ toilet (?) (basement).

shower/ dryer (?) (basement).

ok i know it has taken forever to get these befores up...the house does not look like this now. i ran around a took pictures really quickly the first week we were here (but not before bringing in the suitcases and air mattresses!) so everything looks especially pathetic. we do have a lot of room here...but the house is old and slightly funky (see bathroom/laundry room combo above). so far we have painted the living room and hallway (forgot to take a pic of that...it is crazy long) and part of the kitchen plus all the trim in those rooms. before that i cleaned all the walls. i also scrubbed the living room floor. there is still much to do. the bedrooms all need to be painted...need to decide on some colors. i don't know what to do about the yellow and brown bathroom...it basically needs to be totally redone. the kitchen cabinets could also use a serious sanding and repainting job. let's not even get started on the downstairs bathroom...craziness. if we owned the house i would be making some big changes...but we don't. we are just grateful to be living in a house which is in a really great neighborhood in a cute town with awesome schools....even if it is a little funky.

since i took these photos the floor in the kitchen has been replaced and the downstairs has been carpeted. i'm hoping that since i put these photos up i will be extra motivated to get more done...but it is slow going with three littles running around (well two running...one rolling).

giggles.

2011-08-01T14:21:00.001-07:00

beck was bouncing wells' legs up and down...which is very funny apparently.

ok...why is there no sound? is it just my computer? the video doesn't quite have the same effect without sound...

update: ok good...there is sound. don't know what was going on with my computer the other day.

Fingers.

2011-07-31T11:12:00.001-07:00

Another one down.

2011-07-30T20:32:00.001-07:00

museum of science.

2011-07-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

thanks to our generous friends (sean & ashley) we have passes to the museum of science. it is really cool. and quite big. the boys and i spent three hours there...and could have stayed much longer. thankfully we can go back anytime we want! thanks guys!

must listen to audio guides (and pet beaver fur).

inserting the liver (pay no attention to the hairy arm in the foreground...it was hard to get a good angle!).

pressing buttons.

black widow! (sean and ashley this is for you).

cool kinetic sculpture (made extra artsy with tilt shift).

the boys are really excited to go back. when i explained we had passes and could go back they said, "can we go tomorrow?" so yeah, they like it.

4 months.

2011-07-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

this little boy is four months old! we went to the doctor today so here are the stats...weight 15lbs 9oz (88%) height 27.5in (100%). the dude is tall. the doctor measured twice because she thought she must have misread it the first time. he is doing great...smiling and giggling. rolling over (back to tummy...usually in his crib...and it makes him mad. i keep telling him to just roll back over...but he hasn't gotten it yet). sucks his fingers...whichever he can get in his mouth. but usually the middle and ring finger. sleeps through the night...no longer swaddled. and he is rocking conan's hairdo.

public garden.

2011-07-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

so i totally thought i had posted these photos...so sorry for the delay. we went to the boston common and public garden a few weeks ago. the boys were super excited because they love make way for ducklings. it was a great day to go...the weather wasn't too hot and there was a nice breeze. we met up with one of brian's friends from med school/internship (who is also doing radiology out here...but at another hospital) and her family so it was nice to have company. we rode the swan boats which was fun...they are paddle boats (i didn't realize that) so you do a nice leisurely tour around the pond. and we of course had to say hello to mrs. mallard and the ducklings. we need to get out and do some more fun things like this!

good morning wells.

2011-07-18T11:46:00.000-07:00

this boy is so happy when he wakes up...and the big stretches might be the cutest thing ever. he is getting to big to swaddle probably...but he looks so cozy..

(this is not the best video ever...i may try to get a better one...can only do so much with one hand)

progress.

2011-07-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

i wan't quick enough to get a living room before...so this is during the painting. this is the only room in which the painting is finished. and we are contemplating some furniture purchases...so this room is not done yet. it does look better than it did initially though. we are making progress...but it is slooooow. we are going to be expert painters by the time we're done though!

3 months+

2011-07-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

wells. he is a happy little ball of sunshine. he is mostly smiles and is starting to give us some giggles too. of course his brothers have gotten the best giggles out of him. the last couple nights he has slept all the way through. he rolled from his back to his tummy the other day. he is noisy! making all sorts of cute happy baby noises...so it's good noisy. what else? all his hair is falling out...but he has more coming in too. he does pretty good at finding his fingers or fist to suck on. his poo will still not be contained. at least i have a washer and dryer now.

house.

2011-07-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

hello! we have real internet again! yay! there was only so much i could do with my phone...(thank goodness for it though. otherwise it would have been like the dark ages around here for weeks!) first things first...the house! it does look a bit more charming here in hipstamatic than in reality...but that's ok. we are on a quiet street in a cute little town. we have a yard...with lots of sticks and squirrels and trees and rocks...it is lacking grass in some spots. and we have an asphalt patch...apparently it was put in to be a basketball court. it has a tree perfectly lined up waiting for a hoop. need to get on that. the inside needs some work. we have already done some cleaning and painting...but we have more to do. the house is a good little house...just old...and no one has taken really good care of it for awhile. we will get it looking good soon. and i will take lots of pictures.

