Morning at the Botanical Gardens

A morning of rain was in the forecast. Which means a morning of fussy was in my forecast. Much to my delight, this morning I woke up and the good people at the Weather Channel had decided the front wouldn't be here til this afternoon. That made for a perfect opportunity for a quick outing to the Botanical Gardens. Cloudy so we didn't have to worry much about sunburn, cool enough, but not too cold to get a little wet at the end. All in all, a perfect day for it!

We were joined by our friends Daniel and Andrew (who are the girls' ages, almost exactly). What fun!

 

Giant Garden, Little Me exhibit

The fun really started when Mrs. Svitlana discovered this black button that made the dandelion blow bubbles.

This was unposed. They just decided to sit down together. Sweet kids.

You can "count" on Daniel. Sorry - corny.

Catherine's already kissing frogs . . . watch out, Daddy!

Andrew running. All the pictures of Andrew look just like this. Thankful for a high shutter speed. He's a moving target!

Caro wants to do what the big kids are doing!

Happy girls make for a happy momma! 

An aside - Blogger's picture placement bewilders me. Oh well, here they are, even if not perfectly arranged! 

April happenings

My aunt Rosey (and you've never met a woman with a more fitting name!) famously once said, "I don't have Kodak moments; I have Kodak hours." Well, I think I'm starting to get it. I'm having Kodak hours these days. Maybe even Kodak days. Or months. Or years. Wait, isn't Kodak pretty much bankrupt? Oh well, I'll use the expression until no one I'm talking to remembers. Yes, I am starting to say things that make me feel . . . well, old.

Catherine likes to talk about how old all her friends are. She'll say, "I'm two, Caroline's one, Alice is three, Luke is four." And then she'll ask me. I tell her "31." Her eyes just get big. Like that's a number so big she's never even heard of it. (An aside, when she counts past ten, it usually goes "eleven, twelve, firteen, fourteen, eleventeen." Her math teacher mama is working on that . . .) She also regularly calls me, "A very very big girl." And she told me that I had a "nice big bottom" last week. This kid thing is humbling, really.

Anyway, so back to the Kodak hours. Here are a few pics of April around here. Ciao!

Daddy and Catherine on Easter

These are "capri pants." They touch my feet.

 

Caro watching Sister play peek-a-boo

Do all kids like to play under the table? Mine do. And they always end up whacking their heads. Every time.

Stomp rockets are so fun!

It's like a zoo around here.

This lovely lady made a nest in one of our shrubs. I can't wait to see the babies!

All in the family, part II

And now, here was some fun with R's parents! Thanks for a great visit!

Two girls in Caro's new birthday chair

Standing up skills

Snuggles!

Caroline enjoying her birthday macaroni at Nothing But Noodles

This one-year-old loves to put stuff on her head!

About to get frozen yogurt with Grandpa. Oh she doesn't even know the yum that awaits her

Catherine loved Caroline's birthday treat!

The closest we could get to everyone looking at the camera on Caroline's birthday

Puzzles are a latest fascination

Grandpa is so silly!

I guess we have to say goodbye after all? :(

All in the family

The past two weeks, we have enjoyed visits from all four of the grandparents. Nana and Paw Paw came week before last and Peaches and Grandpa were here last week. Thankfully, everyone stayed well through the visits and we were able to enjoy the company.

The main attraction, other than just enjoying the grandbabies, was Caroline's first birthday. I really can't believe we've survived a year of having two little ones. The little punkin enjoyed being the center of attention, but I think she really enjoyed the cupcake most of all. I can't believe my 6 lb 6 oz baby has grown so much. (Um, can you say 75th percentile for weight? Her well-check is tomorrow, but I'm guessing she's around 23 or so pounds.) I am getting really weepy about not having a baby anymore. I cried after giving her her last bottle. I'll miss all that baby snuggling and cooing and sweetness. But maybe I'll start getting some more sleep at some point and it will soften the pain of their growing up.

Here are a few photos from Nana and Paw Paw's visit, including a trip to the Birmingham Zoo. The other set of grandparents will get another post.

Paw Paw read about a million books to Catherine. Her idea of heaven.

Nana and Catherine making Caroline's cupcakes

Caroline after her birthday cupcake. Did I mention she loved it?

Catherine demonstrating her signature "silly walk."

The girls enjoying their new picnic table

This was Caroline for the whole trip to the zoo. She wasn't too excited about the whole thing.

Does anyone know how to flip pics in blogger? We have this saved. Oh well, look at it with your head cocked to the side.

More zoo fun.

Turn your head to the right this time.

Adios, winter!

So this week Catherine got the flu. We are so over you, Winter 2012-13! Seriously. RSV. Ear infections. Staph infections. Vomiting. And a dog who had to have his toenail surgically removed (which has actually been as big a pain as any of the girls' ailments...). Yes, we are done. We are ready for healthy everyone.

And now this flu which prevented a visit from two very dearly missed family members. It's enough to make me want to cry!

Anyway, here are a few pics of the last few months. The girls are growing. Catherine's been potty trained since January (hurray!). Caroline pulls up to standing and has said, "uh oh," "mama," and "dada." And she loves to stick out her tongue and "dance" upon request. Sometimes at the same time.

