Bargaining

"Let Mama take one picture of you and then you can play..."

One-of-a-Kind

I often tell Ellis that he is special, that there is only one Ellis in all the world and there will only ever be one.  Most days, he likes to hear that.

Yesterday on the way to church, we were stopped at a stoplight and he said, "Mommy, you're special."

"Thank you," I said, "I'm glad you think so."

"There's only one Mommy in all the world and there will only ever be one," he said.

Cue the tears welling up in my eyes!  Not only because he's listening, and because he gets it on some level, but because he's right.  While I'm not the only mother in the world, I'm the one and only mommy for him.  It's a great responsibility and a privilege, and something I strive to do better every day.

Chasing Bubbles

Coffee Shop Fun

We tried to beat the heat with an early trip to the shaded patio of our neighborhood coffee shop.

Car Cart

Forgive the cruddy cellphone picture, but I had to show you the boys' first tandem ride in a car cart at the grocery store! So cute!

Feeding Critters

One of Ellis' favorite activities at Yia Yia's house is to feed the "quacks" and the catfish. He carries the bucket of food down to the dock and has a blast throwing the little pellets of food and watching to see who comes to feast.

Fancy

Only the best around here: chocolate milk from "the tallest glass," as Ellis calls it.

Visiting Papa

Ellis and my dad, his Papa

Ellis with a zucchini he planted last spring

My boys love any excuse to use a watering can!

Oliver offering the kitty a blackberry.  So stinkin' sweet.

Sending Love

Lots of love and warm thoughts today for my biggest blog fan and the matriarch of our family, Ma Wink. We love you very much!

Tractor

A visit to Yia Yia and Papou's isn't complete without playing on the tractor:

Oliver at One

-Activities: walking, climbing, clapping, whatever brother is doing
-First word: kitty
-Other words: milk ("ilk"), nurse ("nur"), night-night ("nigh-nigh"), num-num (for eating/food), mama, dada, Ellis ("ay-yis"), outside ("oush," recently he's started bringing me shoes and saying this), nice (says when petting kitties--"niiice"), eyes (usually said while either pointing to his own eyes or gouging yours), E-I-E-I-O
-Favorite foods: eggs, meatballs, mashed potatoes, pasta, blackberries
-Favorite song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"
-Favorite sleepy-time song: "500 Miles" by Peter, Paul, and Mary
-Likes: baths, climbing, music, snuggling with Mama, playing with Ellis, being outside, watering plants, digging in dirt, toys with wheels, swimming
-Dislikes: car riding, being restrained (high chair, car set, etc.), shoes

Birthday Party #2

Photos from Oliver's other party:

Birthday Party #1

Oliver ended up having double the fun for his birthday--TWO parties! Here are some shots from the first one:

The Other Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband who, from here on out, probably will not get a proper birthday celebration because Oliver's birthday is one week before it. Sorry about that. We still love you very much!

Revisiting Childhood

The boys and I have been spending some time in my hometown, visiting family and places from my upbringing. Being in those spaces and places has me flooded with memories of what it felt like to be a child. It has prompted me to reflect on what childhood is like and will be like for Ellis and Oliver. In some ways, I think we're right on track; in other ways, I wish things were different.  While we cannot orchestrate a "perfect" childhood for our children, we can be mindful of how we live and how our day-to-day lives add up to become our children's memories.

{One of the wide open spaces of my childhood, my cousins' backyard}

Childhood is wide open spaces.

Childhood is running fast.

Childhood is spinning around.

Childhood is imaginary friends.

Childhood is clouds shaped like rabbits.

Childhood is family.

Childhood is unconditional love.

Childhood is security.

Childhood is a playhouse.

Childhood is the shade of a weeping willow.

Childhood is memorable.

You Elegant Fowl

Boat Ride

The boys and I enjoyed a boat ride on the lake today. It was Oliver's first ever, and Ellis' first this year. They did well until Oliver decided his lifejacket was really cramping his style. Luckily we got a couple photos while he was still happy!

Happy 1st Birthday, Oliver!

Our sweet baby Oliver turns one today.  

3 days old

1 year old

Happy birthday to our baby boy.  You bring so much sweetness and so many snuggles to our lives.  We love you so much!  

Happy Fourth of July!

We walked in our neighborhood's 4th of July parade this morning.
As Ellis says, "Happy Birthday 4th of July!"

As you'll see, we got a lot of mileage out of 4 slices of toast