Tuesday, July 27, 2010

What Just Happened


I have one child (technically I have two, but the other does not need a diaper bag yet, snacks, entertainment, or any of those necessary things when we leave the house).
You would think that going to the store would not be that big of a deal with one child...I know people who do it all the time with two, three, four, even more.
After an early lunch, I thought that for sure we could run to Target or Walmart and grab the milk that we needed and a few other things that were on the list.
An impulse decision made choose Target even though it is further from our house..Big mistake!  Too close to nap time, too far from home, too much freedom, since I let her ride in the extra large, special seat buggy that only a  licensed mom should drive since it is basically like navigating  a Winnebago through the store.
Here's how it basically went...
Milk...got it
oatmeal...got it
OJ..got it
etc, etc, etc...got it
"Okay" I say to myself,
"she is doing pretty well, it's not quite 1:30, why don't we cut through the home goods section, while we stroll through the little girls clothing, passing the grown up girls clothes, on our way to the check out"
Right around the storage solutions isle it all came unglued.  She had wiggled herself out of the child safty harness (I'm using the term "child safety" very loosely) and was attempting to climb out when she looked at me with a glimmer in her eyes and said
"Walk..,please?"
I think to myself, which battle do I want to fight...sit in the cart or walk next to Mommy?  I naively chose walk next to Mommy (too close to nap time, as I previously mentioned).  While I was using the full strength of my body to direct the Winnebago cart that was now child free, she went running into the little girls clothes section and came running back with a pair of size 5 shorts and says "mama cute."  All the people around us chuckle and say "oh what a cute little girl,"
I on the other hand am constantly repeating
"Libby are you obeying Mommy we need to walk this way"
Alright, to make a long, slightly embarrassing, story shorter, I ended up wrestling her into the cart.  At this point passing shoppers are no longer praising my little girl, who just moments before was sooooo cute, they are just giving me dirty looks.
I in the sweetest Mommy voice I can muster,  say "Libs, you're going to the naughty step when we get home, if you do not sit down."
She was flinging herself over the edge of the cart, while grabbing the front of my shirt, showing all the Target shoppers, what pregnancy does to my chest.
To make it an even more enjoyable end to our trip, I ran into a neighbor and a friend who's little boy was sitting in her cart without making a sound...meanwhile the Little was eating the chocolate chips we hadn't bought yet through the bag....
Oh, I am still not done, it got better.  I, foolishly, decide that we could make it to the car with out the cart.  We got half way out the door and I said" Libs you have to hold Mommy's hand on the parking lot" 
She threw herself on the ground, directly in front of the door, and started screaming
"WALK, WALK!" 
I call this the baby drop down, you know, when they go from standing to throwing a fit on the ground in a matter of milliseconds.  What, you have no idea what I am talking about b/c your child doesn't do this...just stop by my house lately we get a daily demonstration of it.
Like the model parent that I am, I pulled her to the side, got down on her level, and explained that she had to hold my hand because parking lots are dangerous.
Then.....we headed to the car.  Just re-read the above paragraph, except this time she laid down, screaming, while I tried not to pull her arm out of socket, in the middle of the Target parking lot.
I picked her up, like a sack of potatoes, while carrying our four shopping bags, dropped her by the car, while I slung the groceries in and looked down to find her about to put a squished ketchup packet from the ground into her mouth.
This is all a true story...I couldn't make this stuff up.
When we got home, I carried her upstairs (she is still crying in case you were wondering), changed her diaper, and put her in her crib.
She is still there now.

By the way, the top picture is to make you think that life is perfect, and that my child adores me, and listens to every valuable instruction I give...
This picture is to show you that life is real and sometimes on trips to Target before nap time  is real hard...

and this picture is to remind me that I love her, baby drop down and all!

Here's to grace and peace, I need a little of both.  May all your trips to Target and life be showered with them.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Crickets

