Singin' In the Rain

My darling husband got up early yesterday and spent seven hours helping a dear friend move. He rushed home afterward to take a shower, for it was time for a "family date." When we take our kids somewhere fun, we always call it a date, and they think it is so special. Then when it is time for Mommy and Daddy's date, they know it is no big deal, they go on dates with us all the time. On the agenda this evening was a baseball game with Auntie and Uncle and cousins. As we stood in the extremely long line waiting to get into the game, the heavens opened and poured down buckets on us. Daddy ran to the car and retrieved a tiny umbrella from the car, but by the time he got back, we were soaked.

So what do you do when you have an umbrella and you are already soaking wet?

Why, dance in the puddles, of course!

Eventually the rain cleared and they started the game. Chiquita got to see her best friend Tuffy, and had a nice conversation with him:

And my son finally posed for a picture with him!!

The game only lasted an inning and a half before the rain hit again, but it was just long enough to see a home run and get some cotton candy and popcorn! The game was called, so we went to a restaurant to eat hot dogs and pretend they were from the ball park. They were really good and covered in chili, can't beat that! And my sweet husband bought some extra food and gave it to a hungry woman outside who had nothing to eat. What a guy! I am reminded of something my mom said to me once. She and my Grandma were having a conversation and concluded that my husband was going to heaven for sure. He is such a good guy, always the first one to jump to help out anyone in need, whether a stranger, acquaintance, or my grandma the time she rolled out of her chair at the 4th of July parade(she was fine!) He is so generous, kind and full of joy that you can't help but be drawn to him. I know I was!

Busy Busy

I have been a busy girl. Traveling, traveling, having lots of fun in lots of places. On Saturday we went to the Renaissance Festival. We have gone the last 3 years as a mini vacation and love it!

Barely Balanced, a comedy/acrobatic act that we loved. Their humor was right up my son's alley.

I rode an elephant for the first time with my daughter, who also rode a camel with her Auntie and rode a llama all by herself. Can you believe this girl??

Her brother would not be persuaded, but she could not be dissuaded. She ran right up to the platform and somebody had better put her on it! She had no fear whatsoever! As we were on top of the elephant, I gripped the rail for dear life as she giggled and said, "This is fun!"

There is so much to see, we always wish we had left earlier in the morning so we could spend more time there.

Bicycle

This bicycle used to be my son's:

My husband and I bought it for his second birthday. Unfortunately, he outgrew it before he had a chance to really ride it much, and has now been upgraded to a larger and cooler Spiderman model. So this poor bike sat in the storage, lonely and gathering dust. So now my daughter, who is now ready for her first bike, will inherit it. However, I could not let her ride a boy bike. No, no, no, not this princess! And I couldn’t justify running out and buying another one when it is not her birthday or Christmas, so I(my husband, mostly) took it apart and painted it, then put it back together with a cute little princess accessory kit and Voila!!

A Princess bike! She loves it! Daddy pictured here putting the final touches on assembly:

I still have to attach some princess decals, but she was anxious to start riding, so this is the temporary finished product.

Enjoy this cute video, I can't believe she is pedaling already!

My lovely children...

are famous.  Not really, but my up-and-coming photographer sister in law took some amazing pictures of them in a real live photo shoot.  She did such a fantastic job, especially considering that while my children may be among the best looking in the world, they are also ranked among the wiggliest and least cooperative subjects.  Put me to shame, she did.  Want to see her work?  Glad you asked... see her amazing photos here and my children's sneek peek here.  Incredible, seriously, click.  Isabelle did have one swipe of mascara applied for effect, in case you were wondering. I'm terrible, I know. 

My Little Hobby

My daughter has a new obsession...ponies.  Many thanks to a dear friend who handed down many lovely ponies and a pony castle to entertain for years to come.

And the ponies have hair.  Lots of hair.  Nylon hair.

It tangles even easier than this beautiful girl's hair.  Hard to believe, but true.

Her hair is a blessing and a curse.

So my new hobby: combing hair.  Pony hair needs fixing every time she wants to play, my job is getting them combed up and ready.  Combing my darling daughter's hair day in and day out.  Combing my son's hair every single day before school.  Then we arrive at school and I think that combing hair has gone out of style.  My son seems to be in an overwhelming minority of children, both male and female, who have their hair combed before school.  When did the bedhead look jump from the runway to the playground?  I must have missed that, but regardless of how pointless or out of style it may be, still I comb.  And will continue to comb for many years.

