I found an incredible antique store in Carrollton (really close to Babe's Chicken if you're local). It was the antique store of your dreams with absolutely everything you would expect, things you would want, and things you couldn't believe. It was an hour and a half of history heaven walking through there by myself.
Torchy's Tacos with some good friends.
We found a glorious puddle after a heavy rainstorm.
It was a perfect afternoon walk.
Not too big for a sink bath yet.
A boy and his frogs and his trains.
Aunt Mike and Lucy pushing Vera on the swing.
He abandoned his Moana costume for 10 minutes to get his "Adventure Gear" on.
The spigot in our front yard has been leaking for a while and I noticed my lavender bush right next to it was completely rotted in the middle. So we ripped up the plant and stripped off all the leaves. Vera and Theo helped me fill little cotton bags full of the leaves and stash them in the beds and closets around the house.
On the lawnmowers at Lowes -their happy place. I had to drag Theodore away screaming and kicking and flailing when it was time to go. Anyone around here have a ride on lawn mower that he could come ride on for his birthday? :)
Quotes:
"I'm going to be a Komodo dragon, ok?" Vera feels like she needs to inform us of every person/animal/thing she is pretending to be. And if you do not respond she will repeat it until you can't take it anymore. Alternate scenario, "I'm going to name Giraffey (insert some new ridiculous name here), ok?" Or "I'm a princess named 'Badden', ok?" Badden is a name she really likes to pretend to have. "I'm being a tattoo princess. Would you like to come to my tattoo shop? Oh Theodore are you at my tattoo shop? Would you like a nice tattoo? How about on your face?" She keeps it classy at her Tattoo Princess Parlor. V- "I'm trying all these flavors of icecream."
Me- "What flavors do you like?"
V- "Mint roses flower taste, sun honey ice cream. It's an ice cream shop where they have cakes and cupcakes and candy but the name of the shop is 'Jail'."
"I want to be the girl from the movie that Giraffey really likes. It's her favorite movie and the girl is called 'Wet Woman'."
Singing to the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus" "The witches on the bus go scare, scare, scare..."
I love to see my kids love on their great grandma. Grandma is so sweet and never seems to get enough of them.
Reading Calvin and Hobbes with Papa while I make dinner.
The comfortable and preferred way to lounge around.
Theodore stole his sister's skirt so he could really feel that he had dressed like Moana properly.
Photo by Vera. What it is like to try to do most anything (but specifically yoga) with kids at home.
We have the best friends who took Vera to Legoland and the Aquarium last week.
She was gone all day and had THE BEST time.
I've never seen a cuter photo.
We had an all day playdate with good friends while the parents packed up their house. Good bye! We'll miss you up in Idaho. The older kids got to do kid yoga while the little ones napped.
Vera loves that her hair is getting long enough to do elaborate princess hair. But more often than not she wants it down and in the way and in her food. :)
Quotes
Vera renames her giraffe every couple weeks recently she's been smitten with the name Pouncey Giraffsey.
V- "I think Pouncey Giraffsey is a good name. I didnt think of a crazy name this time! I thought of a good name that could even be a human name!"
Me -"I don't know many people named Pouncey Giraffsey."
V-"Pretend I'm six. (The height of her young ambitions) And that my name is Kaya. Why isn't my name Kaya? Can I change my name to Kaya? Why did you name me Veronica. I only like Kaya the best. I'm changing my name. My name is now Kaya."
Me -"I'm not calling you that. But you can call yourself that.
V- "Humph! This is too hard!"
Me- "I don't think so."
V- "Yes! It's as hard as my heart!!!"
Me -"Don't do that. Don't act obnoxious."
V -"I'm NOT a nauseous!"
Theodore has been high pitched Marmot screaming when he doesn't get what he wants. He's also been huffing and stamping and yelling no. Well, he certainly didn't learn that from me and Matthew. It's a lot of responsibility to be the big sister and a good example. And so far Theodore is copying a lot of 4 year old girl sass.
"This is the BEST thing you've ever done for me. Ice cream and cookies all sugar for snack. Thank you so much. I just love you wow this is I just can't believe it. The BEST thing ever." I just can't tell if she's grateful for the surprise ice cream.
2017 week thirty-one
Theodore didn't mind the ice cream either.
During the summer we eat mostly vegetarian or fish-centered meals so it's nice periodically to have a bit of roast meat. I made Mimi Thorisson's poulet chasseur but added parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. So naturally I had to rename it Scarborough Faire chicken. You're welcome for that song stuck in your head all day.
