tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52272891028386520352011-04-21T20:06:32.257-04:00Stories by, photos from, and thoughts on being Gigi. And a Mama. Gigimama--catchy, huh? Don't answer that.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.comBlogger411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-12791974230313013682008-06-11T19:57:00.003-04:002008-06-11T21:28:15.352-04:00

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-63171002405816495332008-06-05T19:46:00.006-04:002008-06-06T22:36:50.349-04:00

It all started with this book and CD: It is very very funny and we love it so. It is the kind of children's music that is appealing to little ones and easily tolerable for adults. As with most things Sandra Boynton, there is wit and intelligence in her lyrics. And famous people sing them. People like Kevin Kline, and Meryl Streep. Also Erik Stoltz and Scott Bacula--not quite so famous, and

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-23622640370363366142008-05-22T21:41:00.008-04:002008-05-24T10:18:04.604-04:00

Not true.But I have fond memories of that hilarious Ernie and Bert sketch from Sesame Street circa 1970. Check it out here. So, we didn't win it. Nor did we eat it. But, we did buy one from Target with Ben's birthday moolah from Grandma & Papa, Great-Grandmo and the McCollums. Thanks guys!Putting it together was ridiculously easy. Allen wrenches and those little internal nuts you just pop

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-56436914618054344822008-05-09T21:02:00.010-04:002008-05-09T22:23:38.920-04:00

We had a party today after the Nap. As requested, there were balloons. And hats. Presents, naturally. Singing, blowing of candles (one single blow this year--yippee!), and the most awesome yellow digger cake you ever saw. It did not look like this:This is the inspiration, however. Ben saw this cake in Family Fun magazine and HAD to have it. No matter how gently I would try to lead him

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-24489607995440707192008-05-04T21:19:00.005-04:002008-05-04T21:58:30.542-04:00

So, here we are at six months. Back in November, I speculated what color these peepers would end up looking like. I was surprised that they were not the deep brown her brothers' were at that age. I mused on the possibility of them staying blue, and even found a study that said it was possible, even if neither parent had blue eyes. But, hooray! They're greenish! Just like her mama--see?Now

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-47293196591697186152008-04-27T21:01:00.002-04:002008-04-28T22:32:49.691-04:00

I am having so much fun being a mama. Cliche or not, this time in my life is just so rewarding. It can seem horribly stressful and oh-so-dramatically frustrating to have 3 under 4 years old, but Man, when it's good, it's goooood! So, here's a snapshot of how I'd like to remember this time. Idyllic, ain't it?

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-41610969865269475702008-04-20T21:19:00.007-04:002008-04-28T22:34:21.716-04:00

Many of you have asked how things are going with Ben and RDI. I've been kind of stuck searching for a direct answer for that question. I'm fairly sure most people would just like to hear "great!" or "doing fine!" as a reply, but that would be a silly expectation when the person you've asked is ME.There are stages in RDI. Ben is in Stage 1. This might be helpful information if development

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-70582708048419841312008-04-03T21:48:00.005-04:002008-04-03T22:02:32.515-04:00

Goodbye, Dear Friend.Dennis R. RichFebruary 11, 1971-April 1, 2008So loved and missed. May perpetual light shine upon you.Dennis' blog

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-31492099479677499562008-03-27T20:45:00.008-04:002008-04-28T22:34:51.971-04:00

Last Saturday we took a trip to Rosebank Farms on Johns Island for their Egg'straordinary Egg'stravaganza (heh). They advertised a hay ride, an egg hunt, an appearance by the Easter Bunny, and the regular farm staples--ducks, pigs, cow, horse (miniature!), turkeys, chickens and naturally--bunnies. There were also supposed to be refreshments available and, best of all, kids three and under were

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-46259007007552083092008-03-22T22:18:00.010-04:002008-03-23T21:00:35.944-04:00

