Scenes of Summer

It feels like it's been summer around here for quite some time. Is it not the middle of July? Huh... weird. I could have sworn it was. I'm thrilled that it isn't as we are having a great time. Going to Disney World and then the beach twice really threw us into summer mode around here, and things are going swimmingly. It seems everywhere I turn there are things that make me smile. Sure, the house is a mess (which I'm swimming upstream trying to clean it), but at least the mess is largely due to people having fun and using their creativity. We've watched little to no tv as we have all been have been too busy reading and playing and painting and creating and imagining. Ah, bliss.

I love when the tv is off. I'm convinced my children are far better behaved when they are getting out energy and creativity rather than zoning out in front of a screen. So, behavior around here has been pretty great lately too.

I can't remember the last time we ate dinner in the kitchen. Why would we when we can eat outside on our deck? A tablecloth, a "summer time" meal, dessert most nights, and candles that get promptly blown out by the wind, yes, we love eating on the deck. The lizards scamper around and we dream about what our deck dweller rabbit might be up to. And then we walk back inside carrying all of our plates and utensils, toss them into the sink, and clean up is nearly finished!



Bathing suits have been constantly drying in showers and laundry room. Watermelon is staining our clothing. A pile of "to be tie-dyed" has started in the kitchen.

Summer is in full swing around here and it's pretty darn swell.

Bees Will Buzz, Kids Will Blow Dandelion Fuzz

Yesterday was Carolena's first day of preschool.

September 2013

Oh. Wait. That can't be right.

Yesterday was Nils' first day.

September 2015

September 2015

September 2015

Errr... wasn't that yesterday?

Wait. Today was the last day.
Wow... so just like that C is done with preschool. What a gal. Those kids are so awesome. I'm so happy that they are growing and thriving and moving onward and upward.

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

May 2016

First Day in the Fish Class, Last Day in the Fish Class

First Day Panda Class, First Day Puppy, First Day Ladybug, Last Day of Preschool

SUMMMERRR!

Rainy Days and Sleep Deprivation

Oh you know, just drinking coffee and watching youtube videos on how to braid. Normal stuff going on around here.

Yes, I know how to braid. No, I don't know how to do fancy crazy Elsa fish tail wombat divine braids for my daughter whose hair hasn't been cut in a year (at her insistence. somethings aren't worth fighting). If it were up to her she would have her hair scraggly and unbrushed and "just down!" all of the time. Up to me? Fancy and well kept. I don't have long hair - I have to have fun with hers.

The kids just ran through the room screaming "Go Injas!" (aka ninjas). C is wearing a coonskin cap and Nils is carrying a stuffed animal beaver we named Tobias.

Last night I went to check on kids and dole out some kisses before heading off to bed. Carolena was snug in her bed sound asleep. When I went into Nils' room he was... nowhere to be found. This has happened before. I creep in quietly and walk up to his pillow expecting to kiss a sleeping little angel... only to find the bed completely empty. It is terrifying. Luckily, last night I stayed relatively calm as I searched the room for Nils. Not finding him, I went back to look around his bed again. That's when my foot stumbled upon a soft little head snoozing UNDER the bed. I carefully got him back into his bed and then had to crawl under it to find all of his lovies that he'd brought with him.

Later both kids got into our bed at separate times during the night. Chris ended up sleeping on the floor of Nils' room just to score some sleep for the rest of the house. My elders who tell me to "keep them young forever!" when they see us in the grocery store don't remember how little sleep parents actually get.

I Don't Make Monkeys, I Just Train Em!

I found something great in a big basket full of junk on our countertop. You know the basket, one of those "we'll deal with this later" kind of spots. Yesterday I was looking for something and found a piece of pink construction paper with this conversation sprawled across it in Sharpie:

Carolena (who was wearing a sparkly pink hat): "This is a singing hat AND a dancing hat. You can wear it when you dance and toss it off when you see someone handsome."
Me: "What does that mean?"
C: "A boy."
Me: "What makes him handsome?"
C: "Wearing a nice shirt... a jacket... handsome pants... you know, handsome."

