THIRTEEN

Bluebonnets 2015

2016 week thirteen

If you don't live in Texas you are unaware that every single person is taking photos of their children and pets in the Texas Bluebonnets. It is required. It's truly a Texas thing.

Bluebonnets 2016 -very sunny very windy. Easter finest.

From 6:45 am to 7:15 pm this girl is in a constant state of dress up play. She sobs at night when we make her take them off to wear pajamas and tries to cut deals with us whenever we leave the house to keep her princess (excuse me, Queen) dresses on. She prefers them to be Queen dresses, naturally.

I spent all week in a mad dash of spring cleaning to get everything settled and cozy to welcome our little pup. This is Frida Kahlo. Because, well schnauzer's eyebrows are kind of a thing. See below.

Theo wanted to grab her in vice-like love clenches. But then wailed when she mountain goat-ed her way onto his belly. 

Meeting Second Cousin Kate (and not pictured Claire). You can see more evidence of Theo's love clench in her hair. He does it while nursing, to my mouth, to my eyes, to my neck, to my cheeks, to the soft flesh under my arms. He's got a lot of love to show through clenched fists.

Quotes:

At the beginning of the week she was obsessed with "getting married."
"I want to get married. Mama, maaaaaaaaaaaaaarry me. I am married to the possum. And I got married into a king."

"I just said sorry to Theodore because I poked him in the eye."

*Singing* "It doesn't matter giraffe if you don't want to eat breakfast because it is still breakfast time." (I guess she's heard variations on that theme enough to write a song about it. Though it usually revolves around sleeping for her.)

"Mama, I need to go on the sleigh so I can drop Queen Elsa off at the airport." (Can you just imagine what her colorful games must be like in her little head? I love it so much.)

"Mama, at Jewel's house I put on the pink dress and the gloves. And *sigh* I was just so beeeeeeeeeautiful."

Me, "Smell this pineapple! It is going to be amazing."
*hands Matthew the bottom of the pineapple to sniff*
Matthew, "Why do I have to smell the pineapple's butt?"
Me, "Because, that's where the smell comes out."
Matthew, "Just like people. Hahahaha. Put that on your blog!"

"Hi little fly. I'm just Rapunzel. This is just giraffe. It's ok. Just move your little legs little fly. You can do it!"

She likes to wear her hooded towel on her head and be a bat. "I'm a bat! I'm not a scary bat. I'm just a combat." (I know she was trying to say "calm bat" but it sounded just like combat.)

"Mama, can I please just have one little potato?" referring to the large bag of raw potatoes we just bought from Costco.

V, "When I go down the hallway I wont be scared."
Me, "Why would you be scared to walk down the hallway?"
V, "When you walk with me I wont be scared of the monsters. C'mon! Come with me."
Me, "There are no monsters. You don't have to be afraid. Monsters do not like to live in peaceful homes like ours."
V, "No. They like to live in dungeons and caves where the goblins and the spiders and the lions live."

She's been dramatically collapsing around the house moaning, "I'm just sooooooooooooooooo tired." When I told Matthew this, he said, "Oh that's probably because you say that all the time." What? Since when? Then I listened to myself and I say it all the time. Except not 2 days ago when Theo didn't wake up screaming in the night. Thank you son. Do it again sometime, my love.

"Mama LOOK! It's REDBREAST ROBIN!" We get a lot of robins in our backyard.


Stories:

V is suddenly really excited and almost proud of her naughtinesses. It's almost as if, when I said, "You cannot push people over," she took it to literally mean she was incapable. So when she does something naughty she runs to me with a huge grin and says, "Mama! I threw food on the floor!" "I pushed down Oliver!" "I didn't even share with Jewel!" "I screamed in the house and woke up Theodore!" I always try to remember to praise her for telling me "The true thing" before I give her correction. Strange little bug.

V loves for me to tell her stories. She will ask me, "Mama, please tell me a story about a little girl, and her giraffe, and a troll girl." It's her favorite story. I always tell some variation of a story of Vera losing her giraffe in the woods. Vera and giraffe go into the woods to pick blackberries, or just to walk. Vera gets sleepy, or chases a will o' the wisp, or chases Robin Redbreast. She forgets giraffe and goes home. Then a troll girl (named Narga) peeks her head out from behind a mushroom and finds giraffe and is so happy to have a toy of her own. She hides giraffe from her Mama Troll, though, because in her heart she feels strange about taking giraffe. V realizes she left giraffe in the forest and cries but it is too late and dark to go looking for her. Meanwhile Narga's Mama finds giraffe and asks Narga where she got the human toy. She tells Narga that a human child is probably missing her giraffe so much and tells Narga she knows she will make the right choice and do the right thing. Narga always says she doesn't want to do the right thing, but in the morning she takes giraffe up to the surface and puts her back by the big mushroom. Vera and Mama are walking in the woods looking for giraffe and find her by the mushroom. Vera is so happy to have her back. Sometimes Vera brings a toy with her to look for giraffe and leaves it for Narga as a way to say thank you for taking good care of the giraffe. But usually she just sees two little black eyes blinking from underneath a mushroom and Vera thanks Narga very sincerely and then walks home with Mama. Vera loves this story.

Matthew and I were reading a philosophy book together. He would usually read while I cooked dinner. The other night we were reading about Nietzsche and his ideas about loving your life. The author speculated that the reader probably knew very few people who truly loved their life as it was at that moment. She submitted that people generally have the feeling, "I'll love my life when... [graduate, find a job, get married, have kids, retire, etc] It gave me pause because as I was standing there finishing up plating our food I had an overwhelming thought that right now, in this kitchen, in my home, reading with my husband, baby strapped to my chest, daughter singing in the other room, I truly did love my life. I was not waiting for something to happen for me to be able to relax and finally be happy (though sleeping through the night would contribute I'm sure). I was not on the wheel working toward contentment. In that moment I had it. I'm trying to find more excuses to pause and drink in my life currently. It is a small life, but a lovely one. One that I can be proud of, and one that I work really hard on. And I truly do love my life.