TWENTY-NINE

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... :)

TWENTY-EIGHT

He might be everyone's favorite pool toy...

2017 week twenty-eight 

Vera and her friend had a "book club" during a play date. They read a book called "The Most Magnificent Thing." Then they each drew a picture of something that they invented that was the most magnificent thing.  Vera drew a picture of a sidewalk that goes around the whole world even over the ocean. Then she drew a picture of a person thinking about her idea. Very cute. 

Saturday mornings our kitchen counters are bursting. By Sunday morning almost a third of it is gone already. My kids (and husband) cant keep their hands off of the fresh fruit. 

Friday afternoon we spent a sweet few moments remembering a sweet family member who has passed. Her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren are all better off having known her. 

At the Dallas National Cemetery.

What Theodore does after he's all fresh from a bath: raid sister's jewelry and chapstick stash. 

Bedtime book with Papa. 

We're watching another friend's cat. This one is much feistier than the last one. He is so lovable, but he yowled all night long so I put him outside the next night and he didn't come back for over 24 hours! I know he's strong and can fend for himself but I was worried about him in a strange neighborhood. The best I could have hoped for was that he recreated Homeward Bound. But then he returned to yowl some more and take over our bed. Stormageddon. You're a bit of a jerk. But I love your sweet face. 

Quotes:

"Thedore, your heart is named Vaca and mine is named Caca.  Wow, isn't that neat, I named our hearts! Those are our hearts names. Do you like them?" 

Referring to my tomato shaped pin cushion Theodore asked, "Ouch berry please?" It really sounds more like "ouch belleeee peeeeees."

Resolution management brought to you by two four-year-olds.

V -"When you firmly said you were going into the house you made me sad."

J -"I'm sorry."

*Hugging*

J -"Yay! We're friends!"

V -"We'll ALWAYS be friends!"

Run to Mama to tell her how good you were and ask for praise.

Four-year-olds playing ponies together. "Let's BOTH be named Luna!"

"When I am big and someone tries to steal me I will be so strong I will whip them down and stomp on them and I'll wear poky shoes to stomp them! When I'm a mama I'll tell my husband to stay inside and watch my kids and I'll get my sword and go outside and fight the bad people!"

"I took a rest before we started making all this ruckus." 

TWENTY-SEVEN

4th of July Bike Parade

Snow Cone! Children seem to be inexplicably drawn to "bubble gum" flavored things. I dont understand it.

One of Vera'a favorite little people. 

We went to the Flower Mound Independence day festival. Theodore was so excited to sit on the front of the fire engine. 

We waited in a very long line to get Papa to paint their faces -it's not special if he just does it at home. 

This guy was fun. He was magical to Vera. We left at the same time he did and we got to witness the shattering of the illusion as he disassembled his stilts. 

Vera's stack of drawings on the fridge was getting out of hand so I snapped a few photos of them before I recycled them. This is Scuttle, Flounder, Sebastian and Ariel. 

Ursula, Flotsam, Jetsam, and King Triton.

A few days last week we had no duties or responsibilities so we went to park after park after park, errand after errand after errand. And everyone had a glorious time. 

Splash Pad park with some of the cousins. 

We got a coupon for a new local ice cream/coffee shop. We loaded up on our bikes one day after dinner and went on a little outing.

This weekend, I made Theo a little pair of short overalls. Sewing them was much easier than getting this boy to hold still for a couple photos of how cute he is in them. 

 Quotes:

Theo (pantsless and outside)- "Yuck yuck yuck ehhh."
Me -"Oh no did you poop outside?"
Theo - "No."
Me - "Show me."
Theo - "Ok! Yuck yuck yuck!"
Yes, there was poop outside. It was in the sandbox. And on the ground, and on the shovel... Luckily the flies were really handy in pointing out where every last speck of poop was. I ushered Theo inside and called to Matt to wake up from his little nap on the couch to bathe Theodore because there was poop all over the place. I went back outside to clean it all up. When I came in there was no water running and Matt was back on the couch. He had been so asleep he didn't hear me say there was poop everywhere and he only wiped off Theo's hands and sent him on his way to play! So there are probably secret poop smudges in my house now. 

Vera - "Uhm. I don't think this was really the snack you wanted to make for me."
Me - "Oh really? You're right. I want to eat that snack now and you can have just your glass of water."
Vera -"Ok. I'll eat it. "

"Rrrrroooooarrr! There's a tiger in my panties!"

"Look Mama! Clean Dress. No jam."

"Mama, all those years me and Theodore and you and Jane were so lonely. And now a couple days ago and now we aren't lonely anymore." Hmmmm. What? 

Matthew's book is available for Pre Order! I'm so proud of him. He worked so hard for this. And his awesome book will be available around Thanksgiving this year. You can preorder  HERE. 

