A Break from the Boys - Oscars Talk

I have loved the Oscars since I was a little girl. I just love the whole, beautiful, inspiring, glamourous event soooo much! I have always wanted to see ALL (or, like 75% at least) of the nominated movies before the show and have a big party and force all my friends to dress up and place bets on the winners... but alas, these two kids are totally killing my swag. I DO faithfully manage to see all of the animated nominees, so that's something. (I swear, I used to be so cool)

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on last night's 85th Oscar ceremony...

1. Seth MacFarlane. Seriously? This dude kind of makes me feel like I really, really need to step up my life game. Let's talk first about how handsome he is. How did I not know he was so good looking? I feel like I'm really good at knowing who all the hot Hollywood men are -- but he definitely slipped my radar. And I learned last night that he can sing. Like, really well. He's got dance moves, too. The man-dance routine with Harry Potter and the little kid from Third Rock from the Sun - Old Hollywood adorable. I think I giggled like a school girl when they put their hands in their pockets and jigged around the stage. He writes, he animates... and he's clearly VERY funny. Who knew that Peter Griffin was a prodigy! I'm kind of in awe that someone who makes a living off fart jokes is also insanely talented in so many other things! When people are THAT talented, you know they're just RAKING in the dough. Mogul-wealthy. He's flipping mogul-wealthy. He's a total package and I think I might be swooning...

2. Jennifer Lawrence. I haven't seen a single one of her movies but she definitely just jumped to second place on my list of "People I Want to Stalk". See above for number one. But, seriously? How can someone that beautiful also seem totally normal and sweet and AWESOME? I desperately want to make her my best friend. I feel like so many celebrities just seem like they're really yucky people in real life and I don't feel much desire to fawn over them, but wow. She is just tooo adorable. And funny. When she said "You're all just standing up for me because I fell and you're trying to make me feel better and that's embarrassing" - I about had a girl crush heart attack! If you haven't seen her post interview where Jack Nicholas comes up to her - google it now. She has no idea, but we should really be besties. Also, I found a picture of her giving the finger while holding her Oscar. Swoon.

3. Anne Hathaway. Man, she's just gorgeous. Like, wow. But I didn't love her dress. It was the only dress I didn't love that also just made me mad. It reminded me of the pink dress that Gwen wore when she was winning her Oscar and I was kind of annoyed that Anne didn't pick something else. It was literally the EXACT same color pink. Also, the back. Don't stylists say "Girl, you've got a backwards necklace, a criss-cross, a bow, and a slit and that is just too much for one dress. And also, it's the exact same color as another very famous Oscar dress. So, take it off."? Do the stylists not say that? I feel like I would say that. LOVE the backward necklace trend, though.

 4. Ben Affleck getting snubbed for Best Director kind of makes me happy. He seems like he might be a jerk since he didn't take the noms he did receive more graciously. I don't think I want to hear another word about how poor Ben only got the Best Picture win and not a Best Director nod.  No. One. Cares. But... I just can't hate him too much. He had the good sense to pick Jennifer Garner and she's a slice of heaven so... I just can't hate him too much. Only a little. Just please shut up about the director thing.

 5. Speaking of Argo -- did anyone else notice that the Producer who accepted the Oscar for Argo (before Ben...) was also the nervous sidekick to Arnold Schwarzenegger from True Lies?? He is the CIA "cameraman" who hides a gun in his camera when he goes to save Arnold's daughter from the rooftop of a Miami skyscraper!!!! I know you ALL totally knew that. Side note: I have crazy recognition skills.

6. Kristen Chenoweth did Red Carpet interviews. She's also adorable and I want to stalk snuggle her.

7. The nine year old little girl who was nominated for Best Actress could NOT be any more adorable. At first I felt badly that I had forgotten her name and had to google it. And then when I found out her name is Quvenzhane, I didn't feel so badly because holy cow, I don't think I could've spelled that without google's help anyway. But y'all,  she showed up on the red carpet with a puppy dog purse! AH!!!! I love. Bless her sweet little heart for being so darn adorbs!

8. We accidentally left the downstairs TV on while giving Henry a bath up stairs. Charlie came running up in absolute hysterics that they sang a song called "We Saw Your Boobs" -- Ooops.  Parenting fail. But,  let's all just hope boobs stay hilarious for a while longer.

9. Kristen Stewart. I really want to hate her and be over her brooding schtick, but for some reason, I like her. But really, girlfriend? Do your hair. Someday you will be a mom like me with two kids and be so excited sneak off one Sunday morning for your first manicure since the company Christmas party and then ruin it two hours later because you had to clean up a giant pile of legos. And that will make you cry. Yes, you might actually CRY because the damn legos ruined the ONE pretty thing you've done for yourself in THREE months. So, just, for me... enjoy it now. When the team comes in to make you look gorgeous, don't moodily fan them away because you're trying to prove that you're a non-conformist.

Ok. That's my thoughts!! What are yours?? Whose dress did you love? Whose did you hate? What did you think of the host? Any of the moments stand out for you?? Comment away!!! 