7.11

2011-07-11T12:18:00.001-07:00

Subway.

2011-07-09T18:42:00.000-07:00

The baby has a bed.

2011-07-07T10:29:00.001-07:00

Library.

2011-07-06T13:09:00.001-07:00

Popsicle break.

2011-07-05T11:09:00.001-07:00

And so it begins...

2011-07-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

No furniture.

2011-07-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Red and Blue.

2011-07-01T12:11:00.001-07:00

Cardboard boxes. Cardboard swords.

2011-06-21T14:22:00.001-07:00

beck lost a tooth!

2011-06-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

literally. it was there and loose...and then it was gone. i think he probably swallowed it. we wrote a note to the tooth fairy and she graciously accepted that in place of the tooth...and left one whole dollar!

in anticipation of the tooth falling out we made monster tooth pillows. the tutorial is from the long thread. i changed the dimensions a little and didn't use the templates. the boys picked fabrics and buttons.

preschool graduation.

2011-06-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

tate and beck graduated from preschool! it was pretty awesome. they were really excited to get their diplomas and then party with their friends! the teachers put together books for the kids with their best/favorite work from the year which the boys were really excited about also.

shower for emily & isla.

2011-06-10T16:50:00.000-07:00

mini vanilla cupcakes with strawberry buttercream.

oreo truffles.

yum.

banner by judy

vintage teacups!

printable alphabet bunting via ruffled.

the favors...lullaby cds!

we decorated onesies, clips, headbands, and hats.

remember our tummies? meet the babies!

ashlee and i put together a little shower for emily and isla. we had delicious drinks and desserts! it was really fun and i was happy to bust out my tea cup collection! thanks for having a baby emily...she is adorable!

see more on emily's blog...

life.

2011-06-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

i had just finished feeding wells and he was smiling and cooing at me...so cute. meanwhile...the big boys were wrestling/tackling/something while waiting for us to finish so we could go outside. then the wrestling/playing/whatever noises turned into tate whine-crying. i look up from wells smiling at me to see beck rubbing his flip flop all over tate's face! nice. i reprimanded beck in the sternest voice i could while wells was saying "a-goo" up at me. yeah.

also lately: tate tried to taste wells' eyedrops. beck used almost an entire roll of toilet paper...the toilet clogged. wells is sleeping at least 8 hours straight at night. preschool is over. the boys keep asking if my tummy is the right size yet. (uhhh...no.) we are starting to pack. tate and beck have been imagining up some fun games...billy bands as parachute backpack/binoculars? (at least someone is using them...) wells requires at least one outfit change per day...his poo will not be contained. so that is what is going on in between trips to the zoo and eating cupcakes! in case you were curious.

photo by mariah. see more here.

sprinkles.

2011-06-07T15:11:00.000-07:00

good company (brit & heidi)...and pretty good cupcakes. i'm not convinced they're the best ever...guess that means i'll have to sample more cupcakes...shoot.

zoo.

2011-06-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

we hit up all our favorites (goats, bugs, elephants, jaguar, polar bears, meerkats...) and wells dressed appropriately for the occasion.

the cove.

2011-06-02T15:14:00.000-07:00

wings.

2011-06-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

a couple weeks ago the boys and i made dress-up wings. i originally saw wings in last summer's small magazine...then recently the boys were asking for wings! the boys didn't like the shape of the template so i drew our own. then i used this glue batik method and let the boys paint. then we had to let them dry and then get the glue out. and finally i stitched them up! i think they came out pretty well...though the paint faded in the wash...i didn't read the washing directions first. oops.

(this was a bit of a messy project...i had to mop the floor after painting and scrub the tub after soaking the fabric to get the glue out...incase you decide to try it.)

robin hood.

2011-05-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

now he wants to wear the costume.

mini golf.

2011-05-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

last weekend my mom and i took the boys to pelly's to play mini golf. check out beck's awesome form. tate had some really good hits...putts? i love the sea theme they have. and it was not crowded at all. the other people there were all families too...no large groups of unruly tweens. way better than that place formerly known as the family fun center.

p.s. i love instagram.

wild animals.

2011-05-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

we are checking things off of our "must do before we move" list...so we went to the wild animal park. always fun. brian's sis sarah came with us so that made it extra fun. plus we saw a cheetah up close and personal. that was really cool....beck especially loved it. (they are his favorite animal).

6-7 weeks.

2011-05-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

wells is 7 weeks old! i took these photos last week though...6.5 weeks. he is getting so big. seriously. 0-3 is not going to fit much longer (and he now needs 6-9 in the onesies brand!). he is smiling a lot and i swear sometimes it sounds like he is trying really hard to laugh. he is still eating and sleeping great. the baby acne and milia are finally clearing up. he has a blocked tear duct so his eye is still all goopy unfortunately. he gets loads of hugs and kisses from tate and beck. and everyone else too. we can't resist.

