photographing the mundane

I have been in SUCH a funk lately, and my complete lack of *stuff* to blog about is probably part of it. Or a result of it. You decide.

My poor little mister has been teething lately. Why yes, he's just now cutting teeth. He's going to be tall, according to Dr. Shaya! We've been doing pretty much whatever he wants to keep him happy- within reason, of course. He likes to go outside a lot and play in the grass.

I got him all dressed Saturday and couldn't believe how OLD he looked! I told him it is NOT okay with his mommy that he looks 11 months going on 11 years.

{LOVE these precious Pedipeds}

{happy family before we left him with his grandma to go to the alamo drafthouse with my in-laws}

Liam has developed his mommy's taste in films lately. We have watched The Fifth Element non-stop since he was born, and lately he's started coming at a full on sprint when he hears Plavalaguna singing. He just cracks me up. I love that he likes this, at least, because sometimes I need something on TV that he'll watch, but I just can't watch cartoons *again.* You know?

During Liam's nap on Sunday, I spent my time cutting crabs out of red scrapbooking paper. It's not an easy task... especially when I'm using a cookie cutter as the template, and obviously I cannot use the cutter side as the stencil... makes for a painful hand by the end of the session.

We went to Sprinkles yesterday. Yes, we did. I went to pick up my order & Meredith's... AND I may or may not have eaten my orange cupcake on my way to meet Mer and her boys. Just saying...

{flowers my hubby picked out for me!}

We do our grocery shopping on Tuesdays- Zach's day off. We do it together, as a family, because while Zach does a lot of the cooking, it helps for both of us to do the shopping so we can come up with ideas together at the store. Doesn't sound like it works, but it REALLY does. Well, we went down the soda and chip aisle and saw this:

and bought 4 boxes (because there was a coupon!)... but I am IN love with the retro can designs!

And then we went to the wine section because Zach needed to get white wine for his Chicken Piccata he makes and we found a wine that I ACTUALLY LIKE AND WANT TO DRINK. It's a Moscato- which is just about all I like. And it's Australian. And... screw-top. And more than that, it's cheap! Hello! Love it!! Oh, like my beautiful German crystal Stefanie glasses?

Zach had a geeky excited moment down HEB's "international foods" aisle. He found large (cheap) bags of spices that he uses in spades, which was awesome because we made the mistake of going to Whole Foods to buy them the first time round and they came in tiny packages and cost ridiculous amounts of money. So we were pleased to find these:

Okay, stop reading if you get grossed out.

No, seriously!

Okay, I have a feeling like this is part of the reason that I have been in a funk... my poor toe is so swollen, and infected and irritated and PAINFUL that I can't hardly stand to do much walking. I mean, seriously OW... and it's like double the size of my other toe! And it seems that either I have become incredibly klutzy, or everybody is out to get me because my toes keep getting stepped on, and every one of Liam's toys has landed on my foot... don't click on the photo, though. Trust me.

Okay, done griping now.

Alrighty, that's all for now. A little peek into our past week. A look at the mundane :)

sprinkle on the fun

I was so excited to do this post.

I stole pictures from my mom, I got photographs of Liam last night...

... and then I helped my hubby mow the lawn today and an rocking two massive blisters on my right hand that make typing difficult. So. No long winded post!

We got up and headed out early yesterday for the opening of Sprinkles Houston. We found out they were open at 9 and made the decision to get there as close to 9 as possible, for fear of standing in a line in the Houston heat.

We were right on time- mom threw her stroller in her car so we didn't have to carry cupcakes and Liam, and we were one of the first 10 people in all of Houston to get our cupcakes! Hooray!

Mom and I ate a cupcake as soon as we got to the car: we both had skipped breakfast and it was too, too tempting. I shared my red velvet with Liam, and we had one gentleman who stopped on his way to work to get a treat tell us that we were definitely having too much fun for a Monday morning.

