Ugh, and Haha

I really hate realtors. No offense, if you are one or have a good friend who is one. But our experiences here so far are removing not only any faith I might have had in the profession, but also in people in general. If you DO something, try to do it right. At least have SOME knowledge of the house you are trying to sell, for goodness' sake!!!

Sorry for the rant. I'm just annoyed at the unfairness of society in general right now.

But on a funnier note, this was on a friends' post and I thought it was really hilarious.

Garage sales ROCK!

We happened upon a multi-family garage sale this morning, which had toys and stuff from probably 8 different kids. It was amazing. It's too bad that a) we're not big fans of plastic toys and b) we still have very little space as we are still in our little apartment. But, we still got some great things, like puzzles and books, and Keith scored a great deal on a little beginner bike for Lili. Which might fit her in 2 years. Ha.

It's HHH here, and I don't like that kind of weather. At all. The big bonus though is that all the windows in the apartment were replaced on Thursday and so now we can at least open them for some cross breezes. They are also replacing all the siding which reminds me that I should take some before and after pictures.

We're taking a 2nd look at a house tomorrow. Wish us luck?

old friends and wormies

Lilian and I spent most of this week in Potsdam, visiting my parents and spending time with a friend from my Clarkson days. S was a pretty meaningful person in my life, and we were lucky enough to get to spend almost a whole day together, reacquainting and just hanging around Potsdam talking. It's been a little over a decade since we've seen each other, and though that seems like a lot of time, really it doesn't seem like much has changed. Then again, certainly a lot has happened since then. I guess it was just nice to find out that even though 10 years can pass, you can still have fun with someone you knew, and it can still feel comfortable.

Lili and I also spent time with the wormies, which is something we like to do while in Potsdam. Mostly because there aren't many toys at my parent's house and also because you can pretty much dig anywhere in their yard and find at least one worm. So we made a little worm habitat and found about a half dozen worms to put in and observe. Unfortunately, I forgot about the wormies and so they dried up the next day. And no, they don't re-hydrate, as I previously thought might happen to earthworms. But, I did find out that there does exist a species of worm that can rehydrate. Oh, the things you can learn when you are friends with a biologist.

Lili with her wormies

IF Weekend

We have had a long and busy weekend! On Thursday, we left for Ithaca with 4 unicycles, 4 people, and lots of excitement as we were headed to Ithaca Festival and visiting lots of friends.

In true Ithaca fashion, it started raining as soon as the festival parade started, but that didn't stop the 13 unicyclists we were with from having fun in the parade.

On Friday we tried to keep it lower key and visited Kionix and played at the Meads house.

Saturday was jam packed with a trip to Target (because there isn't one in Burlington, gasp!), a visit from Omi and Lee, wandering the festival, napping, and dinner at the Youngs with something like 20 people. The adults were, of course, outnumbered by the children.

Sunday we had brunch at the Meads with TME and then headed out with a few stops on the way out.

And, after the worst possible drive home, we are back and resting up!

Keith and Lili prepping for the parade. Keith's signature helmet!

at the mead homestead

the three stooges

e is a mac daddy!

on the drive home, we threatened to leave Lili by the side of the road...

... and she was fine with that (waving bye bye to us)

Fun filled!

I am happy to report that we had a fun filled, action packed weekend without driving our cars at all. I kind of can't believe it but it just goes to show how different our lifestyle is here (living in the city as opposed to 10 miles out...)

We:

Wandered the neighborhood garage sales, where Lilian learned the notion of commerce. She exchanged a nickel back and forth of a bracelet, and eventually left without her nickel, but with the cool yellow bracelet.

Had a renegade party with friends from our Mom's club after the "official" party got cancelled due to rain.

Ate pancakes.

Rode our bikes to North Beach, on the lake, where Lili had her first real beach foray and L.O.V.E.D it. And so did we. And we came out unscathed by sunburn. Keith was amazed that sunscreen really works.

Oh, and Margot's coming to visit! And we're going to Ithaca this week! Does the fun never end? I hope so!!!

Sorry no pictures, I was bummed to have forgotten the camera at ALL of the activities this weekend, but we'll get some good beach shots soon.

Toddler: Translated

help you = help me
bo cycle = motorcycle
daddy, are you! = daddy, where are you?
buck you = buckle me in
joy yo = stroller
no like it = i don't like it
hi you = Caillou (favorite TV show)
play no = piano
own self = i want to do it myself
baby suit = bathing suit
yee mook = lili's milk

yay for the friday!

A week gone by so fast! I am so grateful for where we live and the fact that we are so close to playgrounds and libraries and grocery stores and that it is flatter here and that my daughter makes it easy to have fun. If only I could always be so chipper.

BBQ time!

sk8 er....

