I just woke up. You know the drill. I will not smile until you feed me.



Ah... tasty. Okay, let's play!




Be sure and get my good side!

"Disappointments"

I'm not feeling anything obvious to blaaaahhhg (I detest this word and want a replacement) about today so I'm offering up a pretty picture of tulips for your enjoyment. I took this picture when we met my Aunt Caroline and her family in Richmond on Easter '09 for lunch at Pf Chang's. Weird choice for Easter you may say, but it was also my cousin Ally's 18th birthday.
I was hoping to see tulips at Duke Gardens last week but alas, they were gone.

Instead we saw these (yes I should know what they are but I've told you about my relationship with plants before...). Pretty, huh?


And these.


The above are ornamental onions. They look like they belong on Pandora. Too cool.

So yes, I was disappointed not to see my tulips, but look what was in store for me instead!

Now if only I could turn all of life's "disappointments" into enchanting surprises...

blah

Sick boy, then migraine mom. Luckily J was able to come home early and help out.

I hope everyone out there is healthy and happy!

"Happy Mommy's Day!" BigBoy told me this no less than a dozen times this weekend. I was showered with flowers, chocolate (in 3 forms) and lots of love and appreciation. I'm lucky that, aside from the gifts, it wasn't that unusual. My boys have always been free with their words of love and gratitude. I know how rare and special that is, though, and I try not to take it for granted.



Apparently BigBoy picked out the flowers. Red and orange carnations and pink somethings (you know this "filler flower"). :) I was happy to spread them around the house. Now I have flowers in my kitchen, living room, and even my bathroom. Flowers of any kind always make mommy happy. Chocolate is 2nd on my list of smile-makers, as far as gifts go, anyway.



This morning we went to Bob Evans for a big ole breakfast and then had a beautiful drive to the zoo. We did the lesser-seen Africa side today. It was in the 60's and could not have been prettier outside so there were a lot of people with the same idea. We had a nice time as we usually do. BigBoy alternated between angellic and whiny, though. One minute he's begging to have his picture taken and then next hiding from the camera, but I think that's normal for this age.




BabyCakes was happy to suck/chew/slobber on Daddy's finger during her "ride." J sure got a workout carrying her up and down those hills!

Here is a rare picture of me with one of my children. :) He doesn't even really have his eyes open but it was the best one.


1 John 4:12 says "No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and is made complete in us."

I know I won't be able to spend every Mother's Day with both of my children. I know they won't want to hug me tight over and over telling me they love me and that I'm the "sweetest Mommy ever."

I'm going to enjoy it while I can, though. That's really the only thing we can do in life -- love deeply and work hard to better the lives of those we love. Luckily for me those people are a husband and two children who make every day "Mommy's Day."

Look at what I just got for Mother's Day!

Bam! Yep, a nice black eye! It looks darker in person and is actually bruising more as I type. :(
I was rough-housing with BigBoy in the living room floor. We were "fighting" with pillows (all the while holding BabyCakes in my other arm... BigBoy is very careful with her, actually.) and all of a sudden his rock-hard noggin met my eye. Usually I let J do the bulk of rough-housing in our house but I was feeling especially playful this morning. I immediately cried out and then BigBoy started bawling. I took a good 30 minutes for him to stop whimpering over it. He felt so awful he hurt me. I think it just scared him so see me cry like that, too.

Being a mother can hurt sometimes. :)

Mother's Day

With Mother's Day coming up this weekend, I'm reflecting on some of the things I have learned in the almost 4 years I have had this job.

Some of them include:

• Never, NEVER leave permanent markers accessible to a toddler. Even if you think they never look in THAT spot in THAT drawer.
  They will open the drawer. They will find the marker. They. will. use. it. It is amazing what can be accomplished while you spend 5 minutes in front of a running washer/dryer.
  

(He also "decorated" our white fireplace surround, too.)

• If they scribble on their face with permanent marker, be sure and take a picture for later evidence of why they in fact are the cause of your gray hair.

• Clean clothes (for you or the baby) or running late getting somewhere will easily prompt a baby's gag reflex.

• Don't get upset if the ONLY way a child will smile is by contorting their face until it is no longer "pretty." One day those pictures won't seem "ruined" but instead a wonderful souvenir of the stinker at that age.

• A bouncy seat/swing will be worth its weight in gold when it is the only place your child will sleep. You would rather run out of milk and bread than batteries.
  
  

• It's sometimes more enjoyable to buy clothes, drive home, try them on, plan another trip to the mall, drive back to the store and return the items that you didn't like, than to take 10 minutes in a dressing room with a child in an unmoving stroller.

• It's a good idea to hide "mommy chocolate" or you will have to share with people who don't appreciate it -- that's what smarties are for.
  
• Teach your children to do as you say, not as you do. ;)

• Sometimes it's okay to splash in the tub. It's just water. Why do you have 27 towels, anyway?
  
  

• Don't insult yourself too much if over-indulging in "mommy chocolate" and the like leads to you gaining weight. No matter what your health goals, you should still be respectful to your child's mother. Besides, they always think she is beautiful.
  
  

• Children will be more excited to see grandparents than parents walk in the door. You will be the one they call out for in the middle of the night, though.
  

There a lot more lessons I have learned as a mother but because I AM a mother I have to go now. I'm starting my day with the two sweetest "teachers" in the world. Well, at least in my book. :)

Leave a comment and share a lesson YOU have learned. If you don't have children, share something you learned from your mother!

Happy Mother's Day, Mama! Thank you for wiping away all the nasty bodily fluids you encountered times 3! Also, thank you for not letting us chew gum, even when we whined.

I love you.

Duke Gardens with Our Sweet Friends

BabyCakes and LadyBug relaxing in the shade.



Biz loves LadyBug as much as BigBoy loves BabyCakes



















Look at those blue eyes.














The girls -- BigBoy is a little outnumbered but I don't think he minds. :)














Just chillin.













She will kill me for this picture one day. Check out that rollage!



BigBoy and Biz had so much fun throwing rocks in the water. The dust in the air is because most of the rocks came from the walking path. :/



I LOVE this picture. Even if he does has have hat hair. :)



Goldilocks


















Our lovely Miss Rachel and LadyBug



LadyBug in her Derby-worthy hat



The kids thought is was soooo funny to run from me most of the time! TONS of my pictures are blurs of them running and laughing away from me.


















She's growing up so fast. This is such an innocent age, though.




Biz had rocks in the other hand. She of course gave Big boy one of these seeds(?) before we left. They were both soooo sad to go and told us so all the way home.





















Have I mentioned how much these two love each other? They've been two peas in a pod since they were babies. Who would have thought that such a boy's boy and girly girl would click so well?



Do I even have to say how blessed we feel?