Wave - noun. a swell, surge, or rush, as of feeling or of a certain condition: a wave of joy sweeping over a person

On Wednesday night we had a large group of friends get together for the Angels and Airwaves concert, I think there were 12 of us total, so we could guarantee a good time. Caleb was ready with the camera and we got a lot of good shots. We got our tickets and (VIP!) passes and went to grab a bite to eat at the restaurant connected to the Fillmore here in Charlotte, I think it's called Black Bear or something, anyway don't hang out there, unless you're looking to marry someone who wears khakis...and who wants that? Ha.
This picture is pretty incredible. I'm very interested in what's being said, Adam is mad at the camera and Misha is very serious.
The other end of the table.
This is the face you get from me when you go to a concert, with people you don't know, and you're not in shape (not, not, not!) and you walk around in jean shorts without a shirt. Who are your friends and why don't they care? Because I care.
And it begins.
Elizabeth and Misha.
Attitude.
Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters.
From backstage.
Husband/Wife.
These people shouldn't be allowed to hang out.
Misha.Dance.
Is that me in the green room?
Yes.

Exhaust - verb. ex-haust, to empty by drawing out the contents: to exhaust a tank of fuel oil.

A very busy weekend, so busy that when it was over I needed another weekend. We've run out of room in our little house, well, we ran out of room the moment we moved in, but it's gotten incredibly tight since having baby boy #2 and having all his clothes and toys out of storage...and don't even mention storage. Our only large closet is so packed that I call it the Tetris closet, I've got boxes on top of boxes up to the ceiling. So, because of that we decided to schedule a multiple-family yard sale with all of our NoDa friends. It was a success. We had a lot of people come out and we made a goal of not bringing anything back in the house. Because of my great deals, and giving things away, we only had a couple boxes left that we just left on the curb with a 'free' sign that ended up getting picked through anyway...this is such a great neighborhood. We set our alarms for 6:45 am (ON A SATURDAY) and had muffins and bloody mary's/mimosas ready to go when our friends arrived. We had originally planned on being done around noon(ish), so, when everyone left, around 5 (haha) we were more than beat. I barely remember the rest of the weekend but it didn't involve near enough sleep...maybe next weekend...
We took over two driveways and even had bean-bags set up to play, although we spent most of the day sitting on Yerg's (for-sale) table and chatting.
Xander LOVED having everyone over to play.
Hanging out with the ladies, playing crosswords and holding babies.
Lots and lots of visitors.
Two of my handsome men.
Oh goodness...Jonah has gotten SO big and is now in the 90% for weight, Xander was always so small, it's fun having a big boy. And Jonah is SO happy, he is a squealer too.
His big brother's coon-skinned hat.
We did get to spend time at a local hang-out, Solstice, so X could run around and play bean-bag...Even though it was a crazy weekend, at least we had a good time and made room in our little house.

Allergy - noun. al-ler-gy, Informal. a strong dislike or aversion, as toward a person or activity: He has an allergy to hard work.

We're still enjoying the warmth and color of Spring here in NoDa. There are so many blooming trees it's hard to know where to look. I've also noticed, starting today, that the pollen has dusted the cars and my nasal passages, it's officially allergy season, get the meds out. Misha and I have started our daily walks, it's so nice to get out after a lousy winter, and to get out before Summer gets too hot. These pictures were taken on my phone, so sorry for lack of quality.
White blooms.
Xander loves picking flowers.
Misha grabs a close up picture of the pink blossoms.
One of my favorite pieces of graffiti on the streets of NoDa. You have to look for it otherwise you'd walk right by it.

Express - verb. ex-press, To show, manifest, or reveal: to express one's creativity.

One of my weekend projects in this last month turned out to be a success. A while back we sold our bar-top table on craigslist because it wasn't as kid-friendly as we would like, we bought a great (and cheap) table from Ikea and used our orange benches as seats, it's perfect for Xander to climb up and down. We were brainstorming about what to do with the top, because it wasn't finished and it stained really easy, and we thought of the best idea...chalkboard paint! I had already painted a couple rectangles on the kitchen walls for notes and calendars, so it seemed fitting to match, and be totally kid friendly. It turned out great. I decided when Caleb was gone on a work trip that I would just get it done and surprise him when he got back. I took a quick shot of the table before X got a hold of it, now I wish I would have done a before picture, oh well.
Xander, breaking in the table.
He likes to practice his letters and his shapes. He's too smart.
He usually asks Mama to draw something, sometimes a ghost, and sometimes letters.
Talking away.
Highly recommend this table idea to anyone with toddlers. What a great way to keep them busy and creative at the same time, especially when you're cooking dinner and he wants to be close.

