cry baby cry

Ella and I found these video clips in our archives the other day and we can't stop watching them and laughing at our little Thomas. As I look back, I have many a movie clip of newborn Thomas crying. I loved that sound. Okay...maybe not at 4 in the morn when your double d- jugs are hard and filled with milk but still... I do remember wanting to hear it. That little dude needed me. He was belting his little baby lungs out, fraught with frustration, completely dependent on me for survival. Now it's beginning to sound like I'm baby hungry...well, I'm not. I think as a mom I will just always long for the newborn phase. I loved it. The End.

my country tis of thee!

view from the Trumfio house in Silverlake

red, white and blue love

punk rock americore!

Our patriotic hostess Ronna

Thomas is showing his pride with a hot dog in one hand and a melon in the other

aniko and maia so totally love this sweet land of liberty!

Oh my... illegal fireworks!

there ain't no doubt I love this land!

plants are cool and so are our healthy bowels

I have been going through another flare up with my colitis and the last couple months before the kids got out for summer have been rough. This includes leaving the house in the morn racked with anxiety scoping out all the possible public restrooms along my route. 711 has one. Rite Aid has one, but you have to ask for the key. Starbucks I can always count on not only having a bathroom, but also that they are conveniently located on every corner block in LA. Sometimes I would make it to that bathroom and sometimes I wouldn't and as everyone can attest sh**ing yourself in public is the most horrifying thing on earth. Oh my troubled and vile bowel! Thomas was always my right hand man and would speedily jump out of the car when I needed him too. He would also say things like..."Mom, I'll wait outside." and "Mom, I won't look." My sweet boy. I hope I haven't scarred him forever with the bathroom adventures of kathkarol.

I finally had my colonoscopy 10 days ago and the doc put me on heavy duty steroids to reduce the inflammation. I am also taking a colitis med that he wants me to take indefinitely to keep it all in remission. Other than the steroids making me feel like my eyes are popping out of my head and I'm on 10 cups of coffee I feel a world of difference... I'm drinking more water and taking my vitamins. Summer is here and it feels fabulous. Nothing is happening...my bowels aren't a creeking ship anymore and I missed all the summer sign ups for everything. We stay home and have a good old fashioned summer. Late dinners with corn on the cob. Water play every day. Sleeping in. Barefeet....no set schedule, no summer camps, just popsicle drippings and whiny kids. We have our own compost bin in the backyard and our front porch is turning into our little herb and vegetable garden and it is bringing me much solace. Yes, yes, I'm drawing up a cheesy metaphor for the the beauty and the perils of a growing plant and the beauty of our healing bodies... but ain't in the truth? All this green makes me feel alive.

bloggity blog it

Since leaving my battery charger in the outlet at our last hotel I realize this blog is soley inspired by photographs. I am not too inspired to write unless there is an image to write about or look upon. Over the last month or so I have slowly let my camera battery die along with the desire to blog.

Resolution...

Step 1... go to best buy and give more money to the man for a new charger that they probably don't make anymore.
Step 2...take awe-inspiring pictures of my lil' ones and blog about it.

But then blogging can be obnoxious. Its narcissism in true form....hey look at me look at my beautiful reflection in the pond and while I'm at it here's my awesome stenciling tutorial for your recycled tote bag! But...I have to say I do miss it. I like making my life look more perfect and glorious than it really is. I like picking and choosing only those photographs that we look good in. I like pretending I work as an art director for Martha Stewart as I stage my hand knitted items. I like that it opens my mind up to really big words and writing that I haven't done since college. Most of all, I like having a record of my days as my kids are small.

Okay, that being said I am going to attempt to blog again, to keep a record in this cyberworld... for my posterity , for the world, for Michael Jackson, for me. Of course for me, me, me cuz that's what it's all about right? But then if blogging begins to get in the way of life then I will stop and just twitter... or visit the quilted bear and just start scrapbooking it instead. This is my prayer amen.

we love to dress up our cats in doll clothes.

