Happy Birthday Fordy!

Fordy's birthday was last week.

Was it really two years ago that this little guy, with all this eye junk, graced us with his presence?

Wow. Where time stood still with Abby.... with Ford it's flying.


Have I mentioned this boy's obsession with balloons? We went and got him a helium one that popped before we even got it home. So I rummaged through a drawer and found some from Abby's last birthday. Voila. Pink balloons! He was thrilled...

Sis joyfully helped me make cupcakes for brother...

And he had some help opening a few gifts...

Richard Scarry. Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. Could it be more perfect for my "vroom vroom" loving guy?

And then, daddy had some work to do.

(I haven't seen this face since Christmas Eve...)

With Ford playing the drums during set up...

Almost there....

Voila!

And just like at Abby's 2rd birthday, the whipped cream was the biggest hit of all...

And, as you see here, aside from Miss. Snarkypants feeling slighted that she didn't get any gifts, it was a special night for our special guy. And the next day.... pony rides!

904. happiness at watching him grow
905. a mailman who doesn't have to hold the screen closed with his foot
906. red not getting up at night
907. thoughtful family phone calls

Show Me How Big Your Brave Is

I saw this recently and it struck a chord (no pun intended!). For those of us with daughters, isn't this your prayer? Especially in the tween years? God help me when those arrive...



And I hope you all had a lovely Mother's Day. Mine was filled with kisses, diapers, lots of love, breaking up arguments, taking a bath, beautiful peonies...

the best gifts a mom could ask for...

the best gifts a wife could ask for and a super impromtu dinner on the front lawn under the stars.

And, for the first time four years, Grant and I sat in church with nary a child in sight. I know. I know! I was all for putting your kids in the church program right away. Before I had kids. And then there was the "Abby can't be near germs" thing (which seemed to last forever and then we prolonged even more) and then, Fordy arrived. So, why bother putting in one if the other is with us anyway. Besides, it was winter by then. And germs were spreading.... and, well, here we are. And before I was even out of the car to unbuckle them, Abby said, "Ford. I'm going to kid's church. Are you?" "YES!" Alright. That's settled. And it was grand.

Fordy even drew me a picture in church and every time he sees it he says, "Made. It. Made. It." He's so proud. And so am I.

And today, the day after, it was ONE HUNDRED DEGREES here and so, there was water play with lots of sunscreen.

I'm so very blessed. Especially when I think back to those days when a Mother's Day for me almost "never was".... before I knew God was going to do something magnificent -- more than I could ever ask or imagine.

898. feeling really spoiled

899. watching someone serve someone else and it being a blessing

900. an almost four year old who's healthy

901. a/c that works

902. everything arriving in time

903. spf clothing

The Fun Parent

Why dad is the fun parent :

forts
farting noises
telling 'scary' people on kids shows "you can't scare me!"
dancing during work hours
estate sales where abby always gets something
laughing during the hours of 5-7:30pm
saying "guess what?" followed by "I love you" every. single. day.
saying "poop" outside the walls of the bathroom
pizza for breakfast
"nah, we don't have to comb your hair"
being loud- especially at dinner

These two have been partners in crime lately.  Dad has always been the fun parent but now more than ever, she's becoming a daddy's girl. And I absolutely love it.

Sometimes you gotta learn how to wing it. Especially on April 10th when it's tax time. Our babysitting fell through for our tax appointment and so, there we were, all four of us. I knew we'd be okay as long as Ford's binkie and the Kindle were in tow. This lasted for about 15 minutes.

Then it was off to race around on the bike trail behind the office. Which lasted another 15 minutes.

And this lasted for about 3 minutes.

And after that, we were all just hungry and tired. So as soon as Daddy finished, we splurged on dumplings for dinner.  Nothing tastes better than dinner after a tax appointment.  At least that's what we say every single year.  It wasn't Houston's with a cocktail (as it was pre-kids) but no one threw milk on the floor and no one barfed at the table. Success!

I'll take these two over a cocktail any day.

And while dad is the fun parent, I am constantly amazed at how much weight his word carries around here. He plays hard and tows a tough line. I'm more moderate in every way and I envy his fun and discipline with them. He teaches me, almost every day, most importantly, to laugh. At them, at myself, at whatever it is that has me upset. I cherish it.

893. the right black pen
894. feeling the school year closing in
895. contemplating the bucket list for summer
896. anticipating a family vacation
897. a reminder from God

Long Lost Lily

Abby hasn't seen her friend Lily in a really long time. When I mentioned a playdate with her, Abby said, "Oh yes, mom....she's the one with the Belle dress up shoes." Ah, the things this girl remembers. She's like an elephant.

And I'm telling you...even after their hiatus, after five minutes together, these girls were best pals. Again.

Lily was dominating the play structure while Abby tentatively climbed behind her. "Mom? Mom? Can you help me down?"

Meanwhile, Ford was chasing after Luke, Lily's older brother and was almost keeping up. How is it that I keep passing off the hard job (Ford!) to someone else? Gina was chasing him like crazy.

And after the park, Miss Gina wanted to take us all to get candy. Candy! Here are the lolly-sisters now holding hands (and you'll notice pants on Abby and socks with shoes!)///

It was too cute. Sucking and licking and walking. While hand holding.

I doubt a word was spoken during "candy time".

But they sure had fun.

Can't you just see them in high school together? I sure hope so.... just like Miss Gina and me.

887. a new faucet
888. ford wanting to try kid's church and loving it
889. abby sitting through all of big church with us
890. a much-needed sleep in
891. getting to the phone to serve as intercom while i'm out working when grant is gone and the kids are asleep
892. selling (!) our baby monitor

Spring in Winter, Winter in Spring

A number of weeks ago, before Easter, even, the weather was like this :

There were sprinklers before it was actually spring.

And our friend Mackenzie came over for a "mother's helper" afternoon. And truly - it was helpful! I got to take a shower in the middle of the day. I can't remember when that happened last. The best part is that I got to hang out with her, too.

And I think Fordy had a big crush...

She even colored with them. Winner!

And then suddenly, we were back to this:

And after Easter, my birthday lunch looked like this:

Those two adorable ones got me my favorite lunch from Julienne and conspired while Ford was napping to surprise me. Champagne and all. Dessert even. My actual birthday was heavenly.

Because of course, even on this cold day, there were bubbles.

883. the perfect lunch
884. feeling blessed on my 40th
885. southern california weather
886. eggs every single day

Calling All Readers...

A very short announcement to let everyone know (who was waiting with bated breath) that Abby's hair is now in fact long enough to french braid (yes, you can exhale and the world can resume spinning). It's not Rapunzel hair (don't tell her that) but we're getting a little closer.

878. vanilla bean ice cream mid-day
879. the kindle
880. the kids waving frantically at Lee, the mailman, and having him wave back
881. facetime
882. feedly to organize my web life