It's 6:15 am and Nils is being introduced to Pee-Wee's Playhouse (thank you, Netflix!). Nils got up at 5 and soon thereafter told me he wants to go hang out with one of his teachers today. Uh, sorry kid. You're stuck with me again.

Speaking of being stuck with me, yesterday (I am ashamed to admit) I laughed at Carolena. I feel really bad about it... but... you can be the judge (don't tell me your verdict of my level of guilt). I was getting ready in the master bathroom and C&N were hanging out in my bedroom. I heard C say to N, "I'm drinking hot chocolate!" in a bragging voice. I thought perhaps Chris was making that in the kitchen and hoped he was making enough for both kids. Seconds later C came screaming into the bathroom with her tongue hanging out. She kept screaming (she's very dramatic) and pawing at her tongue. I gave her a cup of water and had her rinse and spit it out. She kept pawing and screaming. She finally told me what happened, "I was pretending to drink hot chocolate out of this cup... and when I took a pretend sip... it was full of cat hair!" And then I lost it laughing. oops.

Terrible mom moment: guilty as charged.

Sunday

Don't ask me how much coffee I've had this morning and I won't ask you how much you've had.
Hint: it's at least less than Voltaire.

I'm right in the middle of GWTW. Which of course means don't talk to me or expect me to do anything other than read. Holy mackerel that book is fabulous.

I'm thinking about ordering my bookshelves by putting the books that I reread all of the time together, books that I love but don't tend to reread together, and books that I haven't read yet together. That could be interesting and save time when searching for the next book to read.

I finally got control of myself and have lost a few of the pounds I needed to shed before ww weigh in. I'm not back to goal yet but hopefully will be before the end of April. How does one get control if they are Casey you ask? I filled the fridge and fruit bowl with fruit that I really like. I wrote "not for Casey" across the top of the peanut butter jar (my weakness), and hard boiled 50,000 eggs. And filled the freezer with edamame. That's about it. Voila, lost weight. I'm eating more than fruit, edamame, and eggs, but those are just good go-to things for me when I'm feeling snacky. Oh, and greek yogurt. Now I just need to maintain this control.

Disney countdown is in full swing and I'm busy squirreling away entertainment for the two day drive. I'm really looking forward to the car trip. Our last car trip was a blast. We're not a techy family and didn't watch movies on the drive or bring ipads or whatnot. I'm stocking up on conversation ideas, books, and car friendly games. I plan on getting a good audio book or two from the library as well. I can't wait!!

Oh Swell

Every once in a while I look around and see that I am the source of the problem. Everyone's new cubbies look like a mess?! Oh wait... it's just that mine has exploded with stuff. Our dresser is constantly covered in crap?! Oh... my bad. Tripping over shoes in the living room? Hmm... anyone else around here wear size 9 blue suede loafers? Rats. Me again.

Last night Chris came home to chaos. Total chaos. And this time it definitely wasn't me.

Had Chris come home to bathed and pajamed little angels it would have been because I'd lost my shit and forced the kids to take a bath while I drank a mint julep and read my book. Had Chris come home to a fresh mint julep it would have been because I was drinking one and pretended like I made it for him when he opened the door. Had Chris come home to a calm quiet dinner for two it would have been because the aforementioned children had peanut butter sandwiches while contained in the bathtub.

But he didn't.

He came home to people who were hungry and tired and melting down. He came home to a wife who was drinking water and trying to finish dinner so that we could enjoy a nice peaceful meal. He came home to kids who threw tantrums at the table (one of whom literally threw his veggies in protest).

I would have made a great 1950s housewife.

True Love

When we were in college Chris would often surprise me by hopping on my bus with a cold Diet Coke for yours truly. He would then ride around sitting in the seat behind me talking my face off while I drove in circles for a few hours.

Cold Diet Coke? Riding around on a miserable bus just to see me?! That's true love.

Remember the tires?

Chris got a handmade Valentine from me that said "I'll never tire of you."
The inside read, "I got rid of the tires. Happy Valentine's Day. You're welcome."