This speaks for itself.

Bath time is the best time. These two would stay in til the water gets cold and they are totally pruney. I love it!

 I had to share Catherine's impressive bedhead. Her hair is completely out of control. It's not long enough to restrain in any way. (Yes, she's almost two and a half and she's never had a haircut or even a little pig tail.) But it is long enough to be CRAZY when she wakes up.

 

Hanging out in diaper boxes in matching pjs

 

Looks like Caroline is getting to that magical age where she can "help" me with that messiness problem from my last post . . .

Okay, I promised cute pics in this post. I hope I delivered.

A confession

Every remotely introspective person has things that she doesn't like about herself. Here's one of biggest problems.

I am a messy. I have always been a messy. It's not my mama's fault. Heaven knows, she tried to fix me. But I am a mess. I stash stuff in convenient (but incorrect) places. I make piles and piles. When I get something out,  I have to consciously make myself put it away after I use it. And I do, of course, try to do that. But there are lots of times it doesn't happen too. And these days, when I go to clean, there's just so much to do that I don't know where to start.

I am not naturally organized. I like being organized and I can get organized. I like being tidy. If I have plenty of time, I can organize pretty much anything. But keeping it that way . . . ah, that's another matter. I have gotten into labeling things and it does help. I would like to hook myself up with some kind of shock collar that, er, surprises me when I put things in the wrong place. But as I have not found such a device yet, I have found that labeling where things go does, at the very least make aware when I am putting something else in this spot.

And then there's everything else in my life that makes keeping an orderly and clean home difficult. (Myself is the first and foremost problem, of course.) We have the Flash. Sweet, loving, mild tempered dog. Loyal and patient with all the ear pulling, climbing, and riding he endures (enjoys) every day. Now, I do have to give him credit for keeping our kitchen and dining room floors completely crumbless. But then there's the dog hair, the dust, the slobber he slings all over the house, and muddy paw prints. I just can't seem to teach him to wipe his feet. And drool . . . oh boy, this dog can drool. I think he has an hyperactive salivary gland. Seriously, it has to be a medical condition. This is NOT normal.

Our two year old enjoys cleaning up after herself, really. Just yesterday, she put away her little people and a flashlight in Daddy's running shoes. But seriously, she is like a little tornado. And the littlest one is on my hip more often than not...which means I knock things over and don't pick them up. Or I stick stuff places. Or I just don't get anything done!

I'm starting to get overlapping naptimes from the girls most days. So if I'm not scheduled to tutor on the computer, and everyone has clean clothes, and dinner is ready to go in the oven, then I have time to think about the state of the house. But I'm just not even sure where to begin. I always feel like I need a BIG (like hours) chunk of time to do any cleaning. And that is just not part of my reality. I think I need a support group. Anyone else out there suffer from this condition? Are all of my friends really as neat as I think you are? And if so, do you have any tips for me?

I promise, my next post will include lots of warm, fuzzy pictures of small children. Because really, that is what fills my heart and my days. I just needed to share a little frustration with myself!

"Mi casa"

For those of you hoping for a Valentine's Day post about love and mushy squishiness, I will apologize upfront. We've had a bit of a rough spot the past few weeks. Actually months. So we'll be putting off cupid and red and pink and love for just a bit. Not that our house isn't full of love; it is. It's just not so full of spare time or energy.

Our house is what I wanted to write about today. We sponsor a little boy in Guatemala through Compassion International. (Insert plug for a fantastic organization here!) I have been woefully negligent about writing to him the way I should and the way I want to since the kiddos arrived on the scene here stateside, but I'm resolving to change that soon.

He continues to write us letters periodically and last week we got one that just stopped me in my tracks. I can't stop thinking about it. The letter was entitled "Mi Casa" and he described the place he calls home. The first thing he tells us is that they have a bathroom. They have one bedroom where they sleep and eat. They have a patio for hanging clothes to dry. He helps wash dishes and clothes in the sink (It was unclear whether or not that sink was in the bathroom.) So there you go - a bedroom, a bathroom, a patio, and I'll assume a small kitchen or kitchen area. His family rents their home.

And then he asks, "Como es su casa?" Um. Here, I mentally shift my weight uncomfortably. Each of my daughters has her own room. I have a laundry room with a washer and dryer. I have a dishwasher. Our living room is separate from the kitchen and from the bedrooms. We have two and a half bathrooms. We even have a bedroom for guests when they come to visit. And then I think . . . and we would like to move at some point. A bigger backyard, more space, a playroom area, updated fixtures, an eat-in kitchen. For real? An eat-in kitchen?

We have so much, but I don't stop to realize it much. I'm not sure even how to answer his question in a way that he will understand. Except that I can tell him that the best thing about our house is that the people in it are loved by God and love God in return. And we love each other. And then in my mind, I will thank this dear sweet boy for reminding us to be grateful for how God has provided for us and for the vast majority of Americans, who have never experienced anything like what he described. It kinda makes you think about needs, wants, and just what is enough.

Contentment. Elusive as it is, we are told to pursue it. I often think about the words I have seen often, but whose origin I don't know. Someone out there is content with less than what you have. Thanks for the perspective check.