Chores

I think my life is about to get a whole lot easier....

585. hurrah for chores
586. switching lights
587. working it out with friends
588. schedules that coordinate
589. summer anticipation

20 Questions - 3 Years Old

On Abby's birthday I got these pajama-clad answers to my 20 questions...

581. thinking about 3 years ago
582. thankful for a fading scar
583. a singing, dancing princess
584. the perfect cupcake

Yo Gabba Gabba Craziness

I really should thank www.etsy.com. They provided the inspiration that actually let me say "yes" to having a Yo Gabba Gabba party. Abby's dress was from there, the cupcake toppers, and the give-away hair clips. Etsy, etsy, etsy. I love etsy.

Here is our girl, waiting for everyone to arrive...Foofa rocks!

The over the top napkins and plates with some Plex Popcorn, Muno Watermelon, Foofa Razzleberry Lemonade and Brobee SnapPeas.

I few balloons to spruce the place up never hurt...

The characters of the hour...

Fordy walking! He got his first shiner just minutes before the party started.

The only non-themed item -- a Minnie Mouse pinata. (Sorry, etsy, I wasn't about to spend an extra $30 for the Brobee one!)

Seeing a fellow Yo Gabba lover arrive...

Ford checking out the "Pin The Eye on Muno" game...

And a taste of the good life....his first cupcake!

And wahoo...a family pic with Grandmama and Pop Pop!

575. Yo Gabba Gabba tattoos
576. feeling blessed that our friends came to celebrate
577. those sliders
578. a happy, not overwhelmed girl learning graciousness
579. getting that card job done unexpectedly
580. lots of help the next day

Mother's Day

We had such a wonderful Mother's Day this year. I got breakfast in bed after sleeping in (loved that!) and because the kids were sick (we had a THREE WEEK RUN of sickness. It really stunk.) we didn't go to church. Instead, we headed to our favorite sandwich place and went to the park, just like two years ago. Same park. Same sandwiches. More sun.

 We ran into some friends there and watched their boys play baseball. It was such a perfect day. The weather was beautiful, we were outside with the coughs and runny noses starting to abate and I felt so very blessed.

572. a run in that never could've been planned
573. conviction about how i speak to the kids
574. birthday ideas from pinterest

Wet

This boy, this one year old boy, loves to get wet. Every chance he can get. He can open the back door (screen and slider, if it's unlocked) by shoving his weight around. Danger Will Robinson! Which means that since we're having these amazing spring days, the back door is almost always open. And he's almost always outside. Without shoes. Toddling around. Heading for the hose or the water table or the dirt or (rarely, actually) the side of the hill (eek!). So my whole "I'm making lunch" turns into a 30 minute deal of getting him back inside and once there, him heading straight for (you guessed it) the dog bowl.

 Wet. He loves it.

Not sure you can tell, but here he's soaked.

And here, too... after having opened the door, going in and out in and out....

And the essence of fun... water table joy. You'd think I'd learn... it took me 3 days of this before I learned to only put a little bit of water in there. Mom brain. It's still in full swing.

And as we found out yesterday, our strapping, massing boy is only in the 5th percent for weight. FIFTH PERCENT. We are still shocked. The doctor looked at me and said, "Long and lean. Heart surgery or not, it's how you make 'em." And with those words, my dream of a chubby baby went down the drain. I think I'll keep him. Just as he is.

568. having the time to focus on words with ford
569. a night out!
570. seeing friends succeed
571. a place for everything

Happy First Birthday Fordy!

I cannot believe a year has gone by. I think 99% of parents with healthy kids say that.  Right? It's the ones with sick kids where the year goes so slowly as you see progression, regression, progression.... and I was reminded once again of our tough first few months with Abby on a recent Garden Tour that supported Childrens Hospital where Abby had her surgery. Whew. I was thankful. All. Over. Again.

And recently, Abby has been asking to go through her baby book (good thing it finally got finished!) and she stops when we get to the pictures around her surgery. "Did it hurt?" she asks. "Did I cry? Did I get a shot?" She's starting to process why she has this lovely scar on her chest and it's all very fascinating to her.


Anyway! Fordy is crazy. Typical boy, from what I understand. I found him doing this the morning of his birthday...

Standing in the dog bowl and pounding on the window above. Really? Really! I am finding, now that he can walk, that I have a tiny bit of freedom ("Fordy! Come this way!") but at the same time, I can now really not get anything done. He's climbing up, pounding on, walking through... everything. It's not for the faint of heart for people with no baby gates.  God must've been giggling at us when we gave that gate away, "we never really used it with Abby, anyway..."

So, on this birthday for our sweet, daring boy, I am so very thankful for his fun personality, and his snuggle-fest heart. He loves to curl up when he's tired and put his head on your shoulder. Conversely, when he's ticked (seeing that some little someone is always talking constantly) his shriek to get our attention is fairly piercing. To the point of horrific. And sometimes she just screams right back. It's moments like that when I just want to go back to bed and make it all stop. With Abby starting preschool in the fall, I'm very aware of my finite amount of time having him home completely and I know it's going to fly. Screeching or not.

563. Fordy's laugh
564. Fordy's smile
565. Fordy saying "mama!"
567. The way Abby says, "This is my bruther."

The News Of The Year

This week, it was warm enough to chalk outside....

Then cold enough to wear scarves (don't I look tired? It's been that way for three years. Word on the street is, it doesn't get much better with homework and worrying about late night dances at high school)...

Ford fell in love with pasta...

And when I wasn't looking, Daddy cut off Abby's awesome mullet curl. Sigh. It makes me sad that the white trash part of our girl is gone for good. I loved that curl. ;) But now, she has a bob!

And the biggest news yet...

Fordy walks. :) By the end of this day, he was walking like a pro. Crazy learning curve, right? And later that night, I found him standing in the dog bowl, pounding on the dog food container, smiling wildly. I think he was pretty proud of himself.

559. the closed-in closet
560. contentedness in my surroundings
561. a nap on the perfect chair
562. a fabulous day with a new babysitter
562. work to get excited about