It's Spring!

Photo Friday: Thinking Springy Thoughts

Maya, inspired by her Mimi, selected 100 flowers to put on her hat for the big 100 Day party at school!

A sloppy walk to the park on a 50 degree February day lifted all of our spirits and reminded us of all the fun and freedom to come as the snow melts.

Photo Friday: pj days

They do their best work in their pajamas!

Photo Friday: The Will-Be Middle Child

Mornings alone with Elliot now have new significance.

I've been assured by some rather optimistic middle-child friends that it really is the best of all worlds. The oldest paves the way in terms of parental rule-making. The youngest snags all of the neurotic, empty-nester attachment issues. Meanwhile the middle is left to collect love from every direction, avoid blame by hiding behind the eldest, and still have the youngest to teach and lead around.

And at least in our family, I expect there will be some overcompensating for her position in the often maligned middle.

We spend our mornings relegating chores and errands to the last possible minute of the last possible day, freeing up the rest of our time for puzzles, cocoa, and adventures in the doll house. Now that her sister is a reader, Elle likes to bring me books and make up stories for me. She even occasionally asks for help with a (made up) word she stumbles over.

As always, she is this sprightly, energetic, hilarious little person: the perfect middle child. She would never be still or quiet or passive long enough to be overlooked, no matter how busy our house gets.

Photo Friday: Small Moments

The world's most beloved happy meal toy during the silliest lunch date after delivering Christmas cheer and meals on wheels.

Gingerbread cookie creations that lasted an entire afternoon!

Photo Friday: Ghost of Halloween Past

The original set of sisters in my life.

Photo Friday: All Smiles

Video Friday

An interpretive song and dance, involving thing one and thing two.... I think. She kept this up for an hour!

Photo Friday: The Reading Corner

Photo Friday: Happily Uninterrupted

Photo Friday: Me & The Girls!

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a picture of me with the girls? I am the one behind the camera, or in the kitchen, or hiding from the camera because I'm covered in garden soil and chocolate milk with frizzy hair and ripped shorts. So even though Elle is in the middle of a very funny face, I must post this to prove that, in fact, I was there.

Photo Friday

Some days a walk just wears a girl out.

Photo Friday: A Walk in the Park

On this, the last day of summer camp, we picnicked in the park. The girls climbed the tiny tree they've grown to love. They played their favorite silly game, where each tree turns them into either a princess or a dragon or a circus clown or any number of other things. They walked through the park in character, giggling and roaring and prancing.

All the while, my thoughts ran through the school shopping list. This is limbo: the last days of summer before kindergarten. I really have to step up my meditation practice to keep from missing all the fun with thoughts of what size fall jacket might, just might still fit in the spring.
Present moment... only moment. Present moment... only moment.... ohm.

Photo Friday: Power & Will

At 2.5 Elliot managed the entire park on a big kid bike. All. By. Her. Self. When her little legs got too tired, she jumped off and ran the darn thing home. All offers of help were adamantly refused. She was a vision!

Photo Friday: From Cabin Week 2010

Summer keeps slipping away from me too quickly to capture the stories. Now two weeks old, here are the cabin flashbacks. This year it was a quiet, relaxing week, book ended by big family events.

Photo Friday: Splish Splash

After nearly two years with the chickens, the girls only just discovered the joy of watching them take dirt baths. And yes, they are bathing under the kids' slide.

Photo Friday: Fishing

Fishing is hard work....

So much waiting....

But what a pay off when you finally catch something!


Perhaps her parents should learn how to fish so they can teach her the real thing.

Non Photo Friday

Hmmm. The camera is missing in action, so no photo Friday. And I'm too lazy for a good story today.

Understandably so, as I ticked off so much of my list this week that I'll have to start a new one soon. The garden is in and weeded and mulched and beautified with flowers. The girls painted their new picnic table with delightful flowers and hand prints. Projects were planned, and a few were executed.

And sprinklers were run through, often in tandem with Double Dare-style obstacle courses (for those of you in to vintage Nickelodeon).

AAaah. A much deserved weekend awaits.

Photo Friday: The Great Puddle Stomp

The second the rain stopped today, we donned our boots (and hats and mittens, go figure!) and trotted off to explore a park filled with puddles and disoriented worms.

Level of Saturation after 1.5 hours = 98 % (Maya's right sleeve stayed dry)
# Worms rescued from the sidewalk to the grass = 2
# Worms crushed under bike tires and eulogized with the words "Eeww! Gross!" = 187
Number of Hot Baths to Follow: 1 long, long bath.

Elliot sat down in the first puddle she found. It looked absolutely intentional, but the result definitely surprised her.

This is exactly why my days are spent at home. Incidentally, I'd better track down some mom-sized rainboots, cause my sneakers smell like bad cheese... Ugh!