Neighborhood Nursery Quilt

This little beauty above has been a labor of love. Here it is and it is finished and am quite happy with the end results. Raffle tickets are still available and it will be raffled off this Sat May 16th at our largest fundraiser of the year, the Spring Fair! Tickets are priced as follows:
5 for $5
12 for $10
25 for $20
40 for $30.
70 for $50
150 for $100
If interested in purchasing tickets just let me know...it's not too late! To read more about the history of the quilt at Thomas school go here.

spring break @ the Ace

After spending the first few days of spring break cleaning up kid messes we decided to pack it up and head to Palm Springs. Palm Springs is just an hour and a half away and was considered the "playground for the stars" as early as the 1920's and on into the 60's with the likes of Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball. The desert was a place to get away from the city. In the 80's and 90's it turned to sleaze and became the spring break destination for college kids to go crazy. That is until Mayor Sunny Bono banned thong bikinis and cruising downtown... Now 20 years later Palm Springs is trying to make a comeback. It's going back to its golden days and trying to avoid the sleaze. There are hip, mid century modern hotels being renovated and they are catering to a certain demographic. That said...I think that demographic is us. I have to say I am a walking advertisement for the Ace Hotel. We had such a great time that whilst swimming in the pool we made a family pact with hands outstretched one on top of the other that we would come every year.

This cute lil hotel has only been open a few months but it is basically a Motel 6 with class. The rooms are affordable but also stylish. You can tell the money they spent was spent where it matters. Every thing was so well thought out in design and function that it just made me breath a big sigh of relief that someone is actually doing it right. They are up on the zero waste policy with glass everywhere instead of plastic. If they did give out cups they were compostable. The restaurant was also green with cloth napkins and no paper sugar packets. The restaurant, that was once a Denny's was converted into the King's Highway and the food was organic, local and delicious. At night, there were fire places with lit fires outside the rooms and during the day townie bikes were readily available for a ride around town at no cost. The pool is open 24 hrs and they have the short bus where you can order rum punch (just what Mary Poppins prefers), sno-cones made with real fruit and anything from the King's highway poolside. I told you I can't stop talking about this place. We lived like kings for a day and most importantly it is completely kid friendly. My only qualm is that the day we were leaving we were descended on by well dressed, tan, fit men. I was wondering why so many good looking dudes had started appearing all at once and then we found out it was the weekend of the white party. Beautiful Judy Garland loving gay men everywhere...okay, some were not so beautiful but anyhow... we had a fabulous getaway and hope that the Ace remains the best kept secret in Palm Springs. (Not likely)

I am totally sew thankful...

for yo yo and pom pom maker's!

I am also happy that..

wade and I started doing pilates with Ana Caban again at night after the kids go to bed.

my sister is coming to visit in May and we will get massages.

ella and thomas are broadening their food palate. They now eat salted seaweed snacks, hummus and oatmeal on a regular basis. Not necessarily together or in that order but separately.

I bought some new spring make up today.

the quilt is almost done being hand quilted and I can finally start on the binding.

the yeah yeah yeah's have a new album...even though I haven't heard it and I will probably just wait for wade to get it before I do hear it...but it's nice to know it's out there.




thomas and maddox are best buddies that have regular pajama parties.

I have facebook to reconnect with my friends from Beijing. I had lost them for years, but now thanks to this little diddy called facebook I can know their ins and outs and when they are watching jon and kate plus 8.

yesterday I took ella out of school early for a doctor's appointment. After the appointment she insisted I take her back to school. I replied with a "why?"(excuse me if I was taken a back but I mean really, who ever wanted to go back to school after their mom picked them up early? I know I didn't.) And her response to my lame why was ...Mom, it's because I just love it."...................From this I sighed a deep satisfying sigh....my kid likes school...it sure warms a mother's heart.

most of all i am sew thankful that tiger and ella can share underwear!