Vera ran in from outside shouting something mostly incoherent. When I followed her I understood her to be saying, "Mama! A fairy ring is stuck in a spiders web!"
It was one of the prettiest spider webs we've seen in our yard yet. When we walked away from it Vera said, "Do you think the spider stole the fairy ring from a fairy to decorate her web?" Excuse me, are you a little Anne of Green Gables, sweet one? I nearly melted at the delight in her voice.
Matthew surprised us all with an impromptu Family Ice Cream Night at Braums. He pretended we had a boring errand and that the car took control and drove us to Braums instead. Vera wasn't sure if she believed him. But she was certainly happy to have the ice cream.
"Look! My surf board can touch the ceiling!" She begged for me to get down her long-sleeved white shirt. And even though it's hovered near 100 degrees outside, she hasn't taken it off in three days.
They sat here popping bubbles for nearly 15 minutes. It didn't get old for them.
Quotes:
"Oh when you were loud my legs shook in fear!"
When Theodore was falling asleep for nap I heard him mumbling, "cake...*mumble mumble* cake..."
Me- "Get out of here please."
V- "Why?"
Me- "I don't want to help you put on a costume while I'm having diarrhea."
"I want to be a baby ostrich but I have too many more toes than an ostrich."
V- "I can't find the rest of my money. It's all in the washing machine thing?"
Me- "Are you trying to tell me that you are laundering money?"
V- "Yes. No. I don't want to tell you that."
Theodore thinks it's a really funny joke to call me or Matthew, "Mapa."
V- "Theodore is my husband and he's 29 and I'm 6!"
Me- "That's a bad age difference."
"I'm so delighted that I get to listen to this!" She's turning out to be more and more like Anne every day. Mostly I'm delighted, but it can be tiresome.
I got to snuggle my new tiny little niece this week. She was so soft and squishy.
2017 week thirty
Matthew always finds funny comics to add to the letters he sends to his little brother. These Jesus-themed ones were really funny this last week.
Vera and her little friend dressed up. They were playing a game they called, "The Princess and the Peacock." It mostly involved running around and shouting very odd peacock noises.
The last face the bug saw before he was trapped in this cup. My children are bug hunters -except for V with spiders. She had a run in with one and is particularly jumpy these days about bugs and unidentified objects lying around on the floor (like leaves and trash).
Some lazy morning cat fishing.
Poor Stormy has just had enough of all this attention. His hiding place wasn't very good though.
My mother in law found this old ensemble hidden away in an old cedar trunk. I felt like I should have started singing, "I have confidence in confidence aloooooooone!"
Quotes:
Not a lot of quotes this week. Most of our entertainment was of the furry four-legged variety. Theodore has stayed dry for two whole days! There has been a lot of fighting over who gets to wear which Moana top. (They are both just pieces of red fabric folded over and attached with elastic but people get really fussy over which piece they want) There has been a lot of fighting and time outs and crying and screaming and talking and hugging and trying to help everyone feel calmer. And Theodore who weighs a ton threw out my neck so I have been doing most of this directing and intercepting from the couch with an ice pack...
One quick little quote from V:
V- "I hate spaghetti-OH! Nope! I stopped myself I was going to say I hated spaghetti."
Me- "But you don't hate spaghetti."
V- "Well it's not fairable to me. Haha. Just Kidding that's just one of my jokes."
Last Sunday at the lake with Aunt Mike and Uncle Mike.
2017 week twenty-nine
The honeysuckle vine I planted is slowly taking over the fairy hut, and it bloomed just in time for the hot hot weather to shrivel the flowers. Next summer I hope it will completely cover it and just be dripping with sweet flowers.
Playing trains.
Cute boy.
My beautiful grandmother. Veronica is named after her.
One evening a couple friends and I drove down to Grapevine for some dessert and catching up time before one of them moves away. The opera cake was spot on.
100 degrees means I sit inside reading Harry Potter or Little House on the Prairie and imagine its cold. For the kids it means I lock them outside with the sprinkler.
Everyone (Theodore and Veronica) is dressed like Moana from dawn until dusk -and sometimes even after that.
Old photo of me on my first day of school.
I asked Vera to fetch me my phone. She took at least a dozen selfies on the way back.
I'm commiserating with Theo. He doesn't want the delicious food I made him -he only wants my grapes.
Why? 1) Spiders don't have bones. They have exoskeletons. I feel like this is teaching false information. 2) Aren't spiders already halloween-y enough? 3) It's still July.
Quotes:
I didn't write anything down this week! There was too much complaining and whining to sift through I guess... :)
