April 29

I'm a bit behind on my blogging, but I promise I've been taking pictures!

Today, we took a spontaneous trip to the Botanical Garden. Since I was by myself with the kiddos, I didn't feel like lugging my big camera around. Instead, I put Caleb's camera on a cord around his neck. We ended up with these pictures:

In the Chinese Garden, Daisy was fascinated by the bridge and pond. While we were walking, she tripped and scraped her knee. It was only her second real knee-scrape, so it was kind of a big deal for her. We washed it off, and she was fine, but for the rest of the day she told anyone who would listen, "I have owie. I hurt my knee."

This is Caleb's "Sassy Girl" pose.

He's imitating this sculpture at the Garden:

(not my picture; find it and more info here)

I used to call her "Muffin Top Girl", but now that Caleb has taken an interest in her, we call her Sassy Girl. Caleb's favorite thing is to pose like her.

It was really too cool out to actually play in the fountains, but Caleb and Daisy had a lot of fun getting their hands wet!

After naps, playtime!

Oh. My. Goodness.

Doesn't this girl just kill you?

Can you  believe she's almost two?

All three of them were wearing their pilot hats, but I could only get the boys to sit down for a picture. Still. Aren't my boys handsome?

This was as close as Daisy came to being still for a picture. In the last few weeks, she has started walking on her tip-toes, and she thinks it's the funniest thing ever.

Later, bubbles on the front porch.

When the boys started racing, Daisy stopped her bubble-blowing to watch.

But watching is never good enough, so she ran to Daddy, who is always willing to let her race with him.

And then, ice cream!

Well, not really. The kids think it's ice cream, but really it's fruit. Our neighbors have a Yonanas machine that they love, and when they found one at the local Goodwill for $4, they snatched it up. When they got it home, they started pondering who needed it, and they immediately thought of our kiddos. They were right! Caleb and Daisy love it, especially when we mix some chocolate chips in for good measure.

Also, have I mentioned Caleb's shirt? It was the one we found on clearance at Target a few weeks ago, and it has quickly become one of his favorites. The best part is that Caleb likes to pretend that if you kiss the tiger, it will bite you. Please keep this in mind, should you ever come across Caleb in the tiger shirt. You must play along, or he'll be quite disappointed.

April 27

When we told Caleb that he would get to see his GREAT Aunt Maggie today, the first thing he said was, "I hope Maggie will run a race with me on the sidewalk!" I forgot to pass the message on to Maggie, though, and she showed up in a cute pair of heels. 

But.

One of the many reasons we call her GREAT Aunt Maggie?

She was absolutely willing to run a race with Caleb, even in her heels. Caleb was over-the-moon excited about it. 

While Maggie recovered from her race, Caleb raced again with Daddy and Daisy.

(Did you notice that we had to run on the other side of the street today? It rained all morning, so they were trying to avoid puddles.)

After a wonderful - but short - visit with Maggie, we ate dinner. The kids did such a good job eating their meals with no fussing or complaining (it's a rarity these days) that we were able to do something we've never done before: family movie time.

Sadly, it appears that our main DVD player has died (ten years is a good run, isn't it?), but its VHS component still works, so we watched Cinderella as a family. We only watched the last thirty minutes of it, but Daisy was enraptured the whole time. Normally, her TV attention span is between five and ten minutes, but she must have been really into Cinderella!

I got so caught up in the "Family Movie Night" concept that I even deviated from our diet and popped some popcorn on our stove. (I used this recipe, which called for popping the corn in coconut oil and tossing it in some warm spices. It was remarkably delicious!) 

I know the picture isn't great, but it was a fun, special night for us, so I feel the need to document it. And now the children are asleep, and this mama is headed to bed!

April 26

Today was gray and gloomy, with a little bit of rain, but when I saw that the morning's temperatures were supposed to be in the mid-50's, I decided we needed to get out of the house. So I asked Caleb if he wanted to go somewhere. Ever the negotiator, he replied, "Tell me my options." (I'm not kidding. The boy actually says this. Offer him a snack, offer him a drink, offer him anything at all, and he immediately demands to know what his options are.)

We could go to the gym... 

"OK!"

or the Botanical Garden...

"Yes! The 'Atanical Garden!"

or the zoo...

"The zoo! The zoo! Let's go to the zoo!"

I'm not used to the boy responding positively to every option like that. But. Despite the gloom, we headed to the zoo. Because Chris had made banana pancakes for the kids before he left for work, we were able to get out of the house in record time. We even managed to make it onto the carousel during the free hour!

The zoo was packed with school groups and obnoxiously large groups of moms with strollers, so we had to wait for our turn to ride the carousel. While we waited, Caleb decided that he wanted to ride the polar bear. But as soon as we headed to that bear, his resolve faded and he settled for his old standby:

The bench.

It doesn't move, it doesn't require balance, and it is in no way dangerous. Caleb loves it.