Getting rid of a potential craft project?! That's true love.

Yesterday we stayed after school to play on the playground. Carolena skipped on over to her music teacher and plopped down on the seat next to her "for a snuggle." She then looked up at her teacher and announced, "When I'm in college my boyfriend is going to bring me queso everyday."

Queso everyday?! That's true love, my friends. That's true love.

Nuggets from Nils

Nuggets from Nils
by Nils

If you are innocently running around on top of the furniture and take a huge tumble onto the ground all of the adults nearby might gasp. Jump to your feet and scream, "SEE that?!?!" and then attempt to do it again. And again. And again. Each time try to make the fall bigger and scream, "SEE that?!" Expect praise and adulation for your daring and bravado. Mommy will probably scold you for treating her furniture so horrendously. Moms know nothing about spectacular falls.

The best way to eat cereal is with milk and a spoon resting casually in the bowl just for show. Insist on getting your own spoon (touch every utensil you can while the drawer is open) and then carefully arrange it in your milky cereal just so. Proceed to eat your cereal with only your fingers, slurping the milk with a cupped hand. Yum!

If you want to impress your friends SING. Sing loudly. Sing often. Make up words or hum if you can't remember the lyrics. Sing sing sing. Sing such happy songs that your teachers write in "singing" on your comment cards even though singing isn't on the list.

Rely on your cuteness to get you out of trouble. Carolena insists that you should rely on sass. She's wrong. Cuteness is the key. Get out of bed after being tucked in and walk straight up to Mommy. She'll stare you down. Shoot her a "gee, aren't I cute?" kind of smile and a shrug. She's wrapped around your finger. You know she thinks you're adorable. Actually... that frown is kind of scary... and now she's using the stern serious Mommy-voice... ahhh! Run away! Run away! Bed is better! Bed is better! Whew, okay. Neither sass nor cuteness work... back to the drawing board.

Just Having a Ball Around Here

Fade In: Casey's house. Interior. Day. Nils is napping. Casey is cutting pattern pieces. Carolena is playing with play dough. Casey's back is turned toward Carolena.

Carolena: I'm going to make something and you can guess what it is.
Casey: Okay cool. I get hints though, right?
Carolena: Yes. First hint: it's a body part, and it's a ball.
Casey Internal Monologue: ohmygodohmygodohmygod
Casey: hmm... is it... ummm... an eyeball?
Carolena: {lots of giggling} noooooo...
Casey Internal Monologue: play it cool. play it cool. think woman think!
Carolena: {lots of giggling}
Casey: Let me think... is it... an elbow?
Carolena: {lots of giggling} No! It's a body part. And a ball. It's balls that are body parts.
Casey Internal Monologue: Holy mackerel! ohmygodohmygodohmygod. Okay, think of all those times moms have given the advice to not jump to conclusions. This can't be what it sounds like. If it is... we'll cross that bridge when we come to it in .5 seconds.
Carolena: {lots of giggling}
Casey: It's really not an eyeball?
Carolena: {lots of giggling} Okay, it's a guy. And he has balls on his body.
Casey Internal Monologue: SERIOUSLY? Am I on hidden camera? Is this for real? Oh what am I going to do if she says a boy's name?!
Carolena: Okay, another hint: he has a carrot nose...
Casey Internal Monologue: Oh thank God!!
Carolena: It's a snowman!!!!
Casey's turns to see finished product and is relieved to see it is in fact a snowman (and thankfully without extra balls).
 

"Bye-Bye Crib"

Carolena, July 2011

Carolena, December 2011

Nils and Carolena, June 2015

Nils and Carolena, June 2015

Nils and Carolena, July 2015

Nils and Carolena, July 2015

Nils and Carolena, July 2015

Nils and Carolena, July 2015

"Bye-Bye, Crib! Bed! Bed! Thank you, Mommy! Thank you! Bed! Bed! Thank you, Daddy! Bed!"