(i tried to get a picture of him smiling...but he only smiled when i put down the camera to move him! smiling photos might be a two person job...)

coaster.

2011-05-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

last week brian and grandpa thad took the boys on the coaster. they rode up to oceanside, ate at ruby's on the pier, and then rode home. the boys loved it! (even if they don't look like it...they just don't like their pictures taken sometimes).

padres.

2011-05-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

another thing on our "things to do before we move" list checked off...padres game. we went with keri & mark, sarah, and tj. we rode the trolley down and watched the padres lose. boo. it was fun nonetheless. and it was bobble head night.

disneyland!

2011-05-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

teacups!

beck striking a pose.

mickey treat.

more treats.

wells slept. and vogued.

we had tons of fun at disneyland! we did not take tons of pictures though..too many other things to juggle. the boys love buzz lightyear's astroblasters the most (rode 6 times) followed by autopia (rode 3 times) and toy story mania at california adventure (only rode once...line got too long). tate was brave and went on the matterhorn and big thunder mountain...though he didn't like them much. brian convinced them to go on the raft ride at california adventure...and they would have been ok with it if they hadn't gotten wet. beck went on soarin over california and was nervous at first but ended up really liking it. thanks to grandma woo brian and i got to go on some rides together! space mountain was not as awesome as i remembered...but i really liked california screamin! wells did great...slept in the stroller pretty much the whole time. we're so glad we got to go before we move...thanks woo!

hospital photos by mariah.

2011-05-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

a few of my faves...see more here. and mariah's website here.

happiest place on earth.

2011-05-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

we went to disneyland this week! more soon!

one month.

2011-04-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

wells was one month old yesterday! he has already gained 3 pounds and grown 2 inches...so he now weighs 11lbs 9oz and measures 23 1/4 inches. so big! he has given us a couple smiles already and today he started rolling over (that is not supposed to happen for another month or two!)! he is growing up way too fast...and is apparently trying to set some records...

wells' quilt.

2011-04-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

made by grandma judy...it's the flock of triangles pattern from denyse schmidt quilts. judy and i had a lot of fun finding all the orange fabrics and i love the aqua polka dots for the back. i think it came out beautifully! thank you judy!

we have a place to live...

2011-04-14T12:49:00.000-07:00

it's official...we signed a lease for a house in boston. a house! we are thrilled. and now i think i need this stack of books...and e-course (that's the last one there...click on photos for links!). and i need to find awesome thrift stores and flea markets in the boston area...please exist...pretty please?

funny.

2011-04-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

some recent funny quotes from the boys...

tate: if you have a little alligator, don't put him in the bathtub because he could bite your foot.

beck: an ache is something that doesn't belong in your body that makes you feel alone. you don't want your brother you just want your mom and dad.

more hospital photos.

2011-04-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

i had to get these up here...he already seems so much bigger! and it has only been two weeks...

also...tate and beck suddenly look huge! i can't believe it...

this is for rachel (because i do what she says): we choose wells because we liked it! we were pretty stumped for names so i was reading lists of baby names and shouting out anything that sounded ok...brian really liked wells. i liked it too...but was still looking. we didn't find anything we liked better. it means from the well or springs. of course, well is good and springs are bubbly happy things! also brian liked how it was similar to welsh...his mom's maiden name. there you go!

birth.

2011-04-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

last bumpwatch...39 weeks.

waiting to go into the o.r.

and he's out...a little blue.

bri cutting the cord.

saying hello.

brand new.

little feet.

wells morrow pugmire. born march 26 at 12:12 p.m.
8lbs 8oz and 21 1/4 in.

so we ended up scheduling a c section...i had wanted to try a vbac (vaginal birth after cesarean) but this little boy didn't cooperate with our tight schedule. brian had a limited number of days off...and they were not flexible. we hoped i would go into labor or at least make some progress before those days off...but no. so we decided to schedule so that brian could be there and we could have a few days together. everything went really well...it is a strange feeling knowing when the baby is going to be born though. wells is doing great...eating and sleeping like a champ and generally content (basically the opposite of the twins). having a newborn is much more enjoyable this time around!

for comparison...

2011-03-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

tate

beck

wells

we think he looks like a combination of his brothers.

stats:

march 26, 12:12pm.

8lbs8oz.

21 1/4in.

warning...there will be many more photos to come...

Wells (again).

2011-03-28T17:03:00.001-07:00

Wells

2011-03-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

tomorrow...

2011-03-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

we will have a baby to wrap up in/wear all the little things floating around here...

knitted blanket by (great) grandma pug.

knot hat...prudent baby tutorial.

leggings...modified made-by-rae tights tutorial.

kimono tops...habitual tutorial.