two minutes alone

&
an
entire
roll
of
wax paper...

real cool, b...
real cool.

the real laugh

sure, he gives me courtesy
laughs every now and then...
but this is what he looks like
when i really make him
laugh...and i l o v e it.

we wish you a happy christmas

Back by Popular Demand

You're welcome.

Family Pilktures

best bed head

like a young
bob dylan...
minus the cigarette
and sunglasses
but with all the
coolness in the world.

saw this the other day:

a marquee that stated:
"we are happily accepting
applications from drug free people."

and

a bumper sticker that said:
"who needs a man when
i have my cats."

both made me laugh...
an ugly manish laugh.

(ps: as funny as it was
please never let me turn
into that bumper sticker.)

sweet disposition

this had me
crying yesterday

so sweet
so sincere
so real

done

this guy's done
with student teaching...
and he couldn't
be happier.

boy, his kids love him...
begged him to stay.
(perhaps partially because
their regular teacher most definitely
has horns and carries a pitchfork...
do you catch my drift?)

sweet davey,
you'll never fully
know how proud i am.

love you with a
thousand hearts.

pilk pic & card

looky look what i...designed.

we heart the jazz

got killer
jazz tickets
for last
night's game.
(thanks alisa & trevor!)

best. game. ever.

screamed
until my
head pounded.

may have embarrassed
dave slightly, with
how "into" the game i was.

called tony parker
a weiner.

awesome night.

love this guy.





oh, and
we won.

And the Secret Ingredient Is...

My favorite reality show has to be Iron Chef America.
Isn't it funny how passionate the host is?

Catie has wanted to do our own take on this show for a long time now.

pilk pic

looky look what i took

shake it, sh-shake it

...you know...like
a polaroid picture.

red truck

b is pretty jazzed
about this wooden
truck...and i was
jazzed that it was
only 3 dollars

(d.i. treasures are the best)

pilk pic

looky look what i took

step aside, beckham

i do not exaggerate.
he is head over heels
about kicking this
ball around...
(thanks, auntie amy)
(and thanks, grandma betsy
for the 'cool kid' beanie...
go here to buy one)

hands clenched

showing me how big
and strong he is.

chicken wing

happy to be a chicken for halloween.

happy to hug his costume...every
single morning until halloween.

happy to have his picture taken...
at first...until he realized i
had plans to take zillions...
then came the meltdown.

happy halloween, folks.

park time (before we get snowed in for the winter)

went down slides

went on swings

played with trucks

taught b the importance
of writing "bennett
was here" in random places



ate chalk



it was a good day

the witches gathering

did you know that every year,
one chilly night in october,
when the moon is full,
witches gather to feast and
celebrate all hallows eve?

well, we do.
and this year noelle, the
witchiest witch of us all,
hosted it.

i went as abigail williams
(winona ryder) from "the crucible"

we played all kinds of witchy games.
cory was killed by a pumpkin
my drink was poisoned...we both
had to die dramatically in front
of all the other witches.

riley was the one that ended up
being the secret murderer of the night.

and i'm pretty sure emmy
won best costume...

i met all kinds of new witches also.

then we played mafia...best. game. ever.

oh, and don't let me forget all
of the delicious witch food noelle slaved over.
she's sort of a wonder woman hostess.

until next year, fellow witches!
(cackle cackle)

ps...for all those interested,
this witch got a new phone...yay!

curses

my (insert expletive here) phone
is broken...again. so, if you need
to get a hold of me...good luck.

at least i still have my email.

pilk pic

i wanted to keep this
blog strictly family
stuff, so i'll be posting
my photography under

looky look what i took

journal entry::bloggy style

i am astounded at how fast b is growing up.
he truly is no longer a baby...he's a little boy...
and a stinkin' cute one at that...take my breath away.

i love how interested he is in everything that isn't
a toy...or edible...everything must be taste
tested...everything.
i love how dramatic he is. he falls down a gazillion times
a day but if the mood is just right (meaning he's hungry
or tired) and he falls or something doesn't go his way,
watch out, it's like a terrorist attack.

it's 12:20am right now...sunday night, or monday morning.
b is asleep, davey is asleep, my house smells like clorox
because i stayed up to clean like a mad woman, laundry is
done, dishes are done...i'm in heaven. my home is quiet.
peaceful. my wonderful husband and equally wonderful
super baby are fast asleep...safe and warm and happy and
where i can reach them. i love my home. i love the spirit
that dwells here (which is surely here because of my 2 wonderfuls).
i love and am grateful for my life...please never let me forget.
please never let me take it for granted....

night night.

-c

fresh out of the oven

found these pictures
of when little b
came to us...
never knew i had them.
you can imagine
how it sent
my heart a flutter.

i love my family
so very much.

Deep in the Mind of Catie Pilkington

The Subject- Mrs. Pilkington
The Inquisitor- Cory

I asked the subject a series of very important questions. I also asked that she not sensor herself as well as give her first response or thought. Gather round, ladies and gentlemen as this titillating experiment unfolds.

