Yesterday Miss Y shared the good news that Sophie wrote her first sentence in first grade! And here it is: My mom goes poo.

Along with all sorts of other childish delights, Smeeks — the cool new candy store in central Phoenix — features a photo booth. The girls and I took advantage Saturday. (We’ll have to go back and figure out where the camera lens is. Whoops.) We also shopped for fondant (turns out you can buy it […]

I am so selfish that I actually had the following thought on Tuesday morning: How dare Eunice Shriver die on Sophie’s first day of school. I know. I’m horrible. But really, for once, I’d love to have a day that  is just about Sophie. Sophie. Not my future Special Olympian, my mentally retarded kid — […]

I pitched the guy at the public radio station a piece about my minivan crisis, but he didn’t bite. I think he thinks I write too much about my kids. (Really? Moi?!) Or maybe the piece sucked. In any case, he wanted something related, so in a weak moment I made my latest confession — […]

The other day, I was perusing the Etsy shop of one of my all-time favorite artists, she of Girl in a Party Hat “fame,” Amanda Blake, and realized I didn’t have any of her boys. Now I do. Oliver arrived just the other day, wrapped thusly (how freakin’ cute is that?!) and as it’s a […]

As usual, all of the posed First Day of School shots I took of the girls failed to do them justice – partly because Sophie won’t look at the camera, and also because Annabelle tends to insist on wearing a white shirt and pulling her hair back, making  her image look a lot like a mug shot. I […]

Tomorrow is the first day of school. Both girls are fast asleep — took baths, accepted earlier-than-summer bedtimes without complaint. The backpacks are labeled, I cut the tags off the first-day-of-school outfits. Now there’s nothing left to do but freak out. I’m good at that. Without meaning to (I was only looking for the link, and […]

I rolled over and sat up. Across the tent, Ray’s head emerged from his sleeping bag.  “What time is it?” I whispered. “3:30.” “No it’s NOT. IT CAN’T BE. How do you know that?” “I just looked.” See? Even Mr. Camper couldn’t sleep. Shit. At least two hours before sunrise and I was zipped in a tent […]