That's the story, morning glory

Mommy and Matt are getting married!

I knew that Matt was having his mom's rings restored, and I was excited. I didn't know when they'd be done, or how he would do it! On the 12th of November, Matt took me to see "Faith Healer" at the Guthrie, which we both LOVED, but was, as he puts it, "comically unromantic." It was very heavy!
It was cold and drizzling, and we were hungry after the show, so we went to our favorite late-night noshing, Great Waters in Saint Paul. We went back to Matt's house off West 7th, and Matt said, "You want to take a little walk?" I thought, "Um...it's kind of cold and rainy, but sure..." so we had a surprisingly pleasant stroll through the neighborhood. We got back to the house and I got my things from the car, and went up the steps to the house. He grabbed my hand and said, "Wait..." fumbled in his pocket and brought out the ring. He knelt on one knee and said, "I love you more than I can say. I love your daughter, and want to be a father to her. I love your family and want to be part of it. I want to join my life with yours. Will you be my wife?"

I said yes. Of course!

June 12th, 2010. Be there!

We are so excited, and thanks to our families and friends. We love you all very much.

Pants!

Poor Ms. Pants, her blog has been neglected! It's time for an update, since she was officially 16 months old on Sunday!
She is walking all over the place, and saying many words, including some of her own invention! Mommy, Daddy, Matty, Buddy, Ivy, water, ("watee"). She calls lights "Gawees," and her bottle "bobby." When she isn't sure what to say, she says "Puppy!" or "Kitty!" which especially cracks up Matt. ("Now you're just SAYING things!")
We've had a beautiful summer and fall, filled with fun, laughter, family time, and love. Visits to Grammi and Grampy, Grandma and Papa, Grandma Jane and Grampa Bill, and many good times with families and friends. Daddy and Ivy have been riding bikes a lot, which Ivy loves but doesn't love her helmet! Mommy and Matty have loved taking her to the zoo, on walks, and Ivy has found a new friend in Mr. Sparkle, Matt's "Kitty!" (Mr. Sparkle does not share the enthusiasm, exactly...) Mommy is also oddly attached to "Sparko"...even though she's not a "cat person," she's fallen for this one!

Halloween is coming up, and there will be pics of Miss Priss in her costume!!

Love to all!
Mommy & Ivy

Future Ole!

And ok, I'm SORRY! I forgot my camera!

Mommy, Ivymae, Steve, Julie, and Laura (The New Mrs. Pinnsoneault!) drove down to Northfield today for a little Hogan Brothers...

Yes. Oles are so crazy about their Northfield landmarks they may even drive AN HOUR for a sandwich.

Mommy got to reminisce with her friends and eat. Ivy got to throw her bottle on the floor and eat (a gingerbread muffin. Yummy.) Afterward, we strolled down Division Street, then down to the river. Northfield is so beautiful; I miss it a lot sometimes.

Of course a trip to Northfield wouldn't be complete without a trip to campus. So, much to the chagrin of Stephen, we made a lovely trek through campus, through the woods behind Kittlesby, back up behind the new science center (which is AMAZING, btw!) and back through Buntrock Commons. We even stopped at the bookstore so Mommy could pick out an outfit for Punky...turns out baby college gear is a little too pricey for Mommy right now, but we might put it on our Christmas list!

Anyway, I love St. Olaf, I love Northfield, and it was Ivy's first trip there. I so appreciated my friends spending the day with us and remembering! :)

This is a picture with her Great Uncle Dick, and I just love it so much...our pretty girl!

Cuz We've Got the Kind of Beauty That...MOVES

Sometimes I feel like I'm being propelled by sheer force of inertia; I wake up simply because Ivy is crying and awake. I make lunch because it's time for her to eat. My day is focused on getting through these moments instead of enjoying these moments. Most of the time I feel like I'm in that vague place of awake and asleep, and I'm struggling to wake up. My brain and body vaguely pay attention to what I'm doing, they in a generally bored in-passing kind of way are aware of what I"m doing, but I'm not AWAKE! And my fear is that I miss something...every breath is something new she does, something she's discovered. And I want to be completely present for that.

In the past week and a half or so, Ivy has been actively hugging. I don't know when the first time it happened was...often she'll do something new with Michael or me, and we'll say to each other, "She did this today...has she done that before?" It's hard to keep up! :) But we noticed the hugging about the same time. Then she reached for Matt and hugged him, and we knew she was a hugger! What a snuggler. She still isn't a shy girl. Last night we went to Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jane's, and while most of the people there weren't completely familiar, she quietly observed, then decided they were great, then tore around the house chasing Teh Kitteh! She LOVES all her grandmas and grandpas, and is always so visibly excited to see them! Of course, they give her insane amounts of attention, which is awesome.

In my quest to become a better parent, aside from actually PRACTICING being one, I've been reading a lot from The Mindful Parent. Mindful parenting is an idea that fascinates me, something I think can only benefit Ivy.