(He also loves that straw hat. We were heading out the door and Caleb shouted, "WAIT! I need my straw hat!" I think the boy really enjoys getting compliments on his outfits; the past two Sundays he has chosen to wear a tie to church, and he loves wearing his Superman shirt/cape combo for the reactions it elicits. The hat has the same kind of attention-getting effect, and he loves it. Funny boy.)

Daisy chose to ride a "pony", but as soon as the carousel started moving, she changed her mind and we joined Caleb on the bench.

After the carousel, we  headed over to say good morning to the flamingos. Daisy loved them - they were all she could talk about this evening!

And I just noticed that in this photo, Caleb is standing on one foot, just like the flamingos. Love it!

Sadly, I didn't take any more pictures. But we had lots of fun, and Daisy spent the whole afternoon recounting our adventures and all of the animals she saw. She also made up lots of stories at the zoo; when we saw the chimpanzees, she informed me that one of them bit her finger. They were behind glass.

When we saw the zebras, she declared that one was the Daddy zebra, one was the Mommy zebra, and one was the Caleb zebra. Unfortunately, there were no Daisy zebras.

Also, the elephant "TRUMP"ed (no, it didn't), the lions roared (they were actually sleeping), and a butterfly bit her finger.

This girl is going to be trouble some day. It's a good thing I love her so much!

And then while I was making dinner, Daisy came running into the kitchen carrying a blank index card. She shouted, "I get crayons? I get crayons to color? I color with crayons?" So I helped her get out the basket of crayons, and a few minutes later she ran back in and proclaimed, "I draw 'mingos! I draw pink fa'mingos!"

She proudly held up this masterpiece:

Can you see them? She added the green later, perhaps to indicate the trees or the green water. But at first, it was definitely two pink scribbles. I was pretty impressed that (at least in her mind) her scribbles represent something else. It's a developmental moment that Caleb only recently attained, and Daisy is already there. Yay, Daisy!

April 25

Daisy's second birthday is in just over a week, and I ordered her birthday gift online a few days ago. It arrived today in a nice, big box. The box was so big, and so nice that Chris and the kids just couldn't resist...

Yep. We slapped on a duct tape handle and turned it into a carriage. 

Nothing but the best for our children!

I know they look unimpressed, but really, they loved it. 

They'd better love it - ridiculous games like this are in their blood. Anyone who *really* knew Chris in high school knew about the wheel game, using a wheel much like this one. Only Chris and his family could turn an apparently legitimate piece of exercise equipment into hours of highly competitive fun.

And who can forget our escapades with Caleb in the Christmas tree box? Wait. Did I really not blog about this? Really? I suppose that was back in this blog's fledgling days, when I was still trying to preserve a semblance of normalcy. 

Here's a flash-back to November 2009:

Yep. Chris, his sister Sally and I all took turns riding down our basement stairs in the Christmas tree box, then we took pictures that made it look like we sent Caleb down, too. Don't worry - we didn't actually send 4 month old Caleb down the stairs in a box. But the rest of us sure had fun!

Anyway, back to today. We don't have plushly carpeted stairs anymore, so a box-carriage had to be sufficient. 

Can you see how happy they are?

Now can you?

That's just how we roll. We're cool like that.

April 24

It was not warm today. In fact, I heard rumors of snow flurries this morning. But oh, how desperately we all wanted it to be warm! In the morning, I saw random glimpses of sunshine and I hoped, hoped, hoped it meant warmth was coming, but it was still 40 degrees out. After naps, though, it was finally warm enough that I was willing to take the kids outside to play.

We lived it up.

Daisy was focused on her drawing. As she drew, she narrated:

"Snake. Dat snake.

Triangle dere. Dat a circle.

I draw you, Mommy!

Dat Caleb. I draw Caleb."

"I draw kitty cat!"

She was quite pleased with that one. And really, hidden amongst the scribbles, I could almost make out ears and whiskers.

Meanwhile, Caleb drew a very long line all over the porch. When I asked him about it, he explained that it was a bunny trail.

Then he ran and hopped along the whole length of his trail. The boy was very proud of his work!

Oh. But still more drawing for Daisy!

Then we got out the bubbles. While I made dinner, the kids blew bubbles on the porch. I was able to listen to their antics through the screen door, and come running the moment anyone started crying. Most tears were due to complicated bubble-sharing situations.

Ha!

April 22

I'm not sure how to feel about today.

It was sunshiny and happy, with birds singing and a lovely walk to the library with my sweet, well-behaved children.

But then there were allergies. Lots of sneezing.

And Daisy's cold. Lots of gunk out of her nose. Lots of middle-of-the-night waking that leaves Mommy irritated and exhausted.

But the kids took marvelous naps, and I was absurdly productive.

And then they woke up. There was fussing. 

Whining.

Pouting. Shouting.

