Sweet. It's Leap Day!

I don't know where the time goes. It just moves us along in this one direction. Forward. Most days we roll along and sometimes leap right over it. Today, we don't leap, we linger.

We have been up to our eyebrows in Girl Scout Cookies for the last week or so and have managed to get most of them to their rightful owners. To all who ordered cookies [and magazines too, Pat, Nena, Aunt Teri, Sue, Ellen, thanks for the postcards!] from my girls, I give you a great big...

 

 

I love this photo from above Eva's head, she has such a sweet little fuzzy head and from this angle it looks like she is all hair and toes. It's actually very irresistible, I just cannot keep my hands out of it!

I haven't put up a picture of my little man in a while [mostly because he is so hard to catch these days] so here is one from this morning. His expression is telling me "stop taking my picture Ma and make my Cream o' Wheat already!"

I have collected some more of Wyatt's words and questions, today feels like a good day to throw them out there even if they are only funny and important to me! Anyway, I think they are worthy of publishing!

"If you don't wake up your eyes the whole night, you get bigger right?""Right that 5's and S's are the same?" My answer: "Yes Wyatt, they are almost the same-good observation" His reply to that: "Yeah, they have the same moves."

"Hey Mom, watch what I can do with the ball... it's pretty easy but mostly hard!"
While we walked to school, "Right that I'm bigger than I was last time?"

Me to Wyatt: "Do you want me to warm the leftover tortellini for you?"
Wyatt: "Yes, I will have all of it if there is enough."

Wyatt when we were driving to Eva's doctor appointment: "I haven't been to the doctor in 47 years, right Mom?"
And a couple from Sarah just for fun:

Sarah: "Did Emily read all night?"
Me: "No"
Sarah: "Phewwww! If she did she would be nocturnal!"

Me to Sarah during a planet discussion: "Do you think the sun and the moon are friends?"
Sarah: "No, the sun has fire so it can beat up the moon and the moon goes in half, but the sun stays in a circle."
Hearing our sun and moon conversation Wyatt said: "Right that the moon is slippery?"
Happy Leap Linger Day! I hope it's full of good "bonus day" benefits for you. It's also a Friday...that just couldn't be any better!

Quiet Kids + My Camera MIA =

This... WOW, I found all these pictures on my camera after it had dissapeared for a few hours last weekend. I'm kind of impressed with the effort if took to stage and nameplate each one. It also cracks me up, they almost look like mugshots.



Emily's brainchild, I guess I need to ask her what she would like me to do with all of the photos. Maybe she will like the collage and settle for a copy of that. I wonder what each one of the stuffed animals could have been arrested for. Fudder lookes really scared, Dale sad, and Swingo looks like he's fine with it. I seriously need to get out of the house and go find an adult to talk to!

Weekend Wrap Up.

We all hopped on our bicycles yesterday afternoon and headed over to the park. Other than one minor altercation between Sarah and Wyatt which involved a giant plastic ladybug, things went smoothly and I got some colorful photos of the kids playing around to boot!

The kids were on holiday from school [for some reason I don't completely understand] on Friday and we received a phone call from Tony to invite us to lunch. While we were enjoying our fish sandwiches at McDonalds [which are yucky by the way] he told us that he had taken the rest of the day off which was a very cool surprise because he works very long hours and had an especially long week.

Tony and the kids all spent Saturday on the plantation. That's what he calls it, it's actually a dinky little portion of our homestead but it's going to be a great spring and summer experience for the kids.

The fancy artwork is all Emily. I asked them how were they planning on keeping the bugs and snails off their vegetation and they told me they would pick them off by hand because they love bugs so much. See, the fun just never stops around here. Tony and the kids also brought me a bag of bulbs, knowing how I love tulips, Tony asked me where he should plant the bulbs and I said "surprise me." Now I just can't wait to see where they spring up!

After the plantation was created, we had friends over for dinner and games, two of our favorite couples with their kiddos. We had a houseful and a blast. I wanted to share photos of us all on the blog but our photographer Emily kept laughing and shaking the camera during the photo session and the pics are a teency bit scary. [Photos unbloggable.]

I'm living in Chillsville today and we are expecting rain. I don't think I'm sick but I just can't shake this coldy feeling. I'm off to wrap myself up head to toe in a warm blanket. Maybe a hot cup of my favorite tea would be nice, and chicken soup for dinner :) Definitely and yes.