And as always, my favorite singer/songwriter is an inspiration:

I walk in stride with people
much taller than me
and partly it's the boots but
mostly it's my chi
and I'm becoming transfixed
with nature and my part in it
which I believe just signifies
I'm finally waking up

and there's this moth outside my kitchen door
she's bonkers for that bare bulb
flying round in circles
bashing in her exoskull
and out in the woods she navigates fine by the moon
but get her around a light bulb and she's doomed

she is trying to evolve
she's just trying to evolve

now let's get talking reefer madness
like some arrogant government can't
by any stretch of the imagination
outlaw a plant
yes, their supposed authority over nature
is a dream
c'mon people
we've got to come clean

cuz they are locking our sons
and our daughters in cages
they are taking by the thousands
our lives from under us
it's a crash course in religious fundamentals
now let's all go to war
get some bang for our buck

I am trying to evolve
I'm just trying to evolve

gunnin for high score in the land of dreams
morbid bluish-white consumers ogling luminous screens
on the trail of forgetting
cruising without a care
the jet set won't abide by that pesky jet lag
and our lives boil down to an hour or two
when someone pulls a camera out of a bag

and I am trying to evolve
I'm just trying to evolve

so I walk like I'm on a mission
cuz that's the way I groove
I got more and more to do
I got less and less to prove
it took me too long to realize
that I don't take good pictures
cuz I have the kind of beauty
that moves

Like the moon, and the stars, and the sun...

Instant karmas gonna get you
Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon youre gonna be dead
What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin to do
Its up to you, yeah you

Instant karmas gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin
Join the human race
How in the world you gonna see
Laughin at fools like me
Who in the hell dyou think you are
A super star
Well, right you are

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Evryone come on

Instant karmas gonna get you
Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognize your brothers
Evryone you meet
Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on earth are you there
When youre evrywhere
Come and get your share

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
Come on and on and on on on
Yeah yeah, alright, uh huh, ah

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
On and on and on on and on




We've been dancing to this song, and it's been in my head the past few days. The definition of karma: action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation.
You reap what you sow.

I hope we can teach her to so as much good stuff as possible. Lots of dancing.

The 4th, and being a Helper

I could kick myself for not getting pictures of her at Matt's 4th of July party! She hung out with "Matty," and of course her Daddy! She got very dirty and looked like a hippie...Uncle Steve even played some Phish for us! ;)

But here are some of her "helping" Mommy get her school paper in order, and some of Mommy at the party with Matty, and both of her "Auntie Laura's"!

And the Worst Mother of the Year Award Goes To...

Ivy had mango yesterday for lunch. Lots and lots of mango. So we're sitting at the table, I'm talking to her and we are laughing about how hilarious it is to throw mango and Cheerios on the floor, (HILARIOUS, in case you were wondering), and all of a sudden she holds up her little fist and...that...isn't...mango...what the...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And just like that, there was poop smeared all over her face. I think I
squawked, I was so horrified.

"Honey, no! Icky, icky, icky!"

She examined the poop hand, then the mango hand, then gave me the biggest (AHEM) shit-eating grin you've ever seen. (YEAH! See what I did there? SHIT-EATING GRIN?! GET IT???)

Ai yi yi. Someone ALSO got her teeth brushed for the first time yesterday, you can bet on that.

One of my favorites. We've been rocking the MJ this morning, helping Daddy get ready for his Testosterone Trip up north! :) And by helping, I mean, "Mommy and Ivy have been boogying to MJ videos on YouTube and distracting Daddy."

We have a relaxing weekend planned, with lots of family time (hopefully!) outside time!

Oh crap...to Ivy's many attributes, add destructive...huh. Well, the books WERE on the shelf! ;)

PS

This is our dancing and nap-time song today. I like to think of Ivy having sweet dreams to this song.

The Past Few Weeks...

...have been SO exciting for us! Ivymae is doing genius things, really. She now can say "Kitty" (to her stuffed kitty and to Grandma Jane's cats...we haven't tried it on Mr. Sparkle yet...) She puts up her finger and says, "Bob! Bob bob!" when she wants her bottle, and now says "Uppies!" when she wants to be picked up. (This is what Matt asks her when he goes to pick her up.)

Mommy spent the weekend in the Black Hills, and Ivymae had an AWESOME TIME with cousin Lauren last week, Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jane this weekend, and DADDY all day Monday and Tuesday!

Besides a constant stream of Ivy-speak, her new favorite thing is to stand up and turn off the cable box. We aren't sure how she figured out that particular button, since it's one of many and frankly, Mommy doesn't even know how to work the thing. The first time she did it, I said, "No!" She sat down hard and put her hands in her lap and gave me her best Baby Jesus routine, and that was the end of me. Now I let her do it all day. This child is getting NO discipline. :)

Pictures from Ivy in Mommy's old law school bag, and a few of Mommy and Matt at Mount Rushmore. Cause we're just patriotic like that.