Nils, December 2015

So far, it seems to me, if I fully enjoy and appreciate and pay attention during each phase of life, then with the passing into the next I do not feel sadness. We took down the crib yesterday for the last time and I feel nothing but joy and happiness for our little Nils. Our nursery furniture was a generous gift from Chris' brother's family. It was the crib that held our niece and nephew. I remember picking it up from them while they apologized for Isabel's bite marks along its edges. I loved the bite marks. I loved them the entire time our crib was in use. It was a tangible reminder of the children this crib has held - cousins bonded together.

The crib is in the garage now. Nils has been politely (and sometimes not so politely) asking for a bed for some time now. I finally realized he is ready. He's known for a while that he is ready. I just took a little convincing. I was worried that he would be up all hours of the night prowling around his room. I'm sure nights like that will come, but his first night (last night) went exceedingly well. He was indeed ready.

Carolena, being the fabulous big sister she has proven herself to be time and time again, got in on the excitement and insisted that Nils borrow some of her sheets and comforter until he gets his own. I think, perhaps, this was best for Nils - better even than having gotten his own things right off the bat. The two kids bounced off the walls in excitement over the new bed, Nils' eyes lit in pride as he exclaimed over and over, "Bed! Bed! Thank you, Mommy! Thank you!!" and as soon as Chris got home Nils (ran for a tortilla chip and then) yelled, "Thank you bed Daddy!"

How could I be sad over putting the crib into the garage? It was time.

Soon, we'll pick up the dresser from my parents' house. We'll get the rest of Nils' room into "big boy" shape. And when that happens, the nursery furniture will find a new home- a home ready to welcome a new baby, hopefully a new baby who will ease in the pain of new teeth by putting more bite marks along its edges.

Onward and Upward... Errr... Downward?

When it comes to my children, people are always telling me to "keep 'em little" because you know, "they are the best at that age."

I find this to be more than mildly disturbing.

Not that I don't think my children are fabulous... but because of what these kind of statements inherently say about the future: "Older kids suck" or perhaps "Life: It's all down-hill from here."

I don't believe that to be the case. In fact, I believe, if parents do their jobs right (which mine evidently did) older children are a blast. They come to your house with their own families and drink all of your wine and lie around on your couch while you care for the screaming grandkids...

oh wait.

*ahem*

I digress...

All this was merely to say that we are now a non-highchair family!
Forward ever forward. Onward and upward. All that jazz. Although... it was a HIGHchair so maybe we are technically onward and downward? Hmmm...

A while ago Nils decided he was ready for the booster seat (we have a window seat in our kitchen so he graduated to sitting in a booster at the table) and the awesome wooden highchair Chris' parents found for us when I was pregnant with C moved to the garage. Well, Nils isn't looking back... so we aren't either. And thus, as of yesterday when someone in need of a high chair picked it up from our house, we are now officially out of the highchair phase of life.

Just like that.

And despite the many recommendations of older people in the grocery store that I should somehow find a way to freeze time and force my sweet Nils to stay in a highchair forever, I am in fact not sad about it at all. Not in the least. I'm joyful that he is proud to be out of the highchair and in the booster. I'm happy that he is moving forward and would never purposely do anything to hold him back. I love that little guy with all of my heart and want nothing but the best for him. Why then would I try to force him to stay a baby forever? I'm thankful that Nils is growing and thriving.

So, red highchair, goodbye. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Goodnight. Thanks for holding my babies. The littlest has announced that he is a highchair baby no longer and we know that another family is now thrilled to have you. 

And now we shall see what glorious things this next phase will bring... like not having to clean a highchair any longer (not that I did that very often anyway). And yeah, while we're at it I got rid of all of those little teeny tiny baby spoons too. Onward. Forward. Upward. Here we go!

Thanksgiving

Last night Chris came home to two smiling children. They were bathed and in their pajamas and fresh-faced and sparkling. Those two sweet crumpets sat quietly together reading a book while I handed Chris a drink and politely told him that dinner was ready and that I just needed a minute more to finish my own book. It was bliss.

Oh wait. Nope.

Chris could hear the screaming when the garage door was still rising. Mine? Carolena's? Nils'? Who knows? All I know is that you don't speak to your viking mother like that if you don't want to see her fly into a fit of rage. I think my own mother's Brooklyn accent came out.