Just Couldn't Resist

...Sharing these two cards that just rolled out of my mailbox!

The Derek card says "Seriously" on the inside [more importantly is the "Be mine" on the front ! Hee Hee] and Christina says "...I'm trying here."

Thanks Nena, you made me laugh hard and you made my day. I have said it before and I will say it again, YOU ROCK!

Happy St. Valentine's Day...

To you. February talked back to me last night. She said, "no you don't, don't put me in a box. Don't stereotype me miss everything is sweetie pants. I can be what I want to be." And last night February was bold. Her wind woke me up at the crack of midnight, or maybe before. Eva kept waking up tearfully, alternately begging for Mommy then Daddy. I don't think she has any perspective for this kind of noise in the night, plus the shadows of the trees blowing wildly must have been terrifying. I got up with her and we made our nest on the couch. She went right to sleep. I didn't put her back until almost 3 a.m. I didn't sleep, and I didn't care. Having my sleeping baby beside me again and witnessing nature's wild side was enough to keep me awake and not distressed about losing the sleep. This morning I don't feel rotten for it. It was maybe some kind of little gift. Feb my friend, I forgive you for shuffling the contents of my backyard; do what you need to do, work it out. Boy am I goofy this morning!

So I got up early and made rice crispy treats for Wyatt to take to school. Not such an original idea I know, but it was last minute and it came together with a pink or red m&m in each square. Putting them in the pink cupcake papers was a nice touch I think. Am I channeling my inner Martha? Maybe.

Wyatt said "Mommy it's so sunny" when we first stepped outside, then immediately after that said "ooooooooh it's so cold." I would call it arctic, seriously. It is beautiful though, clear and crispy, no fog, no clouds, just clearly blue. I could see both mountain ranges as we walked to school-not an everyday vision, quite rare really, and very very cool.

"Right that the sun is trying very hard to make the world hot?" is the profound thought my little prince left me with right before I handed him over to the sweetest pre-school teacher in all of creation.

Eva has the curls that usually just sit around on her head however they please. After her bath yesterday, I tried making little pony tails. She pulled them out after about an hour, but it sure was cute and I think it gave her a bit of baby attitude. She stayed dry last night…yes all night. Alleluia and amen to that.

Hope your day is full of sweet surprises. Peace and love and all that good stuff we live for.

Sweet Hearts.

February is good. For us, the weather has been dreamy. Clear blue skies forever and so sunny, almost t-shirt time. I know it won't last; we'll get a few more bursts of Cali-winter before it's over and I know we still need the rain so I am ready for it. I especially hope we have a really good rain/snow in the mountains storm right before we go for our annual [so it seems to have become - and YAY for that!] snow cabin trip. Two hours or less to the mountains or to the coast is a good thing; we need to take advantage of that more often. You may know that I am lousy at toting babies around the world, but maybe I will be better at toting bigger kids around the world. It's a deal! I just made a deal with myself. World traveler, or at least west-coast traveler, we'd have to clear out college funds and retirement accounts to buy six airline tickets you know.

And, yes, I do love February for all it's imagery. Especially when it comes from a four year old boy who [owns my heart and] paints blue hearts for me to love and display like the proud momma I am. Em and Sarah made their Valentine cards last night, sweet and simple, they had fun being artsy and crafty. I found these miniature frames last year after Valentine's day and just the other day I had this crazy brilliant notion to put my mother and my mother-in-law in them. I think they look pretty cute together. Too bad they will have to go in the storage bucket after the 14th. No, maybe I will give them a reprieve and let them stay out for the whole month. Done. I have been feeling really really good lately, I so have spring fever.

Sweet Dreams.

That's what I'm talkin' about! Don't show me any little 12 oz bag baby. Give me the big one! You gotta love Costco, now really. And then I made a cake, an 8 X 8 version of the same one I mentioned a couple of posts ago. Pure good yummness for all, except Eva.


No one offered her a piece of cake and she took it upon herself to lick Wyatt's plate clean. It took her a few minutes like this and then she picked up the plate and finished every smudge. After that I just put it in the cabinet because she cleaned it so well. No I didn't! We laughed our butts off watching her and then she just went off to play. Never asked for her own piece of cake. Fun.ny. baby!