Why Silence is NOT Golden...

At least in our house.

Quiet kids who are supposed to be napping can get into a lot of trouble and redecorate the bathroom in a delightful shade of bubble-gum flavored toothpaste blue, mixed in with a pot of Mommy's makeup.  And all without making a peep. 

And somehow I could not manage to keep a straight face while scolding her.  And because I grabbed the camera to take a picture, somehow she knew she would not be in that much trouble, she giggled the whole time.

Until the schmear got into her eyes and she started rubbing her face against my jeans as I ran her bath.  Somehow, I could not find any sympathy for her.  Anywhere.  Strange.

A Bicycle, A Scooter, and a Dog

Son got a new bicycle for his birthday, and Daughter got a scooter for hers.  This is the Year of the Wheels in our family, I think.  Son is also the proud owner of skates and a skateboard, and a little patience to learn how to use them.  Daughter also inherited brother's old bike and got a princess tricycle for her birthday.  So they are on wheels as often as possible, so far no major injuries to report...yet.  I'm sure they're coming.

And they got a cute new dog named Fiona.  She is their new best friend, especially Daughter.  She won't let anyone who comes over hold or pet her.  Fifi is HER dog!  And Son has not had a problem with his allergies from her, which is a small miracle.  She is a mix of a few breeds, all of them are supposed to be low-allergy, and we got lucky.  She is so pretty and white, but there is some time involved keeping  her that way!  So here is our new family member, Fifi:

Oops

I downloaded quite a few pictures from my camera to show off. I think Pride is my deadly sin. Because I don't think any of the others quite fit me, and I know for sure that I must have one, so I'm guessing it's pride. But every now and then something happens to humble me. Like when I realize that 80% of the otherwise beautiful pictures I was going to brag about are a little...funny looking. And then I examine my camera and there is a CSI-worthy fingerprint right on the lens that gave a nice cloudy glow to my pictures. Not that I intended to brag about my photographic prowess, I was going to brag about the beauty of my life and the subjects of the pictures, not the photos themselves, so I suppose as long as I tell a good story with them you will forgive the cloudy fingerprinted-lensed pictures, just pretend I got a filter and made them that way on purpose for me.

Daughter is 2 now. And she has all the wisdom of a 22-year old. Which, I suppose, is not that much more, is it? But now that she is so grown up and mature she wants to help me cook our meals. I let her help, stirring, measuring mostly, but now she has decided that she is old enough to scramble eggs. She lets me help so she doesn't get burned, so I let her cook.

But then, last week, she decided that she didn't need my help at all any more.

She has also figured out how to undo the child lock we have installed on the refrigerator. While I was occupied washing sheets, she decided to scramble some eggs all by herself. Two dozen of them. But although I should be thankful she did not attempt to scramble them on the stove, strangely I am not. I emerged from the laundry to discover cracked eggs all over the bathroom, kitchen, dining room, living room, and dog. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to take a few pictures before the long and drawn-out cleaning process, so I can guilt-trip her with them until she is 30, or until I die. But the smell was too much. I may never eat eggs again. On the bright side...the floors got nice and shiny clean again, and again, and again.....and I got to see a dear friend who rushed over to help with the cleanup and smell removal, bless her heart.

Two-gether

This morning my children were up early. Far too early for my taste. But I have been thinking about them and their relationship and how it has changed recently.

Brother is at school all day now, so sister is alone most of the day with me. Bored.

But something else has happened. They have started sharing a room. It started during the summer when Son asked to sleep in Daughter's room and we made a big bed on the floor for them to camp out in. But somehow, she ended up sleeping in Son's room every night. Every night I ask her where she wants to sleep and every night she answers, "I want sleep in Brudda's room." So every night I put them to bed together and put the lights out, with only some quiet music to keep them company. I warn them that if there is any funny business, they will be separated. Not once have I had to separate them. Daughter's room is all but abandoned. Son has no longer had a problem with nightmares and they both sleep peacefully all night.

They have become inseparable. They were singing together as they read books before lights out last night, the songs they listen to at bedtime..."Hot Potato" and "Hickory Dickory Dock." And Son asked if we could have Hot Potatoes for dinner tonight. They pounded their spoons at the breakfast table this morning in rhythm together. They fight, of course, it would be unnatural if they didn't, but they are best friends. They miss each other when they are away from each other. I just need the key to keeping their relationship this way when they hit the teenage years...with each other and with me. These precious times will seem so short when they are grown, already they have flown.

