Picture People

I took Espen to get 9 month pictures done today... I am a HUGE fan of PICTURE PEOPLE... if you have never been I think they are fantastic. They are happy, helpful & good with kids. They are creative but will also do what you tell them. They are affordable (today was 7 sheets for $99) and don't charge a sitting fee. And they don't make you buy any minimum... if you just want one - fine! If you want to see what happened today here are the photos! http://www.picturepeople.com/sso/publishconfirm.sso?data=GHb5zsrgAW3zNOXDsQ6butrHlMoZshM8hct6Tpq6YdOiOyf3HiZtmOoxc69108qL So if you need some nice pictures of your kids - go there!

The sun was shining today & when we got home I decided we should go for a walk. It is a process... I got Espen strapped into BOB (the most fantastic stroller ever) then I got the dogs on leashes. The excitement was thick! And finally off we went. The plan was to walk far & fast so that I could have a bowl of ice cream later! And the sun felt good for all of us. We got about 2 blocks from home and from out of no where this HUGE bull terrier / pit mix was charging. Well I had a dog on each side of BOB and I saw the dog first. Man I was FREAKED out... I was in the MIDDLE of the street & the dogs went crazy with protection. I was tangled up and screaming and couldn't set the brake on BOB because of the tangled mess. So I held on and tried to keep Espen upright. (I did ~ he is perfect!). The owner came casually out and said oh he's friendly and then just as casually called 'duke' over. Man I was pissed.... LEASH THE DAM DOG... they will always run and it could have been a really bad bad situation. After that I was not nearly as eager to walk but on we kept going. My dogs were all hyped up then and pulled like crazy but we made a nice walk. And Espen & BOB... they never even made a peep... the wheels rolled, the brake worked and Espen was happy to just watch the world go by and feel the sun on his cheeks.

And then the funniest thing happened... we got home and put dogs inside and since the sun was still warm, I decided some outside time for Espen & I was in order. So I put him on the sidewalk at our front door & sat with him. The next door neighbor kids were playing some kind of football game and were loud and giggly. While I tried to encourage Espen to not eat rocks I listened to the kids play. The dad came storming out and said..."Knock the shit off... and calm down. You are being to loud and crazy out here. Why don't you just calm down and enjoy the outside. You should be inside watching TV with your sister." I nearly lost it I was laughing. EXACTLY what we want... kids inside watching TV... they were not bothering anyone...they were enjoying the first taste of summer... of warm sun on bare arms... of running outside.... and their delight was a pleasure to hear!

I'm a different type of parent I suppose... since we are on month 9 and Espen doesn't watch TV! He doesn't have a show, a video, NOTHING... Yes sure he loves to play with the remote or my phone or anything with little buttons to push but doesn't give a concern about what they operate (if anything). And after we had some outside time we had an early dinner (4:40pm) and then an early bed... 5:30pm... the sun makes you tired after all! And I can expect that he will sleep for 12 hours and be awake ready to start his exploration and discovery all over again... I appreciate the consistency of his sleeping behaviors, that he can self soothe and I respect the need for this sleep for both of our sakes... and so I shall also retire for the evening... must get some beauty rest myself! ~ and have a bowl of ice cream!!