It makes for a pleasant evening when Eva just goes down like this. I have to give her credit, she does this most nights. She looks so sweet. She shares a room with Wyatt currently, the plan is to put her together with Sarah when the time comes. The time is coming up fast I think, she is finally making moves to try to hop out of the crib. Our other three fell climbed out when they were younger than she is now so it could be any day. Don't worry, we're putting down plenty of cushion should she decide to get out on her own. Little piece of trivia: the crib is the same one they all four used and I think the mattress is the same one too [eeeeeeww]. It's actually in pretty good shape and it has stood in the same spot for [you guessed it] nearly ten years.


And then there is the bedtime ritual of book reading. We were so diligent when Emily was an only child, a little less so with Sarah, and Wyatt has had only a tiny fraction of the time the girls had. We recognized that recently and are trying [especially Dad] to get back into that routine with Eva and Wyatt. Kids love that.


It all ends with prayers and a kiss and a call for sweet dreams. Wyatt won't let me close the door without reminding me about the bed bugs with a giggle. I never let them bite me.

Sweet dreams to you, no bed bugs and ROCK YOUR WEEKEND!

No Point Really.

This is what's happening. I am home with a sick Sarah, just a fever, since yesterday. I am also home with a very frisky little Eva. Tony, Em, and Wyatt are at a birthday party and I don't expect them home for several hours. Although I have not watched more than five minutes of any football game in the regular season, I do want to watch the game, or at least have the TV on while it's happening. So am I all set to watch on the big TV, no, I am relegated to my kitchen where my 7 inch Audiovox under-the-counter baby is rockin' steady. Sarah, who is sick, is watching a Superman cartoon DVD and Eva is bopping around singing Jingle Bells and collecting things to put into a metal bucket. No I'm no fan, but to not have the TV turned on during the Superbowl would be like a crime or something. Why am I sharing all of this? No reason. I have no point, I just felt like posting today.

Not to gloat or anything, but to be married to a man that does not watch sports on TV makes me feel like the luckiest wife on planet Earth. Imagine that, [he also likes to shop, I know, I hit the husband jackpot].

We had lunch at a restaurant today that we have never taken the kids to, and they actually behaved. It was not unpleasant, it was just sort of pleasant. Trust me, that never happens. We sat outside and it wasn't freezing, it was lovely and even a little bit sunny. Is this the beginning of a new phase in our family's history? I freaking hope so. I think it's time. Yes, I know, way too much to ask, slap me and remind me that I still have a two year old!

Speaking of that littlest child of mine, I am making good on my personal challenge to buy fewer diapers. Today marks day 4 of no diapers all day. Nighttime is one diaper. She's been going to the toilet for four days, with two accidents on the first two days [one in an appropriate place and the other not]. This might not sound so super to some, but for me it's so so big. I have been buying diapers for 9 1/2 years straight, without any breaks. I have been changing diapers for 9 1/2 years, without any breaks. I am ready to be free of this diaper thing. I have guilt. I know I have added more than my share of garbage to the landfills and that gives me a sick feeling. I have tried to compensate over the years by becoming a very conscientious recycler, almost compulsively down to even scraps of paper, but I never overcame my addiction to disposable diapers. If I could do it again...alas, I think I will just forgive myself and be real sweet to the environment for the rest of my life to pay back that debt. I now need to get back to the enormous positive here, YAY for Eva! Let's all go potty!

January was mostly uneventful, rainy, cold and not too much else. I am very thankful for all of us staying mostly healthy through it. February, bring us a little more sunshine please along with all that good LOVE. Thank you.

Now back to the big game! Who's playing again? Go team!

Halftime update:
OK, I'm a bit remorseful here, sorry for all the bragging, I love men who love to watch football on TV (hello brothers and dear Dad and all other men on Earth). It's just that Tony is so cool that way. And, although I have not been able to sit and watch the game, it is still ON the TV and Tom Petty rocked halftime! I saw him perform twice in the 90's, just thought you needed to know that about me! I guess the potty bragging did nothing for me either, we've had two accidents since I posted this afternoon and the potty princess is in the tub. Gotta run!

End of the game update: Wow that ending was exciting! Maybe next season we will watch more football on TV, or not.