Preschool Pick Up

Henry has a bromance going on with his best buddy, Max. When Henry isn't WITH Max, he spends the day TALKING about Max. He wakes up asking to go to Max's house. He usually mentions that Max needs this or that throughout the day. He watches the show "Max and Ruby" and sings "Max and Henry" in place of the theme song. Max's mom, Jackie, and I think this toddler bromance might possibly be the most adorable thing ever. We have even taken up a new hobby of texting each other the things they say about each other all day. Last night, I texted Jackie that Henry wanted Max to come "take a baff wiff me". Goofs.

Luckily, twice a week, they get to spend a day at preschool together. And since they're soooo in love, they then refuse to walk out of school without the other. That's right, they wait for each other and then run together down the hall, into the elevator, out the door and into the big grassy area where they insist on playing for just a little while longer.

I've been wanting to photograph this adorableness for awhile and yesterday I realized I had my camera in my bag for once! Now, anyone with a toddler knows that if you pull out a camera, it's a scientific certainty they won't do what they normally do... ARGH!!! So, my pictures aren't exactly what I wanted. For one, Max isn't actually IN any of them. I have a couple of the back of his head. Also, I didn't premeditate these images - hence, Henry REALLY needs a haircut and I was feeling too lazy (and late!) yesterday to dress him well or fight the battle to wipe off his valentines tattoo!

This is Miles. He is Max's baby brother. While Max and Henry are in love, I am in love with this little guy! OH!! He is just the SWEETEST baby -- and so cute!! Hi, Miles! Welcome to your first(?) blog post!!

On rainy, yucky days (like yesterday), they have their play time in the big, sprawling basement with lots of ride-on cars and room to run around. Henry rode his car right up to the door when I picked him up!

And then Henry waited for Max while standing on the window... And he was cute.

And Henry refuses to let me help him put on his sweatshirt. He can do it himself. Or, well, he can try to do it himself for five minutes and then mommy has to do it.

Normally the boys run down the hall together and that was the shot I REALLY wanted. But, of course, they wouldn't do it. This might have more to do with them running so fast down the hall last week that Jackie and I couldn't keep up and they got on the elevator BY THEMSELVES and were terrified when they go to the top floor without any mommies than it does with my camera being out.

Once we're upstairs, they usually take off running together again until they're outside on the grass. But they were holding back yesterday and wanted to walk. I eventually just stopped shooting and the second the lens cap was back on, they started holding hands! Of course!!!

And that, my friends, is what preschool pickup looks like! :)

New Stuff

On Saturday, I had to go to Tyson's Corner to take some pillow covers back to Pottery Barn so Mike and I divvied up the kids and I got Charlie! SCORE!!! {Really, when you're flipping a coin for who gets what kid for errands, it's always the winning pick when you get the 8 year old over the toddler}.

Charlie grabbed $20 from his drawer "just in case" we went in the Lego store -- which, of course, this mama could never deny him! I made sure to pack my camera because I love shooting in the Lego store with all the colors and all those happy faces! But oy! The WB and exposure issues in that store - not to mention all the darn people - can drive you crazy {this sentence was written for my photog friends - Jamie, Brig, CM-ers - I know no one else cares about my camera lingo!}. Also, very quickly after I pulled my camera out, I was surrounded by employees who were displeased with my shooting their store... Charlie learned that $20 doesn't buy much at the Lego store so he scouted all the sets for anything within his budget. He narrowed it down to three and picked a tow truck... and then mom helped him with the tax. :)

Since the only camera store that has been able to stay in business in the area is in Tyson's Corner, we popped in to look at a piece of equipment I wanted to buy. And then. Then, I also saw this bag... so, I got something new, too. :)

Valentines

My wedding anniversary is exactly one week before Valentine's Day, so I've exhausted all my romantic gestures by the time the heart-filled holiday has arrived. As I tried to explain to my younger, single cousin that we don't celebrate Valentine's Day for this reason, she answered "So... basically, you've already had enough sex." Ha! Something like that! {Sorry boys, if you read this in the future, that last sentence is probably going to make you throw up in your mouth a little}

Since our wedding anniversary is for us, Valentine's Day has become about showing the boys how much we love them. And also for Pinterest crafts and photoshoots with kisses and candy!

Henry LOVES for me to take silly pictures. This usually means he does a weird Saturday Night Fever disco pose. What a nut!

Also, this is the first year that Charlie refused to wear a Valetine's shirt because they're "not cool". I bought one and he said "No. Way." Ha ha. Sad.

The weather on Valentine's Day was beautiful and "warm" {56 degrees feels warm now...} so we played on the driveway for the first time this year while waiting for Charlie to get home from school.

My friend, Rachel, introduced me to Paper Source and I HAD to have these Valentine's cards for the boys. They are so perfect for each of them. And also not girly at all. It's super hard to find boy-appropriate valentines!!

I snuck them in the mailbox and had them go outside to get the mail {which they love to do}.

I used an idea from Pinterest to make Charlie's class valentines. We are a treat-free school so I took a picture of C holding out his hand so I could place a pencil through the image to make it look like he was handing it out. Fun!!

Henry got the valentine that I chose for it's PB&J-ness because I've become so obsessed with anything PB&J over the last year. Hostess with the Mostess designed the card as a free download so I attached it to a folded brown bag with ribbon and placed some candy and a PB&J organic granola bar inside. I thought these came out pretty cute!!