Post-nap Photos

Still sleep-logged from his nap, but smiley nonetheless.  

That hair is getting pretty crazy, huh?

Smiles & Hugs

These are the things that melt a mama's heart:

Planting Help

I had the cutest little helpers the other night when I was trying to do some planting:

My mother-in-law, who has raised 4 fine boys, says that it takes about a pound of dirt to raise a boy.  That's always reassuring to me at times like this, when I'm pretty sure Oliver consumed a handful or two.  He's just working on that pound...

Happy Memorial Day!

Whatta Man

I read recently that one of the keys to a long marriage is to brag about your spouse--openly and obviously, and preferably where your spouse can hear you. Eric and I are coming up on our 8th wedding anniversary, and I want to have many, many more anniversaries, so I'm going to do some bragging on the world-wide web, y'all!

















For starters, Eric works hard for us. He is ambitious and driven. Also, he's freaking hilarious. He can make me laugh like no one else. And he can fly*.

The thing that makes me melt more than anything, though,  is seeing Eric as a father to our kids. I'm so grateful for the loving, tender, and compassionate way that he fathers the boys. As The Smith's song** says, "It takes guts to be gentle and kind."
My husband has guts.



Here's a small sampling of the ways in which Eric has taken care of us lately:

• Staying up late to fix a toilet clogged by a foreign object (of the toy truck variety) placed there by our curious 3-year-old.
• Standing up for Ellis when our [adult] neighbor questioned our decision to paint his toenails.
• Removing a dead bird from the grill of my car because I was too squeamish to do it.
• Educating critical friends about our decision to practice Attachment Parenting.
• Taking time out after a long, busy day at work to play "hopscrotch" with Ellis.
• Leaving a baseball game in the 5th inning because the boys had had enough.
• Comforting me when a nest full of baby birds that the kids and I had been watching for weeks, all perished (and then doing dead bird duty once again).

Sometimes it's big things, sometimes it's the little things, but in all things, Eric is striving to take good care of us.

Whatta man, huh?

*Except that I don't like to fly with him.  Nothing personal.

**It's a sappy break-up song.  That line is the only good part, in my humble opinion.

Cool Dude

I had to throw in one of his fat little legs!  I just LOVE them!

Bouncy House Joy

There is such a thing as joy--pure, unbridled joy--and it exists in the lives of children.  For Ellis, joy exists in a bouncy house. 

I really try to learn from this joy, to put away my adult cares and experience joy like this.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons we have children--to remind us how to be truly joyful.

Big Trucks

Our city's annual Big Truck & Equipment Show:

Ellis was fascinated--and a bit scared of--the bomb robot

That's not a fanny pack; it's a baby carrier.  Just for the record.

Little Caveman

Oliver discovered that he likes ribs.  More like, he loves ribs.  As in, he grieved when I finally had to take the bone away.

What can I say?  He's a little baby carnivore.

It's worth noting that I would never have given him a bone to gnaw on.  I went outside, came back in, and he was already in love. What's a vegetarian mama to do?

Horses

A visit to Yia Yia's isn't complete without visiting all her animals.  Ellis loves to feed the horses apples, and occasionally snags one for himself, too.

A Variation on Peek-a-Boo

I can play Peek-a-Boo outside!

With a blanket! 

This game is awesome!

"Hey, do you guys see something on my lip?"