And yet, when Chris said something about our "rough day" I had to admit that, despite a few low-lows, it really wasn't bad. We got the house cleaned up and worked on a surprise for someone we love. We went on a first-ever-in-the-kids'-lifetime-trip through a big machine car wash which was a huge hit. We had a blast "hootin and hollarin" and as soon as we drove out Nils started chanting "again! again! bunny! bunny!" ("Bunny" is how he says "funny" which is insanely adorable, especially considering the number of things he finds "bunny!").

Last night once the children were in bed and the fireplace was lit and all was quiet and calm, I looked at Chris and marveled. This is the dream. Eleven years ago we were engaged and our families were gathering together for Thanksgiving. We were full of love and hope... hope that one day we would be right here. Right here with kids and a home full of love and laughter and yes, sometimes yelling and tears. A home full of real life. And it's wonderful. And I'm thankful.

Yes, it's messy and loud (mostly due to me and the minis). It's up and down and all around. But it's the dream we dreampt and keep dreaming. Someday we'll be really old (and tattooed) and wrinkled together. Chris will still be talking and talking and talking. Kids will be grown. I'll be... drinking coffee. And we'll continue to give thanks. We'll marvel at our old and shrunken hands and inspect one another's wrinkled brows and smile. We'll look around us then too and say, ""Look! This! It's the dream! Thank God thank God thank God!"

Thursday Morning Ramblings

Nils slept in until 8. That was the first clue that something was amiss.

He awoke flushed and with a low grade fever and spent the morning curled up on his napmat watching cartoons. He then threw up all over his napmat (which we are now about to learn whether or not it's washing machine safe) and is napping.

I went to bed at 7 last night with a migraine (a dull gnat-like-annoying one) that has lasted for a few days. I woke up at 7something with it still lingering. This is terribly annoying to me as I've taken my meds, but at the same time I'm very thankful that I'm up and at em and just have a dull ache and not a full-blown-unable to talk thing going on. And actually... it is starting to abate. Thank God.

Oh my gosh, Nils is sick. Poor little Nils.

And also, as I am guilty as anyone of my life revolving around me, I cannot cannot CANNOT get sick. I'm teaching as a guest speaker at a church in Houston on Sunday. My poor hands are going to start bleeding soon from being washed so much. I smell like vomit. Perhaps I should go change.

Oh, motherhood.

Thankfully Carolena is in a great mood today.

In other news: Carolena's teacher conference took place yesterday. It was so fabulous that we surprised her with a pizza and a movie dinner last night as a celebration. That kid. Her teacher had a glowing report about a kid who is thriving. It made me so proud. She spoke so highly of C's kindness to all of the kids and said the phrase "self-starter" a few times. She talked about how much Carolena loves to learn and how she is just an awesome kid. I was one proud mama. Sometimes its hard to see those things when you're the mom and thus the one getting screamed at in the midst of tantrums and insanity and getting the brunt of all of the tiredness. It was nice to hear that the teacher sees a kid who loves to learn and who is kind to all of her classmates and helpful in the classroom. It was rewarding to hear her teacher say she sees Carolena as a kid who will "rise to the occasion and thrive wherever she is." Yes, pizza party night indeed.

Umm... back to Nils. When C was his age her favorite song was "smah-smah!" and we were commanded to listened to Disney's Small World on repeat.

Nils' favorite song that he wants to hear on repeat and be sung to sleep with? "Holly! Holly!" as in... Weezer's Buddy Holly. Yep. I just tucked in a feverish little sweetheart by rocking him in my arms and cooing "ooh eee ohh I look just like Buddy Holly... uh oh and you're Mary Tyler Moore..." and when I got to the end of the lyrics I know he smiled and said "again! again!" *sigh* What a guy.

"I don't care what they say about us anyway. I don't care bout that."

Nailed It

There are somethings in parenthood that I think are surprisingly easier than they sound. Giving medicine to a sick kid (they just suck it right down), dropping off a crying child somewhere (mine usually get over it before I'm out the door though), haircuts (I just cut it myself)... all of these things sound hard but (for me), most of the time, are easy.