Are sisters in laws a bad influence?

After a lame attempt at riding Margot's long board, I decided I wanted one of my own. Perhaps it is a mid-life (quarter life?) kind of thing, or maybe I just want to be a cool mom, or maybe it is our recent (since moving) obsession with human powered wheels, but anyway, there you have it:

It was surprisingly easy to start riding. Much easier than I remember skateboarding to be. And a good deal, as it was purchased from craigslist. Gotta love that. It turns easily, and is a cushy ride. I can say I like it! And even better, I can say that I can do it!

We let Lili try it out (sitting on it like a ride-on toy), and she got the only skate injury of the night: her chin hit the sandpaper (grip tape) on it and got scraped:

Hey G! Notice my outfit. Huh? Thanks for being such a great shopping buddy!

Brain Update

We met with the pediatric neurologist earlier in the week, and Lili's prognosis is great. Fine, even. We really can pretend that it never happened, to a degree. All her tests came back normal and so we can expect that she'll likely never have another seizure. The neuro said that it isn't uncommon to see seizures with a really bad GI bug, and that it often never happens again. So, whew.

Mmmm Hmmmm

Tonight was the night I was going to make something new and hopefully yummy from the stack of recipes that we have from City Market. I decided to try making the Quinoa Salad, and the Golden Mushroom Pancake (after a lot of heavy meals this weekend, I thought going vegetarian would be a good idea).

It was all ridiculously delicious. Tremendously yummy.

I'm not much of a food photographer yet, but still, looks great, huh?

Quinoa Salad (adapted from City Market Deli)

1 1/2 cups quinoa
water for cooking

2-3 carrots, coarsely cut
1 bunch green onions, minced

2 cups frozen corn
1 Tbs lemon zest
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbs local honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup fresh mint, minced

Rinse the quinoa under cold water for about a minute. Boil water, add quinoa and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Drain in a seive.

Drizzle some olive oil in a small saute pan. Sautee the carrots for a few minutes, until they aren't too hard and then add the onions, stir, and remove from heat.

Put the corn and mint into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients, whisk together.

After everything is done cooking, put it all into the large bowl with the corn and stir it all up. Serve warm or cold, it is a great refreshing dish.

Good weekend

We're back from a weekend Gate (Chiropractor conference of sorts) near NYC, where we saw almost the entire Epstein clan. It was a great weekend, almost like a vacation. Lilian was unbelievably good in the car both ways (down and up) and she has learned her full name! Though she can't really pronounce it correctly.


It is reeediculously hot here. And I don't know where to find an outdoor pool.

Poppy's expression is simply priceless

Mommy's little helper

Yesterday, I decided to sweep and vaccum the house, which is a big deal considering how much I like to clean (very little). When I took out the swiffer, Lili immediately grabbed it and said "Lili do it", to which I replied, "Not right now, Mama do it first". So she stands there for a few seconds and then grabs it again and says "Lili do it now". Oh, she is so patient. I think she gets that from me (ha.).

It also seems that perhaps the seizures have made her smarter. The day after we got home from the hospital, she was looking through her sticker book, and she couldn't find any in there, so she turns to Keith and says "Daddy help you find sticker please". Longest sentence yet, I think. By the way, "help you" really means "help me", and she gets it confused because we are always asking her "can I help you".

finally, it was her turn to sweep.

back from reality

It has been awhile since my last post, mainly because it has taken me awhile to recover from our latest escapade, a stay at the Vermont Children's Hospital.

Lilian was sick over Memorial Day weekend, and the day after her fever broke, she had four episodes of grand mal seizures. During the first one, I called 911 and the other three happened in the ER. Due to the nature of the seizures and the duration of the entire event, fibral seizures (due to fever) were ruled out and we were admitted to the hospital for EEG testing and an MRI. At one point, the CAT scan showed that she may have had a developmental abnormality in her brain, but that was ruled out once the MRI results came in. While that was a relief, we still don't know the exact cause of the seizures, and therefore don't know if there will be more in her future. For now, we can (sort of) act as if it never happened and go about our normal business.

if it is possible to have a "money shot" of your child in the hospital, this one was it.

Lili is fully recovered from her hospital stay, with a little more insecurity at night time. The stay in the hospital was pretty interesting to say the least, given that our tremendously independent daughter was having trouble walking due to the anti-seizure medication she was on, and was also much funnier than usual having been literally drugged up. I'm taking a little longer to recover, especially since Keith is on a business trip in Texas. Luckily, Jio Jio and Jio Ma (aka Scott and Alicia) came up, as did Gina (Boo ya) to help me recover and to entertain Lilian for me while I came out of the haze.

So, let's go back to our regularly scheduled program of playgrounds and snack times, shall we?