{liam and mommy and the sprinkles mobile}

We messed around for a while, then decided we might check the line at Sprinkles and run back over for another half dozen... only to see this line:

... needless to say, we decided it would be better for us all if we just came back in a week or so.

{zach, liam, mer, kevin and carson's cupcakes}

{liam, meet cupcake. cupcake, liam}

{i think it's a hit!}

Now, don't judge- we were playing. And these happen to be two of my all time favorite pictures I have of the two of us together. When you're a mommy, you'll do anything silly for the pleasure of your child. Liam thought our matching dots were super, duper funny.

We had lots of fun yesterday, and I'm ready for another trip to Highland Village.

for the love of my men

I realized I haven't really updated in a while about what's going on with the Clark family...

WE have been a busy little family of 3! I think. You know what? I know I've been busy this week, but I don't really know what I did each day- they all just kind of blended together.

FRIDAY I do know I spent the afternoon with my mother and father in law- my FIL was getting "unplugged" from his chemotherapy pump Friday and we usually go out to lunch. We tried the new Olive Garden in Sugar Land (approve! GREAT staff!) and then we headed to Hobby Lobby to find Rog a bell (long story!-- Mer understands!) and to find more supplies for Liam's birthday party. I decided I needed to make Liam's party hat because I hate- hate- hate most party hats but I know that Mr. Man needs one for his first birthday party.

So I whipped this up:

The picture doesn't do it justice: I'm actually pretty proud of it. I think it came out pretty cute. And speaking of parties...

We decided to get the little party animal to-be a mini cupcake at Ooh La La as a 'trial' run of his birthday cake. It was a success!

I HAVE to brag on my husband a bit.

He has become "Iron Chef Zach"-- he cooks more often than I do!! And he's GOOD!

Tuesday we headed to Whole Foods to get all the whole spices that my Mr. needed to make his various Indian dishes, and he came right home and whipped up the ingredients for a Vindaloo- which we had for dinner Wednesday night:

Um, it's as hot as it looks. It had 10 chile de arbols in it- OUCH! I made fresh homemade naan. :)

Tonight, yes, on Father's Day, Zach made Tikka Masala. It was AH-MAZING. Much less hot- I was actually able to finish my meal!

My hubby is amazing: girls, get you a man who can COOK! I told him I will clean the kitchen for hours if he wants to do the cooking. And honestly, I CAN cook- he just is a) better at it and b) more adventurous.

We went in April and bought an entertainment center at IKEA (!!!!!!!) and we got it all put together and up and running last time my dad was home (~ May 9). It has two drawers under the TV and one of them is my son's. It has an eclectic mix of objects in it that he enjoys carrying around. Right now, the FAVORITE object is my boomerang. Oh yes. My BOOMERANG. I got it in Australia- I think we picked it up at Melbourne's Central Market? Or maybe in Cairns, I don't remember. It's a boomerang, and it's Australian made by an Australian... you know. He LOVES it:

Last night we headed to Briscoe Manor for the wedding of my hubby's clients, my friend Christine and her fella, Justin.

It was a sweet wedding. You can tell that they're happy together and very much in love. They were in attendance at our wedding 3 years ago- when they were a "new couple." We sat at the same table as the mom of one of the bridesmaids, who was in *GULP* band with Zach and I in HS, and was in my graduating class. She's a doll, it was good to see her. A little awkward, because I talk to her ex more than her, but you know.

ALSO- the father of the bride was SO impressed by the DJ/MC husband wife duo that we had at our wedding that he insisted on having them there last night: at WHATEVER cost! And they're not cheap- but they're worth it!! It was awesome, though, because when we were on our way into the reception, the hubby (MC) spotted us and came over to shake Zach's hand and give me a hug! Yes, our party was THAT good- he recognized us after 3 years! It made me feel so good to have made an impression on one of our vendors that made such a huge impression on us. LOVED them. The wife didn't love my groomsmen for feeding her husband liquor throughout the night, though.

We had a sweet little first Father's Day around here:

Liam rocked a seriously appropriate onesie. Dear Baby Gap, thank you for cute clothes!