And then there is the task of cutting fingernails.

With Nils, it's no big deal. He's happy to have his fingernails cut and sits mesmerized by the clicking nailclippers. Carolena is a different story.

It's not the actual cutting that is difficult - it's convincing her that they need to be cut. Once I convince her that it's time for a trim, cutting them is no big deal. But it usually takes a day or two of "hey, your nails are getting long..." before she will give in and let me cut them. There is also usually some light bribery of nail polishing involved.

A week or so ago I screeched out when she accidentally scratched me, "yikes! you've got claws!" (a phrase she made up to say to Nils). She frowned at her nails for a minute, shrugged, apologized, and changed the conversation. I brought up her nails a few more times, warning her that it's time to cut them. Her (daily) response? "We'll cut them tomorrow."

Yeah, just like I'll give up coffee again tomorrow.

I finally realized something is up. So I plopped down next to her and asked, "Are you trying to grow your nails out long?"
"Yeahhh..." she sheepishly replied.
"Well," I told her, "most grown up women who have long nails... those are fake."
She giggled and glanced around the room as though looking for the hidden cameras. I had to be joking right? So I explained to her the concept of fake nails.
"I don't think your nails are going to get that long" I said, "I really think we need to keep them short so that you don't accidentally scratch other people."

And that was when she revealed to me what she's really up to...

She scrambled off the chair and grabbed a Highlight's magazine, quickly flipping to the page she wanted and handing it to me. "This is what I'm doing" she said. And handed me this:

Ah yes, that explains it. Of course. She's going for a Guinness World Record.

In Other News

In other news... flowing water on Mars. That's cool.

In other news... we went to Goodwill this morning and bought a ton of kids' books. Sometimes the answers to lots of meltdowns and "growing pains" is just to get out of the house. Goodwill is a great get out of the house location for us. Kids can have a certain degree of freedom and check out toys. I usually purchase a ton of books for us to come home and read read read.

In other news... we then went on an expedition through the aisles of Kroger and somehow came out with frozen nuggets and fries. We had them with apples and pretended like we were at McDonalds for lunch... because evidently that's who we are: people who pretend to go to McDonalds for lunch. We also like to put Memphis Soul on Pandora and pretend like we're "in a fancy hotel" so perhaps those two imaginary situations can cancel one another out.

In other news... speaking of sanity and it's constant wavering... I'm one of the mothers planning c's school Halloween party. I got the ball rolling on the plans this morning with an email to the other moms. I usually like to be in charge to try to keep things sane (as much as I can) rather than having another mom email out something like, "lets all spend $100 each and get a clown!" All this is to say, I'm trying to judge how long I need to wait before telling them that I really really really want to dress in a costume and come read a book. I only know one of these people. Soooo... yeahhhh. There is no way to get across to them what I want to do without them thinking I'm nutso. Which I kind of am... so... fair enough. Fair enough. I feel like it would be awesome to slip away during the party and then have Miss Viola Swamp come in and she could read Miss Nelson is Missing (or something like that - maybe a Halloween character to read a Halloween book? I haven't thought this through yet). I'm seeing these people tomorrow. Perhaps somethings are best said in person and not through email.

In other news... speaking of Pandora... do you know that Carolena calls "New Orleans Jazz" "Old Man Jazz" because she forgets what it's called and replaces what I'm saying when I say New Orleans? Ha. I love it. She requests "Old Man Jazz" often and I love that too.

In other news... Nils has a huge crush on one of Carolena's friends (or whatever the 20 month old equivalent of a crush is) and it might be the cutest thing that has ever happened ever anywhere. Ask him anything, anything at all, and he'll answer "no" shaking his little head and humming "uh-uh." He could be drinking milk and wearing a shirt and at home. You can ask, "Nils, are you drinking milk?" Nope. "Are you at home?" Uh-uh. "Are you wearing a shirt?" Nadda. "Nils... do you like Gigi?" And then there is a lot of nodding and giggling and twinkling of eyes and babbling about Gigi. It will be weird when he's sixteen, but man, it's adorable now.