Time outs.

One frustrated mama.

Finally, I sent them both out the the back yard so that I could make dinner without hearing Caleb fuss at the slightest provocation.

In the middle of dinner prep, I looked out the window and saw this.

There's not quite as much fussing when there's sunshine and muscle shirts and swings involved.

Except that Caleb is still learning how to propel himself on a swing and Daisy can only get her belly on the swing, so the two of them couldn't do much besides sit, sway, and look happily at each other. And then Daisy climbed up into the clubhouse and started crying for no particular reason. And then Caleb started pestering her. And then for a moment, they'd play nicely. But then the crying would start up again.

Finally, my knight in shining armor returned home from work to entertain the children. After dinner, they played ball in the front yard. I sat on my porch swing, watching my family play happily. And then Caleb dissolved into a shrieking, sobbing fit anytime the ball rolled into the street because he was afraid Daddy wouldn't catch it in time and it would roll into the sewer. And then I started sneezing. And then Daisy just wanted to be held.

This season will pass, and someday I will remember it fondly. Tonight, I remember a tricky mixture of giggles and sunshine and independence and play, combined with hair-pulling and night-waking and toy-snatching and strategic ignoring. And all I really want to do is sleep. Maybe that will fix everything.

April 20

Today was a completely unscheduled Saturday.

Everyone was healthy.

The sun was shining.

We had no commitments.

Days like this are few and far between, so we seized our opportunity and spent the morning at the Botanical Garden.

It was a little bit chilly, but we didn't mind. Caleb's baseball cap + hoodie combo was all his idea; the hat is a new fixation and the hoodie is an old favorite.

Daisy spent almost the whole visit walking on her own, which was great for everyone. Chris and I didn't have to carry her, and she got to explore on her own terms. Exhibit A: the flower petal she's holding in her hand. She found that on the ground, and was as excited as if she'd found a sparkling gem.

We got as far as the sheep before the kids decided to turn back; specifically, Caleb decided to turn back because he wanted to visit the Children's Garden. I love, love, love that the kids have a sense of ownership in the Garden. They know what there is to see, and they look forward to specific parts, and that is so much fun for me. 

Caleb's choice to visit the Children's Garden was actually really great, because they had a pot-your-own-plant station. 

Caleb got to choose whether to pot cabbage or lettuce. He immediately chose cabbage for himself - I have no idea why! - and lettuce for Daisy. Here, the lady is helping him fill his pot with dirt.

Then he added his little plant,

and watered it with a little pink watering can.  Then he dropped each plant in a brown paper bag, and we were on our way!

Daisy may not have participated in the potting, but she was absolutely determined that she was going to carry around her brown paper bag. What a funny girl!

Also funny? I thought Daisy looked adorable today, but now that I look at the pictures I see that she looks like a little old lady, wandering the streets of some metropolis. 

Floral dress? check

Cable-knit cardigan? check

Oversized sunglasses? check

Tennis shoes? check

Brown paper bag? check

Look of steely determination? double check

Love it!

But gosh, she's cute!

While Caleb played elsewhere, Daisy spent a good thirty minutes digging in the sand.  She refused to actually get in the giant sandbox, but she was a happy girl sitting on the side with a shovel and a pail full of sand.

I love that her bucket has a 2 on it. Can you believe she'll be two years old in just two weeks?

On our way out, Caleb insisted that we stop and sit in the wagon. In this picture, he's waving to some random passersby. There were lots of random people wearing historical garb wandering the garden today, and Caleb really enjoyed them. As we were leaving, he waved to one and had a little conversation with her about his Superman shirt. After we walked away, he told me, "I think she liked my Superman cape the best." The funny boy really likes when people pretend to think he's really Superman!

When we got home, Caleb was so excited about his little cabbage plant! He was itching to plant it in the ground, but I convinced him that naps should happen first. After naps, though, he got his Caleb-sized shovel and we planted the cabbage and lettuce in our raised bed in the backyard, and the child was bursting with excitement. I love it! (Hopefully we keep them alive...)

April 19

At MOPS yesterday, Caleb made this sign:

I'm not sure if they were instructed to put the smiley face sticker on Jesus' face, but I'm guessing not... I'm also not sure if it's really supposed to be a necklace-type sign, or a wall hanging. 

Regardless, he loves it and has been wearing it since then.

Caleb took this picture with my big camera. I was very nervous, because he was holding my camera and was beyond my reach. He only got to take one shot, and this was it. Despite the fact that only half my face is in the frame, he was quite pleased with it.

Then we went to Target. It was nearly a disaster, thanks to a shortage of schoolbus carts and one very grouchy, very unhelpful employee, but we survived. In fact, the kids survived with souvenirs, picked up in the clearance section: 

A tiger t-shirt

(Don't you love Caleb's fierce tiger snarl?)

and a gorilla t-shirt.

Overall, a good day!