TWENTY-SIX

My kids completed the summer reading program for the local library so on Monday night we went to pick up their prizes -several tickets for free kids meals at local restaurants and entry tickets to a couple museums and zoos and a free book each. They were really excited. 

2017 week twenty-six

Theodore finds dead flies (that Matthew shoots with his salt gun and leaves on the ground/blinds/splattered to the windows) and perches them on the back of his hand and tries to carry them around the house as little pets. If they drop off, Frida is at his feet to snap them up. It's a little gross around here. 

Tuesday night we took some friends to a new chicken restaurant ("chicken restaurants" are things in the South) as a thank you for all their help during the past couple months. Everything was spot on. And there was a little outdoor stage for my kids to run around and pretend to perform on. Also it's so close to our house, so, come visit us and we'll take you to have the best fried chicken you've ever had. 

Blueberry lemon cream tart. 

Theodore makes this face when he sees me getting a towel
wet at the end of a meal.

He keeps his eyes screwed up tight while giggling, then
he sticks one hand out while trying not to dissolve into
hysterics. 

More dead bug adventures. Theo found a dead cicada. And the kids carried it around in a cup admiring its wings and eyes and little legs and feet. After a while they wanted to see what was inside... the cicada adventure ended in, "THEODORE! You can't steal the bug! I'm trying to dig a hole for a FUNERAL! AHHHH! BRING IT BACK!" 

This style brought to by 50% genetics and 50% dinner in your hair. 

I've had a couple people express interest in the "smocks" that my kids wear during meals. These were a response to my children wiping their hands on their backs instead of the bibs tied around their fronts. So, clearly the bibs needed 360 degree coverage. And viola, the smock was born.  Technical writing isn't my strong suit (neither is washing or ironing sewing projects) but here is a quick tutorial for our smocks/pinafores.

Target sells a pack of 4 flour sack towels. Any such towel will work. But that four pack makes two smocks. Feel free to wash and iron yours, I've made too many to care about perfection in them since they are essentially glorified napkins that I bleach the dickens out of. 

On each towel fold over one side and sew down to  make a casing for elastic. You can make this any size you prefer. 

Leave 2 towels whole. Cut the remaining two in half. Hem the cut side. 

Sew two smaller pieces onto each side of the towel you left whole. Start sewing from the bottom and only sew halfway up. 

Thread elastic through all three pieces, and tie elastic at the back. You can sew the two pieces that touch in the back together or leave them open. I prefer to leave them open because I can adjust the elastic if it shrinks in the wash, and it's easier for my kids to find the back to put on themselves. I have previously added different colored ribbon bows where the pieces meet in the back.  That looks really cute. Without the bow it's a bit more "unisex."  

One size fits all smock/pinafore. 

I have a delightful relationship with kitchen towels -I adore them. Here is another kitchen towel trick I discovered to help keep lettuce fresh for ages. Dismantle your head of lettuce and submerge in cold water. Lightly shake out each leaf and place stem side in toward the center of a kitchen towel, overlapping slightly. Fold the other half of the towel over the stem and lightly roll up your lettuce. Fold another towel over the top of the leaves and lightly roll up. The moisture from the wet leaves seems to keep the lettuce remarkably crisp and lovely in the fridge. I had a head of lettuce that we slowly picked away at for almost three weeks and each leaf was as crisp and perfect as the last. 

Vera found a PEZ candy at the store that she wanted to do extra jobs around the house to earn. She was in a pony state of mind for days toting around that little thing. 

Helping Papa put up shelves in our guest room closet. So much more space for my jams and preserves now! 

Goldielocks was getting too sweaty in this summer heat, so he got a proper hair cut yesterday morning. 

And a congratulatory lunch at Cane's with the library coupon for free kids meals. 

Quotes:

"Probably when I'm a mama, before I get married and have kids I will be an actress on a stage for one week then I will have a baby and get married. Will you come see me on the stage theatre and I will not be shy?"

"Wow! I've always wanted a phone like this!"

"Look, if I put my legs through the arm holes of my purple dress, it makes a really good penis! Can I stuff it in my panties and wear the penis to the library?"

"I'm so sad. My child giraffey died and we are at her funeral. Is this music sad enough for a funeral?"

"That baby is the cutest baby ever. She's even cuter than me when I was a baby!"

"Why did that bear get all his fur taken off?"

"Do you know why I did that? Because I'm cute and curious!"

V -"Why did the library give me one of their books to take home? Why did I want to pick a goldilocks book?"
Me -"Vera, please don't ask me why you did something. You were the one who did it. Just tell me about it. If you want to talk about something just say, 'I wanted a goldilocks book.' You don't need to always ask why when you want to say something."
V- "Why don't I have to ask why? Why did I ask why?"
Me -"I'm going to lose my mind."

Sunday night family dinner. Matt made his delicious Independence Day ribs and I grilled some chicken. There was watermelon and corn and biscuits and jam and s'mores and everything a 4th of July dinner could want.