I stole this title from our good friend, and my former early childhood colleague, Kiersten (aka Kiki). She left a comment on my other blog referring to this photo of Will. You can go read it here.She didn't know the story, per se, but she knows me and how I roll, so (did you catch that hip phrase "how I roll"? I am so cool.) she understood the significance of the photo and that there was

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-83998050320982858842008-03-18T14:59:00.004-04:002008-03-18T20:00:38.636-04:00

For the past several weeks there has been a bird who arrives every morning around 7 and attempts to fly through our windows. You can hear his beak hit the panes throughout the house as he tap tap taps while flapping fruitlessly until his feet gain purchase either on the sill or the screen. He is persistent and not completely clueless, as he will try one window than another. The boys love

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-27873224226140299572008-03-14T20:59:00.007-04:002008-03-30T15:21:25.085-04:00

I could have titled this "Why I love the South." You saw my last post, yes? All that snow and coldness and hats and mittens and boots? Well, not here in South Cackalackee, no sir. On this fine March afternoon, it was strawberry picking time. With giant, juicy all natural (no pesticides or other icky chemicals on these guys) berries! See?The boys were pretty impressed with the rows and rows of

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-90825718918847423492008-03-13T21:51:00.000-04:002008-03-14T21:59:03.358-04:00

Check out my sister's blog here for more photos from our trip home.We took all the kids to the Picture People studio for a portrait for Grandma's (BIG) birthday. Mimi's got 'em up. My copies have yet to be unpacked. So, go there. Tell her I sent you. http://mimisphotos2008.blogspot.com/

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-47403610041632442002008-03-06T17:55:00.009-05:002008-03-06T18:50:50.280-05:00

We are so lucky!! Grandma started a snowman for us the day before we arrived. There was just enough of the white stuff left for us to finish him off. He didn't last long, but he was loved while he was here.There are more snow photos on my photo-a-day blog, here.

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-8001533369008060982008-02-27T20:30:00.003-05:002008-02-27T23:50:00.280-05:00

We're heading back to ChicagoLand next week for a visit. Mark has to travel to Yuma for work, so the children and I are going to spend some quality time with Grandma and Papa. We're all driving home together, then Mark will fly to AZ from O'Hare. It's a long drive--about 17 hours. That estimate is really conservative, too, considering it does not take into account wee babies with wee bladders

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-77153195577323373472008-02-18T21:23:00.001-05:002008-02-19T21:33:07.743-05:00

This is Ben. He is 3 and 3 quarter years old. He is a big brother. He loves cars and trucks. He enjoys music and singing (lately, the Beatles.) And he has an autism spectrum disorder.Okay, so that's how I originally was going to start this post. But, seriously. Over-the-top dramatic is just not my thing. I mean, hey, I can *do* dramatic, but then that's all it is--drama--not the real

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-76798582912901545702008-02-17T20:17:00.005-05:002008-02-17T22:30:36.046-05:00

A quick little movie of our newly mobile baby. And narrated with my incredibly high-pitched "motherese". Rats. Now I can't leave her on the couch or bed feeling reasonably sure she won't roll off.They just keep growing, these babies. Harumph.

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-48540014854808005192008-02-14T11:00:00.002-05:002008-02-15T17:05:30.389-05:00

Check it out:http://www.photoshow.net/kayserfamily

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-49143420139842583582008-02-05T10:55:00.000-05:002008-02-05T21:02:12.860-05:00

I pulled out the easel today with brushes and cups of red, blue, and yellow paint. Ben has painted on an easel before, but it was Will's first time. For those who don't know or maybe, don't remember :), painting on an upright, eye level surface is a totally different experience than painting on a tabletop. You can get your whole body involved when you paint at the easel. There's much less

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-78007872034296532302008-01-29T22:52:00.000-05:002008-01-29T23:18:55.277-05:00

We have a big beautiful playroom in our new house. It's the only room upstairs and is as large as the 2-car garage it sits above. There is an extra-large paned window that brings in the sunlight and a sloped-sided ceiling that matches the roof line. There are high quality, durable, wooden toys that are gender neutral, open-ended, and aesthetically pleasing. Like any former early childhood