Question: "What would you have named yourself if given the choice?"
Answer: (The subject proceeded to take twenty minutes to decide.) "Sunny Pavement."
My take: That's weird. Would her first name be Sunny and her middle name be Pavement? Interesting.

Question: "What's the worst thing you've ever done to anybody?"
Answer: "I joined with my best friend in 5th grade and purposefully excluded a girl that was mean to us. She ended up switching schools because of it."
My take: Wow. Real mature

Question: "What is your idea of the perfect day?"
Answer: "Sleeping in, Dave gets to stay home, we go play around town with Bennett, maybe come back and take a nap, eat Indian food, watch LOST, make a music video with Dave, and somewhere in the middle of there, we'd of course see Cory."
My take: I was worried how I was going to fit in there, but I'm glad I did.

Question: "Now that you've gotten to know Bennett, what do you think you can predict in his future?"
Answer: "He'll most definitely play soccer, be obsessed with snakes, be charming and handsome and hilarious, and love eating bananas. So basically he'll be a carbon copy of Dave."
My take: Throw in the love of Chocolate Milk, Baths with pieces and you've got a dead ringer for Dave.

Question: "What is one place in the world that you haven't visited but you could see yourself living?"
Answer: "I can't. I have to have a plan. Thinking about that makes me have an ulcer."
My take: Responsible answer. I'll give it to her.

Question: "What profession (besides being a Mother) would you prefer most of all and why?"
Answer: "Probably a photographer because I'd love to learn about it and I love being able to see how I can capture people."
My take: I would guessed a talk show host. Which leads to my next question.

Question: "If you were a talk show host and had to make a line up of two guests and one musical act, who you would pick? What order would they go in? What question would you ask each of them. (Music- what song would you have them sing?)"
Answer:
1- Ellen Degeneres would go first because she is probably the funniest person alive. I would start the interview by dancing and I wouldn't ask her anything. I would just want her to improv because she is so quick and witty.

2- I would then have a group interview with the entire cast of 'Arrested Development' because I am dying to see how they interact with each other and see how it would be behind the scenes. It is so hilarious on t.v. that I can't imagine how much funnier it would be to see in real life. "Who do you all think is the funniest person." is what I would ask them as a group.

3- The musical guest would be Amos Lee and would have him sing 'Black River'. And then I would ask if I could sing with him.

My thoughts: She cheated on the guest # 2 but I'll let it slide.

Question: "What would be the worst dare someone could give you if you knew you HAD to do it?"
Answer: "Anything that would include me being in a swimsuit in front of people."
My take: Amen sister. Me too.

Question: "Let's say you have a cousin you Hate. They are going to die if they don't get a kidney. Everyone does blood testing and nobody is a match. A) would you even be tested to see if you were a match and B) If you were a match would you give him/her your kidney?"
Answer: "Yes and Yes, because I wouldn't be able to live with myself...and I'd secure a place for myself in heaven"
My take: What if your other kidney goes bad. Then you're screwed. When in doubt, keep your organs. Unless they are immediate, they can fend for themselves.

Question: "Who is one famous person you are ashamed of?, and what one thing (comment or advice) would you say to them?"
Answer: "I don't know. I'm not really in the celebrity loop even though I have subscriptions to Us Weekly and People and everything else. But really, that Lindsey Lohan. She seems like a really ridiculous person to me. Advice, stick with red hair. The blonde hair makes you look like you are sixty and you may just want to try not doing drugs. Life wouldn't be that bad without them."
My take: Agreed. I think someone should also tell her to wear sunscreen.

Overall, I think this is a well adjusted person we are dealing with. I give her a stamp of approval in the sane department.

up close and personal

couldn't help myself.
lynze, you are stunning.

pretty on the inside and out

got to hang out
with this girlie
on saturday.

she's delightful...
and classically
beautiful
i might add.

audrey hepburn,
donna reed,
lynze...yep,
that sounds
about right.



looky looky here at a few more

Teaching Stories

Too many stories to tell from my student teaching experience.

But yesterday, a student had a seizure in the middle of 1st period and collapsed from her desk. My mentor teacher tells her kids to run down to the office and call 9-1-1. About half of them go.
She then asks for something to put in the seized student's mouth and someone passes her a random stuffed animal from off the shelf.

For second period, I change classrooms and teach an entirely different grade. So how is it that I get asked from several different students at the beginning of class if I was in Keyboarding 1st period when the seizure happened? By 6th period, every soul in the school knows what happened.

This morning, an adorable resource student asks if the student who had the seizure was coming to school today. When I asked her why, she said, "I made her this picture and bought her this magnet". Then, the student who had the seizure comes in with a plate of cookies she made for my mentor teacher and leaves it on her desk.

So at the beginning of class, my mentor teacher says, "I just want to thank everyone for their help yesterday, and, I guess, just going down to the office. So I guess, just thanks for leaving."

my dearest jen,

greyson is absolutely slaying
me with that sweet little face.

you and derk are so real
and so devoted to your family.

(not to mention that you are
one foxy little lady...seriously,
mother by day, fierce model by night.)

more to come...i'll call you...
just wanted to give you a sneak
peek (and, of course, show off
how lovely you guys look).