Tips

The email I received this afternoon went a little something like this:

"Consistent with our unwavering commitment to child safety"...blah blah blah, etc. etc...."Consumer Product Safety Commission, we are providing free of charge a kit to cover the umbrella stroller's hinge mechanism which can pose a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding/opening the stroller. The affected models include Volo, Triumph, Quest Sport, Quest Mod, Techno XT, Techno XLR, Twin Triumph, Twin Techno and Easy Traveller"...and so on and so forth.

Sincerely,

Maclaren USA Inc.

That's me, second to last, Twin Techno.

Awesome.

Well, I, per their suggestion, went ahead and lifted up my big ol' stroller from the trunk of my car, retrieved the 21 digit number on the bottom (which I was way too annoyed about), plugged it in online, and made my request for some hinge mechanism covers.

So, my kids are all set on the whole not losing any daggone finger tips thing.

Bloody bullet dodged.

whew.

Goodbye Leaves, Hello Winter Skin

The leaves have been played in

jumped in

crunched, thrown

blown

and most recently, raked

now we're ready for winter!

Except not really

because I like to be warm

and Rochester winters are cold.

Stinging, bitter, blistering freezingness.

Good thing I'll be packing a few extra pounds this winter season(like a fetus worth).

Am I right, or am I right?

From The Classroom of Mother Vaisey

Instead of getting angry about this:

...

we did this:

and that is how I became one day closer to the gentle, kind, patient mother they desire.

the end.

Oh Mrs. Vaisey- You're Glowing!

That picture looks tampered with.

Or could it be that I AM glowing because I am currently trudging blissfully(ish) forward in the wonderful world that is gestation.

Please also note that my shirt is missing like three buttons because they popped off in the midst of my denial that the shirt still fit.

This is my "I have a secret" face, and it's been on for quite a while.

Four months to be exact.

Geedoo numero tres (aka baby no. 3) due in April.

It's gonna be Epic.

*Oh, and if you don't sign in and show your devotion over to the right after that kind of news, I'll know it's just because you hate babies.

Simon Would Like To Remind Everyone...

that he is a boy.

make no mistake.

Is It Only Tuesday?

There Was Even a Full Moon

THEY RAN RAMPID (possibly...no-make that most definitely, from a sugar-induced state of high)

Happy Hallow's Eve

photo via ward trunk-or-treat from a cat, a skeleton, a PC, and a Mac. Hope your weekend is spooktacular.

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem

My sweet (reserved) retired professor of a neighbor came over to invite us to a fundraising pancake breakfast the other day.

This is the scene that was awaiting his eyes when I opened the door to greet him:

It makes me think back to all the times Lena has answered his knocks at the door like the leader of some sort of nuddie joint ("howdy neighbor come on in, clothes are optional here"). At least some of those visits she was wearing undies.

I wonder what kind of mother he thinks I am.

Probably the kind that lets her kids run around naked all day while playing on the stairs with an entire roll of toilet paper.

Aaand, he'd be right.

We're All on the Patch

We rocked the pumpkin patch/haunted tee pees/hay ride/petting zoo extravaganza hard this year. And, I know, it's been all about the family photo opportunities in October, but that's what you get when a brand spankin' new camera is placed in my clammy palms during the height of the most vibrant season of all.

I saw pictures of you and/or your babies in the pumpkin patch.

Now here are mine. You like a lot of pictures, don't you?

(because it's in the blogger handbook of rules to post pictures of children in patches of bright orange vegetables. look it up)

We left hours later -bellies full of cider and donuts, lungs full of crisp, magical fall air and all the content to last till next year's hay ride.

done and done.