Liam got cranky before dinner time, while we were watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit (because I love that movie and so does Liam!) so I took pictures.

Off to bed sweet, sweet friends! My mom is heading over here bright and early in the morning so we can head down to Highland Village for the opening of a sweet new store to Houston--- so I can buy sweet treats for a fabulously sweet family of four!!!!

this is how you know you're blessed

I've been hard at work getting decorations made and menus created for Liam's 1st birthday party.

When I was addressing his super cute- not-to-be-missed invites, it started making me so thankful for the wonderful people we have in our lives.

My dear, true friends have been supportive of us through everything- helped us when we needed it. With anything.

I have a precious child, a loving, supportive husband and two sets of amazing parents in my life- but I am truly blessed because I also have these people:

And even though my best friends all live in different cities, they're still as loving and supportive as they were when we were streets away, or in class together every day. Dallas, San Antonio, Florida and California are never too far away for those four people, and I just hope and pray that we get to see ALL of them next month... but I'll settle for half. :)

Ashley, Lindsay, Cory & Trevor: I love and appreciate you all more than I tell you. I cannot thank you all enough for being there for us when we need your support. (yes, Cory, I had your business site bookmarked!) (Oh, and Trevor is either going to win the Nobel Prize, or kill himself by blowing up his lab. Or both. He's brilliant.) We've shared some fantastic times- like the time Trevor came home from school after realizing one of his Chemistry idols had cited his research paper. Or the time Lindsay got to meet Trevor and Cory... nuff said. Or our ring dunking? I love you guys! I MISS you guys!

And then there are people who come back into your life that make you thankful that your paths (or internet pathways) crossed again, and for me, that's sweet Meredith. She is a loving friend, and amazing mom and devoted wife. She is one of those people who makes even an ordinary day better by dropping you a picture or a link to let you know she was thinking of you. As her plate gets fuller, as her family has expanded, she has stayed a faithful, beautiful person and who could as for more in a friend? Mer, I am truly thankful for you!

And then... there are people like Ashley Brooke. I've never "met" Ashley, never gotten to give her a hug, shared laughs over a drink, or made girl's night plans with her, but she's a true friend. I'm completely confident that if we were in the same city (or state... or time zone) we'd be fast, forever, true friends. Ashley has leant her support as I've embarked on hosting my first soiree, as I've been planning my child's first big yearly milestone... she's such a great source of comfort and knowledge and ideas! I am thankful for her!

Who are you guys thankful for? Who makes your days a little brighter?

and we're walking...

I told you all I was SO excited about Liam's latest big news!

We are officially a w-a-l-k-e-r.

Bipedal.

On two legs.

He's such a little stud! He tries to walk everywhere- sometimes he'll get frustrated with himself for not getting to his destination fast enough, so he'll resort to crawling, but other than that, he's trying as hard as he can to walk where ever he can.

Here's a little preview, taken about a week ago:

It's hard for me to get good video of the kiddo- whenever he sees the camera out, he stops to ham it up. Makes for precious video, but not what I'm after.

So cute. Love those chunky monkey legs moving like that!

Happy weekend!!

HERE is a video I took this morning (June 13th) to show you, yes, he does in fact know what he's doing. He just didn't look like it in the previous one :)

it's the little things

When I came back from putting a certain somebody in their crib, in hopes that a nap was on the agenda, I found this sitting in "my spot" on the couch:

It was put there by this happy, smiley little boy:

Unfortunately, a nap was NOT something he planned on today, so we're currently standing in the middle of the living room floor, shifting our weight from one foot to the other, holding our Po, watching him on TV. Thank the good Lord above for my DVR and Kung Fu Panda. Except that Liam is so used to the DVR version of the movie, that whenever we go into the On Demand or DVR menu, he gets really excited. Sorry kid, not every time.