PESTO!!!

I always call Carolena "my good helper" around the kitchen. She loves to hop up on the "stand for something" crate and whip up a treat. This morning in the car she leaned over to Nils and said, "Nils, you're my good helper. Did you know that my bud? You're my good helper. I'm Mommy's good helper. And you're my good helper."

It's true. I have a living room covered in toys to prove it.

Minion Parrrtaayy

Birthday preparations are in full swing around here. Until about two weeks ago Carolena had plans for a birthday party at the beach. To pull off that fete I had planned to... uh... bake a cake. Yep, bake a cake... that's pretty much it. I'm sure I would have planned more but...

But construction at the beach house led me to second guess that party plan. And we were in fact at the beach with some of her cousins which was what she said she wanted to do for her party so I felt like she could check off that box. And I had lingering concerns that a four year old (who of course talks about birthdays all year round) wouldn't remember by January that a party at the beach with her cousins was the same thing as a bash with her friends. And last, but certainly most importantly, the beach house is under construction which is kind of a big deal if you want to have a party there. So, we punted and returned home. Punted and returned? Huh, that sounds kind of sporty... weird... I wonder if it is. Punted and returned. Punted and returned. That's fun to say.

Luckily, I grew up in a home with a mom who threw parties. Not big galas where a party planner came with a notebook and wandered around lighting candles and then people in tuxedos served horderves. I mean real parties, the kind where my mom did the actual inviting, and cooking, and cleaning. So, yeah, I know how to do that.

I sent out some emails and voila! People can come! We've got a party!

So, preparations are in full swing and I love it! A pinata is now hanging in the living room exciting all of us (well, at least me) every time we walk by. Carolena and I have had an arts and crafts explosion (yay!) and made minion paper chains and minion plastic eggs. We've sat together with cookbooks open and pens to paper day dreaming about what she could eat for her birthday (she's set on ice cream in cones with sprinkles. I'm convincing her people might need something more than just that).

And yes, the paper mache around here is going to get weird... it already has...

Eternal Rest Time?

The other day as Nils was napping, Carolena and I resumed our usual "rest time" activities.

Have I told you that Carolena doesn't nap? No, no. Lordy, no. That child gave up naps right after the time that Nils was born. Convenient. *cough*

So, we came up with "rest time" activities. Sometimes she is content to lie in her room with a stack of magazines (thanks to Kelly's kids getting magazines) and some puzzles. Sometimes her big box of blocks or trains or puzzles will keep her busy for an hour. But more often than not we hang together, reading books in my bed or watching a movie and almost always eating popcorn.

Last week we gathered together a stack of books and got snuggled up on the couch while Nils slept. Nurse Nancy is a popular book in our household (as it was in Leona's as well) and was in the stack. As soon as I finished the last page I was declared to be "Nurse Nancy!" and was invited to Carolena's clubhouse (aka the huge cardboard box residing in our living room for the duration of the summer).

I made a bag of popcorn while Carolena gathered picnic toys and we met back up in the clubhouse.
"Hi, I'm Nurse Nancy" I said to which Carolena smiled and replied, "Hi. I'm Carolena from Texas."

"I brought popcorn. Do you want some?" I offered her the bowl and we started happily munching. Looking for more conversation I tossed out, "Do you want to be my friend?"

"Sure!" Carolena replied.
"Do you have a best friend?" I asked to which she looked apologetic and gave me this gem, "Yes. I do. His name is Nils. He's my brother. Nils. He's my best friend."

Oh wait, but there's more...

"Do you like my club house?" she asked me to which I replied with an emphatic, "Yes!"
"I live here" she said "all alone... because my parents... they died."

Thanks Disney.

"Your parents died?!" I said.
 She solemnly nodded, "yes, my mom's name was Casey. She died."

"Wait... wait... you're pretending I'm DEAD?!"
"No, you're Nurse Nancy!"
"But your mom Casey is dead?!"
"I'm pretending you are Nurse Nancy and my mom Casey is dead."
"gggeeeze. hmph." generally pouting.

