May 15

Daisy is finally sleeping again, and yet somehow I didn't sleep well last night. So when Caleb got up at 6 ("I stayed in bed until my clock turned green!") and crawled into bed to snuggle with me, I was happy to snuggle back. 

Then he said he didn't like my stinky breath, and I kicked him out of bed.

Then Daisy got up. 

Normally, I sleep through all of this and Chris handles the kids while he gets ready for work, allowing me an extra hour of sleep. But today, I just got up. It's a good thing I did, because I got to see this:

I'm pretty sure he was pretending the blanket was a wedding veil. He first tried to hold it in place with the little green clip under his chin, but that didn't work very well. Next, he added the crown, which helped quite a bit. It was secure enough that he was able to climb on Daisy's new rocking horse and rock a little bit. And that thing in his mouth? A straw of some sort. This child.

My mom had today off, so we planned a visit to the Botanical Garden with her to celebrate Mother's Day. Emily and Max came along, too, and it was a fun - but exhausting - morning! I forgot my camera, but Mom sent me all of her cell phone pictures.

Caleb was excited to show Max all of his favorite things in the garden. This was where we had the conversation that it's ok to look at the fountain, but not splash in it, because the sign says not to.

The boys were both fascinated by the map.

Of course, if the boys like something, then Daisy does, too.

As per usual, Daisy insisted we go see the "sheeps" first. 

That seahorse tattoo is really sticking around! It's still in perfect condition!

Caleb prefers to ride the Daddy Ram - he likes the funny horns.

Max didn't really like the things Caleb and Daisy liked; he wasn't interested in shoveling the sand, and he didn't want to splash at the splash pad. 

Daisy enjoyed herself, though!

We spent all morning in the Children's Garden, finally ending up at this little "creek" at the entrance. 

They did not want to leave this spot! But it was lunchtime, so on we went.

This is how Daisy and I always finish our Garden visits. By the time we're ready to head back, the girl is too pooped to walk any more. I pop her in the Ergo on my back, and we make the walk back to the front. It's not a very long walk, but it's twice as fast if we do it this way.

We had lunch at the Garden's restaurant, and enjoyed the lovely weather on the patio.

The kids and I left the Garden at 12:37, which was a fatal error on my part. I missed the naptime window. They fell asleep in the car, but once we were home, neither would nap. I left them both in their beds for an hour, with no luck. It was a rocky afternoon, made even worse by the fact that Mama needed a nap just as badly as the kids.

But we survived.

As I snuggled with Caleb before bed tonight, we had this conversation:

Me: What was the best part of your day?

Caleb: (without hesitation) Umm, going to the 'atanical Garden with all of my friends.

Me: Who are all of your friends?

Caleb: Grandma, and Mimi, and Maxie...

Me: And what did you like best at the Garden?

Caleb: Playing in the creek. Next time, I want to sit in it.