I am currently waiting not so patiently for this to come:

I'm eager to get started on "things" for Mr. Man's birthday party. I plan on using it as more than just a cookie cutter- think stencil, fondant... these cute little crabs are going to be all over the house! I just need it to COME so I can get started! It would have been the perfect way to spend this rainy afternoon.

Speaking of a birthday party, today when we got home from lunch at Japaneiro's, this was waiting at the front door:

It's the "guestbook" for his party- with images from birth to now, and I'm thrilled with the way it came out. Honestly, the books you make with iPhoto are fantastic. I'm so glad I went ahead and did this, I'm very pleased with it, and I think it'll be a special element to our boy's special day.

Little man has taken to playing in Jethro's bed every chance he gets. On this particular day, he decided that Detective John Kimble, his Webkinz Ferret needed to play there too. It cracks me up.

And speaking of things that crack me up:

Liam learned to do this when he was crawling, because he'd want to get from point A to point B with his bottle, and realized quickly that crawling is not conducive to carrying things around. The habit seems to have stuck a little bit, despite the fact that we are now bipedal.

I am going to introduce you to my latest snack flavor obsession, and I'm going to blame it on the beautiful (newly-engaged!) Betsy @ Miss Monogram and sweet Ashley Brook of Ashley Brooke Designs. Their discussion of these prompted me to seek them out in HEB, and rapidly become addicted to the combination.

However, since I feel like my waistline doesn't benefit from the 160 calorie indulgence every time I feel that snack attack, I found something I like just as well, that makes me feel a little (LOT!) less guilty:

Somebody else has discovered snacking as well:

AND he finally learned how to pick up his little Gerber graduate puffs and put them in his mouth- and he was feeding himself squares of bread last night! Hallelujah! I kept telling him I couldn't feed him his birthday cake, and he finally seems to have understood what I was trying to communicate (speaking of which: I finally settled on a design for Liam's smash cake, settled on chocolate buttermilk sheet cake with rich chocolate pecan frosting for the adutls and I'm going to make small individual cakes for the kiddies that look like crabs. I'm so excited about the plan for Liam's cake- and so excited to make it for him!).

I think that's all for now -- I'm SO excited to share Liam's latest BIG news with you all, and my big QUARTER CENTURY birthday plans- but that can all wait for another day! Hope you're all staying cool and dry today!

i'd like to brag

Bo and Valerie's wedding slideshow is up and going.

And my family is a beautiful bunch.

Watch closely:

You'll see sweet baby Liam once.

You might spot me.

My hubby will show up here and there.

Now you can see images of Bo and Val in all their gorgeous glory.

a picture is worth...

I don't particularly have a lot to say... so we'll say it in pictures.

We've had a good week thus far.

Zach had a 4 day weekend (Sat to Tues), which is possibly the most time off since he started working a year ago. It was nice- obviously Saturday was all wedding, Sunday was kind of recovering. Monday we "did things" and Tuesday we went to see Prince of Persia

(and can I say: Prince of Persia was fantastic- if only for the bountiful eye candy!) ... a nice long, easy week(end).

And an extra special thanks to my sweet friends who sent us anniversary wishes. It means so much to have dear friends like you!
(that means you, Ashley, Ashley Brooke, Meredith, Cory, Lindsay, Kristen, Steph!)

{first taste of Lopez queso on Memorial Day}

{reacting to Sprite. so funny}

{um, wow. classic picture}

{rice cereal and his first mac & cheese!}

{our 3 year anniversary}

{liam at panera- quiet for a millisecond}

{he sat like this forever watching his movie-with Po!}

{playing in my laundry basket}

{shiner has a p.i.c.}

And can I just say: I'm catching up on Sex and the City on HBO OnDemand... and it's the 6th season when Samantha has breast cancer and it really irritates me that every other second, you see her with wine, or a cocktail or any other alcoholic beverage. CHEMO patients can not drink or have sex. And it kind of bothers me that they portray it so haphazardly. It's not just your hair falling out, and an occasional discomfort. Maybe, if we didn't look to HBO for our "realities," we'd have a better idea of what to expect when we're faced with the truth.