Last night Kev and I decided to take Libby to a pretty little river we found, on a back road we were dreaming about living down one day.  (Incedently, I have been dreaming about living here, even if it is two toned.
You can see more pictures of it here .  I think that ever since my family sold our farm, I have secretly wanted it back. So, I have resorted to finding farm houses for sale near Kev's work, that may be in our price range sooner or later.  It's all wishful thinking, but a girl can dream right...)
What was I writing about?
Oh yes, the river pictures
We left the house at about 7 pm in hopes to capture the sheer essence of a Virginia summer night.  I wore a tank top that was sure to display the Littlest nicely, packed 2 changes of clothes for the Little that I thought would look nice next to a river, a hair brush, my make up bag, and bug spray. When we got out of the car the temperature read 98 degrees.
We were there about15 minutes, took 5 pictures, sweat profusely, and called it a day.  So much for an epic shoot that was sure to show you all the magic that only a lazy summer night could depict. 
We got back in the car, blasted the ac, and headed home.  I popped in the bathroom and snapped this pic of myself, so you wouldn't feel like you missed out on how the Littlest is ever growing, ever so fast...let's pretend I'm over half way there instead of not quite half way! If you would like to talk to your friends about how big I am this time you can go here and see how big I was around the same time with Libs...it's a bit different. Hmmmmm.
Today proved to be just as warm as the last 4 or 5 have been, did I mention that the temps have been in the 100's? Anywho, just when I thought I was not going outside again until the fall, a thunder storm blew our way and cooled it down just enough to go outside. Kev cut the grass in turbo speed trying to beat the rain and I took pictures of Libby.  I thought she looked pretty sitting there pouting in the grass.
She wanted to swing, but since I took pictures of her swinging last week,  I told her to climb the fence instead so she could watch Daddy cutting the grass
 Have I ever mentioned how much I like being her mom...hands down best job I have ever had.  She says things like "Hold you Mom" and "Mama hug" ... it's just like magic...
Here's hoping you are enjoying the magic of these warm summer nights, even if it is just for 15 minutes!
Grace and peace

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

To Be Little

Do remember what it was like to be little?
Every now and then, I have flashes of what being a little girl was like.
She helps me remember. 
The way she will literally wants to swing for hours no matter how hot it is outside. I remember that feeling...
Watching her blond hair blow back forth, while she giggles with every push...I remember.

When she wants to sit on the counter with me while I bake, and I start to feel frustrated  when she says "my spoon" and takes the spatula  and stirs for me when I know I could make it go a lot faster...
 I remember how much I loved standing on a stool next to my mom while she cooked, asking to pour in every ingredient for her.  Then tasting together whatever delicious thing it was that we made together.
I love how everyday she reminds how blissfully wonderful being a little girl was.
She makes me remember that playing dress up is much more fun when you have someone to dress up with you..
I told  Gus to hang in there b/c by this time next year she'll be dressing up the Littlest instead of him and he'll be able to go back to napping in places he's not supposed to be.
Here's hoping this post made you remember something great about being little and here's to my Little, may she always remember how great she was at being a little girl.
Grace and Peace
xoxo

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Confessions Of A Lazy HouseWife...3rd or 4th Edition

If I'm being honest...which I almost always am, :) I would tell you that I just got done putting all the laundry away in our bedroom, that I started last Wednesday and truthfully I think there is still a load in the dryer that I am ignoring.
I would also tell you that Libby locked herself in the downstairs bathroom since my last post, and was stuck in there until her father could come home from work with a colleague to free her....30 minutes later.
Several days later I caught her with the screw driver we used to get the door knob off trying to break into the pantry.
I would also confess to you that I did not take one picture of her in her 4th of July dress, but I did take a picture of Abby and Jessi and this beautiful blueberry pie...which to me looks like the 4th of July.
...and after  I took a picture of my good friends and the beautiful pie, I took a picture of Libby eating it, with ice cream, you remember how she is about blueberries...

While I'm confessing things, I loved her 4th dress from last year so much that I tried it on her this year, and since it fit everywhere but the length I put a pair of denim shorts underneath and called it an outfit! (and yes she is feeding a goat in this picture, but don't you worry, I was armed with anti bacterial hand sanitizer!)
Continuing on in my honest admissions, it has been really hot here.
Really hot.
Since I am less then enthusiastic about going outside when it is like 1000 degrees and Libby loves playing in the water, I let her sit in the kitchen sink and wash off any thing she could get her hands on.
I left her with her Father the other night, just for a few minutes and I found her in the back yard in her boots...snow boots... watering the flowers...did I mention that it is really hot here?
Right when I think that I everything we do with her is just a little bit, well, off, and totally against all normal parenting, I find them together having a tea party...
and this friends is a true confession, it melted my heart.  I really love those two.
Here's to honesty...
Grace and Peace

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

It's Almost Time

Party planning time, that is!
Due to the lack of motivation that I suffered from for the last two months, I was beginning to think I was going to throw in the towel on the whole birthday party extravaganza that I obsessed over last year. I haven't been able to  come up with a good theme...
Why do I need a good theme, when I could  just serve cake and ice cream, ans call it a party?  I'll tell you why,  because in 12 or 13 years she is going to ask me to drop her and her friends off at the mall for her birthday and I wont get to hang pretty pom-pom balls in the trees in my garden, or dress her up in something frilly on her birthday....She's going to want to wear a little denim mini skirt with leggings underneath and a shirt that is too tight! That is why I want to plan a party that any little girl in her right mind would want to come to!  Thanks to some help from some friends I do have a happy little theme!
Now that's off my chest...based on the colors of this little frock she is wearing, what do you think the theme will be?
Here's to pink and yellow ruffles while they last!
Grace and peace