"well, anybody can be just like me, obviously. but then, now again, not too many can be like you, fortunately" - bob dylan

for all four of my married years, each christmas i've asked for a kitchen-aid. it's the first thing on my list. never have i woken up christmas morning to find it under the tree. i finally figured out why. i don't/can't cook or bake. andrey knows this and thus the reason i've not yet received the prized gift. i do occasionally cook dinner. but i don't like to. we lived off of take-out the first two years of our marriage. i'll bake the occasional batch of cookies but only if the craving is so intense that it must be satisfied. my finished meal or treat is always missing something. a little more salt. a tad more sauce, a ton more sugar. so why the kitchen-aid? two reasons really. because i think it might help me bake better and because it would look oh! so dang cute in my kitchen. i won't even go into how badly i want a hanging pan rack full of spendy copper pans. i do however, love to watch people cook. i love to plant myself at amy's bar in her kitchen and watch her create. she can turn balsamic vinegar into a delicious glaze, drizzle creamy caramel sauce over fancy baked pears or pull the prettest lattice topped pie out of the oven. i can only wish i had such a talent. and admire anyone who does.
i did something brave. so brave. as far as i'm concerned anyways. i made a new friend. i wouldn't say that i'm a shy person. more like "quietly reserved" until someone approaches me and i feel safe enough to allow my true crazy self to be be-friended. i'm not sure why i do this. i think/feel like i have alot to offer people. i think/feel like i am a good friend. i think/feel and would like to say that i've chosen carefully and wisely my friends in the past. so why the hesitance? i'm really not sure. well when ashlee called and actually wanted to be my friend i was so excited. she invited lucas and i over for lunch. (yes, for lunch. lunch that she was going make.)so here it is, brave step number one: i called her back. then proceeded to pack up my lukey and jump in the car.
brave step number two: knocked on the door.
we ate the yummiest penne pasta and feta salads. i was in awe at the fact that her refrigerator was full of fresh ingredients to do much more cooking and that this whole eating real food for lunch thing was a regular happening at her house. so impressed.
we had such a fun afternoon getting to know eachother and talking about our babies and what it's like to be somebody's mother. i went back the next day to help her sew a nappy bag to carry around diapers and treats for her little max boy. it was so fun. just to get out of the house and hang out with another grown-up that loved to be as creative as i do. that loves good music and good food and dr. pepper. has cute shoes. is a good mother. and wants to be my friend. i've always said that there are few people in the world that you will actually connect with, get to know and will be a part of your life history. such a cool thing to have found a new heart connection. and this new ashlee-friend of mine. she's going to teach me how to cook. and bake. so that the recipes... turn out. you guys just watch. i'm getting a kitchen-aid next year!!

lucas has learned so many tricks the past couple of weeks. he's been ramblin' on and on in his own lukey-speak. something about dogs and kitties and gram-pas. he can tell us what a tiger says. ROOOOOOOAARRR! and shows us where lucas is. he took 10 big boy steps today and has really learned how to get down and dance.


yes. that is his snowsuit. yes. that is snow on the ground. yes. it is nearly april. we woke up to winter all over again the other day. plucky!

andrey got us hooked up with some lovesacs last week. you should have seen us driving home from picking them up. they'd already been unpacked and were expanding as we drove. we laughed that we might not make it home before they'd popped through the doors and out the windows. luc is learning to love sesame street and his new red bean bag chair is perfect.

my sweet boy. i think we've started the weaning process. we're starting with one feeding every couple of days. first the morning nurse. we'll get up together instead of me nursing him when he first wakes up, grabbing him a ton of toys and turning on pbs so he'll let me sleep a bit longer. instead we'll get up and eat breakfast together. he won't eat baby food so we've had cheerios one day and cream of wheat today. he thinks it's funny. but then he'll take a nap for me a few hours later. he went two whole days last week without a real nap. no good. hopefully this helps us. well...he was fine...hopefully this helps me.

one week til the party!! let the official planning and shopping begin! invitations have been sent out. packages have arrived. baby's first haircut appointment has been made. one year ago today i was all belly...and ankles. ha! goodnight, loves.