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-92165485356761424212008-01-24T21:08:00.000-05:002008-01-24T21:12:19.918-05:00

Following my sister's lead...I've started a new blog--gigimama's year in photos. I'll be posting a pic a day. I cheated a bit trying to fill in the days I missed, but so far so good. Check it out here: www.gigimamainpajamasyip.blogspot.com

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-62673331331302893292008-01-24T19:52:00.000-05:002008-01-24T20:27:57.241-05:00

I'm not sure why Will burst into tears when we lit the candle and started to sing "Happy Birthday", but I think it may have had something to do with the clump of frosting in his hand. He managed to recover with a little encouragement from Mama and didn't spit too much while trying to blow out the candle. Then the real fun began. Mmmm boy, do we love cake around here.So much so, we'll snag some

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-1059174163714339422008-01-24T19:44:00.001-05:002008-01-24T19:44:32.875-05:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-9566883781425936762008-01-24T19:41:00.001-05:002008-01-24T19:41:32.141-05:00

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-15123631503362445432008-01-04T15:54:00.001-05:002008-01-04T15:54:37.641-05:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree search

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-22359410947379178072007-12-26T16:48:00.000-05:002007-12-27T09:05:57.235-05:00

Timing is everything. Another obstacle in getting the perfect picture, in this family, is the State of Will's Face. The nomiker "bruiser" would fit him well. So, we made it to Christmas Eve with a clear, bruiseless, scratchless, chapped-cheek-free face...until about 6:30 a.m. This happened while taking a header off the bed and meeting the bed frame on the way down--ouch! Poor Will. He is forever

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-5332776007086583242007-12-15T19:35:00.000-05:002007-12-15T20:32:01.046-05:00

And I thought getting 2 to smile and "look pretty" for a photo was a challenge... None of these fine offerings made the cut for the card this year. Keep your eye on your mailbox for the winner maybe sometime next week.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~We are really enjoying the Advent season this year. The boys are totally into Christmas music, the nativity scene is getting lots of

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-4955280676953377052007-12-08T08:57:00.000-05:002007-12-09T12:53:35.880-05:00

The Bluffton Christmas Parade was last weekend. We sat with our friend Katie and her son A.J. A.J. is one month younger than Will. It's fun to have two just the same size, but not for extended periods of time. The thought of twins makes me want to run run away. The parade began as usual with the Parris Island Marine Band playing "Here Comes Santa Claus" and a few other tunes that work well for a

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-8369073156271148392007-11-21T15:22:00.000-05:002007-11-27T20:12:37.538-05:00

Okay, they're really more gray than blue. But they're definitely not brown. Both Ben and Will have these amazingly dark brown eyes. You can barely distinguish the pupil from the iris in Ben's peepers. And that, in itself, is weird: the fact that they have these dark brown eyes, that is. My eyes are greenish hazel. Mark's look greenish to me, but he insists they are brown. If so, they are the

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-79506520151223267172007-11-21T15:17:00.000-05:002007-11-21T15:21:34.363-05:00

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-52711999790885890872007-11-06T19:41:00.000-05:002007-11-10T21:24:53.499-05:00

Ella Rose is three weeks old today. It has taken me this long to not only get my thoughts together, but to also get some time to write. I am sooooo outnumbered during the week while Mark stays in Charleston. By the time everyone is in bed, I am way too pooped to do anything but go to bed, too. I've struggled with where to begin this story of Ella Rose's birth. I'm afraid I could write for days (

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-2061661790236255512007-10-26T14:01:00.000-04:002007-10-26T14:11:42.863-04:00

Ella Rose is ten days old today. We're just over the moon for her and trying to get our sleeping habits (ours, not hers) back in order. The boys are taking an afternoon nap for the first time in a long time. And Boy, did they need it! I, of course, should be sleeping as well. That is the rule, I know. Just wanted to get up some newer pictures. These are from last Sunday--five days old.

