Us

... as a gingerbread family.  As imagined by Emma, just outside our pretty gingerbread house, among the candy cane trees. 

Not Abby

Emma (yelling at my midsection): "Abs!  Come out, come out, wherever you are!" 

Me: "I think Mama's abs are going to stay hiding." 

A discerning palate

James: "Look!  I found popcorn under the couch."

Emma: "I'm not going to eat it.  It doesn't have butter." 

Also currently on our play list: BTS's Butter

How I love thee...

Emma: "I love Mama a million, hundred-gazillion, thousand, billion-billion, thousand-"

James: "That's not a real number."  

A Happy Mother's Day

Sundays are never relaxing, but this one at least had bits of fun.  

Paul reminded me how much he and the kids are glad I am/was not this Troubled Bird: 

And then after many of the Sunday chores, they took me out to Kind Ice Cream*.  The long line was surprising to us, but not to some daycare friends we saw on our way out.  

 

 

* I was not surprised that this suggestion was from Emma, who'd sweetly/not-knowingly pulled "A Homer" (with regards to Marge's bowling ball).   

 

 

We hatched a sprout!

"Daddy, look!  We hatched a sprout!" 

Emma and I were both surprised.  It's only been a week or so since we started these cosmos in an indoor pot.

Will they have the dark pink petals I like or the white that James wants?  

It shouldn't matter.  Nature is magical and Emma shows me the right level of appreciation and enthusiasm I should have for the season.  Marvel at the wonder.   

Here's to more "hatching" of sprouts!  

Wrapped Down

Emma: "Mama, it's OK.  You're not the messiest person in the world.  I know some toddlers that are soooo messy." 

I don't think she meant it as a burn, but ouch.  

I need to step up my Taco Tuesday balancing/wrapping game -- I just like salsa and yogurt too much?  

The natural progression...

"First you're a baby, then a toddler, then a preschooler, then adolt, then a daddy, then a mommy, then a grandma, then a skeleton, and then a kitty." 

~ Emma, age 4 and 1/2

New Skill

Surprise!  James can beatbox!  

I'm so impressed (and tickled) that it doesn't bother me (too much) that his song features me being flushed down a toilet.  Emma does some decent backup "singing" too.  

You Otter Know

Co-sleeping was not in the plan.  But it is what it is, and, le sigh, the past week was this: 

She's not so small anymore.  Her head knocks against mine and I wake up.  I don't sleep so well and my neck and shoulders hurt.  But, I guess she's having some sort of tough time, so she needs me... and I know I should cherish it, since it will all change... and then I might miss it.  

Original photo: North American Otter from Nature Canada. 

Go!

It's Emma's first day at daycare.  

I wasn't sure if  we were going to get both James and Emma fed and out of the house on time* even with waking and starting the process earlier.  

*  8:10 AM.  It's sometimes a literal drag just for James. 

But, Emma seemed excited?  OK, we did have to chase her a little to get her dressed, but then: 

One look at me as I waved goodbye,  

And she's pointing the way, "Go!"  

Does she know what's going on?  No.  Not likely.  

Paul says at the daycare she was just curious, looking around when he left... and that was that.  

As (some have) predicted, she's probably handling it better than me;  I'm the one that needs/needed a "transition day".  

No more excuses.  I might be a bit worried ("I hope she's OK.") and sad ("My baby's growing up."), but I must also tackle the to-do list.  GO! 

When James is away...

Emma plays!  

And then destroys.  

Now sleep in it! (Part: I've lost count)

Finally!  Step "I've forgotten now": James's toddler bed turns back into a crib for Emma. 

So glad the instructions are in that envelope stapled to the bed rungs, else they'd definitely been lost by now.  

Paul keeps Emma away for as long as he could, and then she's in the room with me... and tries to help.  We definitely have to keep an eye on her -- just like her brother, it won't be long before she starts taking things apart to figure them out.  

Emma and Me

A year ago: 

Today:

Tooth-hurty AM

I've removed egg and sesame from our diets, but Emma's still waking up once or twice a night crying / screaming.  Tooth number 4 (front top right) must be a doozy.

But when I crack open her mouth to check: Woah!  Numbers 5 and 6 have broken through and there are nubs for 7 and 8 (all on top)!  So many at once and some really ahead of schedule!  I guess I should have suspected something more between all the drool and the biting (BFing is not fun right now).

It feels like a trick: From afar or looking down, she's my baby; Up close and looking up, "Wha?  Who's Chompers?"

Hair-itage

What's that growing from the top of her head?!  A blonde hair?!

Mom / Popo reminds me her mom's family was from northern China... so who knows what recessive genes might be floating around?  

My Brown-Eyed Strawberry Girl

"You are my strawberry girl... Do you remember when we used to sing?" 

Christmas!

Oh, my goodness: a photo turned out*!  May your day also have a moment of grace amidst the chaos.

* Paul took it and made it look good.  I cropped out, as much as I could, the clutter and mess.   

Squashing it!

Emma is not amused.  But at least I didn't drag her to a pumpkin patch (apparently it's a thing -- see below), though it probably would have been pretty fun with/for James. 



Anyway, her little friend was from my parents' garden; they gave it to me about a month ago saying it was a yellow zucchini.  It is not.  I didn't notice until I cut it open to make a zucchini loaf.  Time to experiment: Baked butternut squash it is!  It's pretty tasty... though can one really go wrong with butter and cinnamon?

In other non-news: still no MUS caught.