Spring/Sprang/Sprung - verb. to be released from a constrained position, as by resilient or elastic force or from the action of a spring.

Beautiful weather. Beautiful babies. Beautiful drinks. Spring makes me happy, don't get me wrong, I love winter, but mostly because I love Christmas, so the longer winter hangs around AFTER Christmas the more unwelcome it is. But now it's spring; trees are budding and flowers (mostly lilies) are starting to bloom and the neighborhood is out in full dog-walking force. We watched X's cousin, Keaton the other morning and went for a nice walk in the wagon, a handy multiple-child tool. We still need to get around to buying our double stroller so I've just been slinging the new baby around, I like that better anyway, keeping him close. Here are a couple pictures of our last week.
Caleb pulling the boys in the wagon; as they get bigger it gets a little harder to pull. We bought the wagon at a garage sale and we asked the woman why she was getting rid of it, since she still had two girls at home, and she said they just got too heavy to pull them in, that didn't make sense to us until both Keaton and Xander were in it.
The classic Keaton glare, just get used to it.
Three babies, all a year apart (Xander 2, Keaton 1 and Jonah 1 month), I'm pretty sure we all have our work cut out for ourselves.
Eating bananas after a bath.
In honor of me being not-pregnant Misha got me some champagne, my favorite, and let me drink out of her pretty glass...even after I accidentally broke a different one.

Animal - adj. an-i-mal, Pertaining to the physical, sensual, or carnal nature of humans, rather than their spiritual or intellectual nature.

The weather is starting to turn for the better, finally, down here in Charlotte and we couldn't be happier. After what seemed like the longest and coldest winter since leaving Minnesota the sun is awesome to behold! It's recharging us and getting us ready for gardening season, something that I wasn't sure if I'd be in the mood for, since having another nugget around, but now that the sun is shining and it's starting to feel warm again I'm feeling good about another garden. Caleb took X to the park and shot some amazing pictures of him this weekend, I think he really caught the essence that is Xander, all boy and all crazy. Also one picture of me and Jonah from the most recent All Arts Market in NoDa where Caleb had a table, now it's a family thing! Enjoy some pictures of my beautiful family!
All boy!
All the time!
But still beautiful!
Like father like son...they are practically identical.
Sitting on the couch watching some tv...
Me and little Jonah David, poking his head out of his little sling, my favorite thing lately, we never had one with Xander but I highly recommend mothers with tiny ones to get one.

Labor - verb. la-bor, To strive, as toward a goal; work hard (often fol. by for): to labor for peace.

Well, two weeks ago today (well, at 12:01 am on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010) it finally happened! We gave birth to our second and super perfect and beautiful son, Jonah David Clark, 6 lbs 14 ounces and 19 inches long. Tuesday, the 9th, was a long day, I had contractions all day pretty much, nothing painful, just feeling a little off and pretty tired. I got a bath and spend most of the afternoon/evening timing contractions and durations with my mom and Caleb and big brother Xander. Around 9 pm, just in time for Lost, ha, we decided it was best to head to the hospital, I had tried to eat a banana but it didn't take and I threw up in the sink, I'm sure you're glad I'm sharing. We sent Xander to Auntie Mimi's house and he was such a trooper, we gave him kisses and said goodbye (we hadn't spent a night away from him, ever!). We arrived at the hospital around 9:30 and were sent to triage, a place where they decide if you're really in labor, they made me sit around too long, about 45 minutes, while contractions got stronger, I knew I was in labor and told them if they waited too long I wasn't going to get an epidural, because once I hit a certain point I take off. Around 10:30 they sent us to labor and delivery to get us set up and my saline started, before the epidural. Our friend Kelly stopped by a bit before 11:30 to drop off some flowers and playing cards, in case we got bored. Right after the doctor tried to get an epidural going, and I say tried because by that time I was having contractions 4 and 5 on top of each other and things were moving along. By the time the doctor told me to roll on my back and start pushing the epidural hadn't kicked in, of course, and I was already fully dilated. Pushing was much easier than with Xander so the epidural must have kicked in, thankfully, for the last part. I pushed twice and this little man was out and I was feeling great, ha. It was so nice to have my mom and Caleb with me. Here are a couple pictures of the crazy night.
Waiting in triage, the calm before the storm.
Still waiting...missing Lost...ha.
And there he is...a tiny little nugget.
Stamping his little foot.
A proud Papa all over again.
This little one gave his Mama a hard time coming out, but I guess that's what babies do.
Caleb was my hero all over again when he ran to the hospital cafeteria for a post-labor snack; french fries and Barq's root beer, a couple of my favorite cravings, that cafeteria made the hospital stay for us! There's also a bowl of carrots, ha, they were really good too! I craved a lot and Caleb was always able to deliver.