The downside? Son woke up at 5:30, and since Daughter was nearby, she was about 5 seconds behind. Is it bedtime yet?

Proof

My daughter may, quite possibly, be the cutest thing ever to walk the earth. And here is today's proof:

I heard her count flawlessly from one to ten from around the corner, but there are only four magnets she was playing with. By the time I grabbed the camera and snuck back to video her, she was counting from four up and missing eight. Still cute as can be. And she's barely two, so cut her a break.

It had to be done

I didn't want to do it. I swore I would never do it. I swore that a pair of scissors would never desecrate my daughter's gorgeous locks of curly hair. But I had to do it. When wet, the curls straightened almost to her tailbone. But when dry, they tangled so easily. Especially after sleeping. The top layer of hair just needed a little tiny trim. So, we had time alone together and a good opportunity and I did it today.

Here is the before picture:

Just kidding, this is a couple weeks old, but I thought it was cute. You know, the typical "before" picture when people look almost intentionally bad. I don't have any pictures that really showed the length in the back, but here is one I took yesterday:






It only shows the front view, but you get the picture. Cutting my only daughter's hair for the first time is a big deal for me, a tragedy as well as a reason for celebration.

Aaaaaaannnnd Affftteeeeeerr!

Ok, so maybe you don't see a huge difference. Bad photography. But I do, and hopefully now her hair can be healthier and easier to take care of.

Like the model pose? She moves too fast to capture...literally a blur.

The back view, if I had a before back view you could really tell a difference, it is much shorter. So here's hoping we can go through one less gallon of conditioner and detangler a month!

Confessions and Pictures

I am afraid that in the positive spirit I am attempting to keep on my blog, I fear I may mislead some people into thinking I am perfect. Suuuuper Moommmm!!! And always super positive every minute of every day. So here is my confession to you...some things that are not perfect about me, in true Gracias form...not all to be taken literally. And some cute pictures, finally extracted from my naughty camera.

1. I have had overdue library books. Twice.

2. I do not have a perfectly clean house every day. Or almost any day. Sue me. 3. I care more about overdue library books than a clean house.

4. If you notice my daughter's "milk" moustache in these pictures to be especially prominent, it is because it is not milk. Three guesses as to what it is(it's nothing gross.)
5. I sometimes get in a bad mood when things do not go my way. Or when I don't feel good. Or like a whole week out of each month when I try to pretend I'm not in a bad mood.
6. My kids walk around in their underwear a lot. Hey, it's summer, and Daughter has learned to remove her own clothing so I'm lucky to even have undies on her at all most of the time! Peace and love, not clothing, baby!

7. My picture-taking frequency has gone way down because of #6, so I have noticed a big drop in the quantity of pictures, but I will try to improve the quality of them...the confession part is that I really have no patience to learn how to properly use my camera. When I push the button, it should take a perfect picture every time, right? Why does it not come out right?8. I don't like losing or not being good at something. I will avoid an activity I know I will not win or I am not good at. Or if forced to play, I will intentionally not try just so I won't have to feel bad about losing. I know, I am a poor sport.

9. I am not an animal lover. I like the abstract concept of them, but I don't like cleaning up after them(but seriously, does anyone?) This was a huge blow to my animal-loving husband.



10. I think I am OCD. I think that is why I can't get my house clean, because I go waaaaaay overboard on each tiny detail and forget about the bigger picture until I have run out of time and energy. I even had to think extra hard to stretch out the last few confessions to have a nice even number ten for you...like you care if there are 9 or 10.


So if I have nothing nice(and positive) to say(blog,) I blog nothing at all. Of course, that is not the only reason you may see a gap in posts. Sometimes I am busy, others I simply have no thoughts worth sharing, but sometimes I just don't have the positivity in me that day. And that is okay. All will be right with the world after a nice long nap.

Sweet Child(s) O' Mine

Welcome Home, my dear ones. I have missed you so. I know it has not been that long, and I hope you had a good time, but know that your mother has suffered without you. Body and soul. I hope to be on the road upwards now. I look forward to seeing your two smiling faces as you call out, "Mommy!" and run into my waiting arms. Then maybe I can feel complete again.