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-64530159972489830352007-10-17T09:35:00.000-04:002007-10-17T10:07:18.408-04:00

"Our Little Pumpkin" Ella Rose Kayser was born at home, into her Daddy's hands at 5:10 am on October 16, 2007. Her gentle, peaceful birth was all we could have hoped for and more. We are all CrazyInLove with her and overly blessed! Yay God! Stay tuned for Official Birth Story with all the fabulous details of Ella's arrival on Earth!

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-10286873320634259992007-10-14T17:53:00.000-04:002007-10-14T19:36:44.975-04:00

Check out this cool feature I discovered on my camera. It lets you isolate one color via the image in the lens. I played around with the blue from their jeans and the green from the plants, too. The orange pumpkins looked the coolest, I think, with the exception of the tinge of orange that showed up on the boys' cheeks, of course. I'll need to mess around with this feature more. That, and

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-55501880899917558662007-10-06T19:57:00.000-04:002007-10-06T20:12:11.327-04:00

Okay, dear sister, you asked for it. Here's the belly and it's popped turkey-timer button. The boys love the belly. I hope they like their new sibling as much when he/she arrives. And how about that hair? It hasn't been this short in nearly 10 years. And since when am I old enough to talk about something that happened 10 years ago and not be referencing my childhood??? Mama Mia!

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-85402296353336823442007-10-06T14:45:00.000-04:002007-10-06T15:13:01.194-04:00

So, we all got haircuts this week. The boys have a preferred barber named Jose. I really like him a lot. He is petite and wears his scissors, combs, etc. in a holster slung around his teeny hips. I'm not sure how much English he speaks, or Spanish, for that matter, as he is a man of very few words. But he knows how to communicate with children. At least, he knows how to commuicate with my

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-66376880116305614502007-09-30T21:35:00.000-04:002007-09-30T23:57:00.238-04:00

Here are some pictures of Sheridan *not* doing the dishes in her 8th grade graduation dress. I couldn't find these when I first posted updates, so here they are now. Such gorgeous girls we have. :)No new news on the Kidney Front. We are awaiting the docs from the dialysis center and the hospital to get together and make a plan. After that happens, there should be some testing that happens to

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-87420301306321844632007-09-28T14:54:00.000-04:002007-09-28T15:24:02.398-04:00

Here's a picture of the boys from last month. This was right before heading to the beach. We have so much fun in the sand and surf that we never remember to take pictures once we get there. And we go so often that it doesn't seem like we have to take pictures *every* time we go. But, we were particularly lax about it this summer. Beach season is not nearly over so we'll have more

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-66558155008286513612007-09-27T21:48:00.000-04:002007-10-01T00:13:28.257-04:00

So, have I mentioned that Ben has a brain that works a bit differently than the norm? Of course not, this is just my 3rd post! This is a weird topic to just jump into, but in order to appreciate the story, you're gonna need some background. I figured that was as good a way as any to introduce the topic, as awkward as it is. Hmm, where to begin? Well, let's just say that although Ben's language

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-55231144371967171242007-09-20T21:49:00.000-04:002007-10-01T00:00:23.251-04:00

This is what I awaken to this morning. Will (now 20 months old) sits up next to me in bed. {We co-sleep. Yes, all of us, in our Queen size bed. Don't ask me how we'll fit when the new one gets here.} He is squinty, bed-headed, and has a small smile on his baby lips. He says it again in his croaky, just-woke-up little voice, "chocolate bunnies." It's a wonderful way to be woken up, and it's not

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5227289102838652035.post-68272401980765463652007-09-12T22:17:00.000-04:002007-09-13T18:35:12.284-04:00

Well, here it is. The blog nobody was waiting for... :)I have been considering starting one for some time now. Mostly so I have a place to put all the Kid Stories I have saved in the ever-shrinking mamabrain. And. *true confessions moment* I have no baby books. I haven't recorded a single moment of my children's lives other than on film. Well, digital film. And those are all locked away in the

Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13214807034529657136noreply@blogger.com3