To which Carolena did some sort of little kid version of kind of rolling her eyes and "Parents. They just don't get it" kind of face and then "Ring ring!" she picked up a bratwurst (the picnic is from Ikea), held it to her ear, and answered "Hello!"

She then looked at me with gleaming eyes, "It's my parents! They died and now they are alive again!"

Whew. Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!

Best Buds

Nils has really moved his way up on the fun-ness scale when it comes to playing with Carolena. I recently managed to see (without her noticing my presence) Carolena toss her arm around his shoulders and exclaim, "Nils, you're my best bud! Did you know that?! You're my best bud!" I think my old grinch heart grew three sizes that day.

All Aboard!

Yesterday afternoon Carolena and Nils started playing a game with a simple premise: take turns hitting one another and laughing. On the one hand (which we shall call "reason") I knew it would quickly disolve into tears and fighting. On the other hand (which we shall call "motherhood" or "survival mode") I realllly just wanted to drink my Diet Coke Diet Dr. K and zone out for a second.  Plus, at that moment they were laughing.

Shockingly, shockingly, the game ended and they each moved on to something else. I left the living room for five seconds (a mother's gotta pee sometime) and when I came back (literally like one minute later) found that Nils had a pen and was attempting to color the ottoman. Luckily, he was using the wrong end.

Not only had Sir Nils managed to get into that mischief. He had also used crayon on the couch and spread dirt from a house plant and ground it into the carpet. How did he get so much accomplished in so little time? I mean, seriously, I was tempted to not even be mad and just be impressed. That kid is an overachiever! Just finding a pen and getting to the ottoman would have been enough of a feat. Proud as my pirate side was, alas, parenting must be done. I would rather be a mother raising my children rather than just watching them grow up. He was sent to time out and then had to "help" me clean up the mess. You can see from this picture how helpful he was:

Nils was forbidden from using any writing implements for the rest of the day so Carolena decided to work on her Top Secret Father's Day Poster (that Daddy knows about because it keeps getting left on the kitchen table but he pretends to not notice because he is in fact a great dad) in the "pie-vacy" of her own room.

And mommy drank a rum and coke last night with dinner. Hello, Friday. What new adventures do you hold for us?

Trip Highlights

Our road trip was seriously one of the most fun trips ever. I could keep doing separate blog posts about each thing for a very long time. I guess I'll do a more condensed recap today so that I can move on with my blogging life.
Our first stop (and 10 days later the last) was Tyler, TX. Deep behind the Pine Curtain it is home to Tyler roses and that elusive furry hard to capture on camera mythical guy...
Uncle Hunter!

 

From there it was just a short drive to Little Rock where we dove headfirst into civil rights history at Little Rock's Central High School. 

And then it was on to Memphis! Where we ate barbeque and soul food, went walking on Beale Street, played by the Mighty Mississip, and absorbed more civil rights history at the Lorraine Motel.

From Memphis it was on to Saint Looey where we ate more bbq, rode to the top of the Gateway Arch, spent the day at Grant's Farms, had fun in City Museum, and went rollin on the river.

Riding to the top!

 

From St. Louis we had a Laura Ingalls Wilder day and went to Rocky Ridge and the Kansas Prairie. Man, Almanzo was pretty fabulous. That guy did farm work, built their house, made his own shoes, and hand hooked rugs in his down time. Geeze, all my husband does is anoint the sick and dying. Sheesh, man. Chris, I know what I'm getting you for Christmas...

So, in summary, we had a fantastic road trip and did way more than I can feasibly blog about. I have roadtrip fever now and we are in full-blown summer vacation mode around here!

If you are at the end of this and still reading... then you're probably related to me. Hi!

7 hours after posting this and hmmm... you know... I guess there was that time Chris built a deck and pergola onto our house... and the time I went out of town for the weekend and came back and he had cleaned all of the grout. Wow. Well Chris, start making your own shoes (moccasins!) and some fine rugs for our home and I'll continue feeding you so you hang around!