"...And This Bird You Can Not 'Cage'..."

Miller has apparently developed an aversion to bars. She has begun crying every time you put her down in her bed and doesn't stay asleep for very long. One night I went up and when she couldn't get settled I just laid her down with me on the down mattress topper, perma-pallet I have set up in her room to camp out on for when I have to go up in the middle of the night and decide I'm too tired to safely take on the decent back down the stairs. She slept there until almost 8 o'clock the next morning (she's usually up around 5). So, when it came time to take her morning nap, I put her back down on the pallet. She slept for 3 hours. I had to wake her up later from her afternoon nap when we were nearing the 2 hour mark and we had places to go! The next day she repeated the same thing. So, I stole the extra mattress pad and a twin bottom sheet from Wilson and this is now apparently her new resting place. FREE BIRD!

The next best thing to a treehouse . . .

Lately, every afternoon at about 4:00 my bed becomes a pirate ship. My picnic basket is filled with old Beanie Babies and stuffed animals and becomes a deckful of swabbies. My paint stirrers become swords. My empty toilet paper tubes become telescopes. ANYTHING stationery in our house becomes an evil pirate. Apparently today the pirates all went running into my dryer. I was on the phone with my sis-in-law and heard a bunch of commotion in the laundry room. I went in to find Wilson hanging out in the dryer. I told him he had to stay for a second so I could take his picture but then he had to get out. Jack, hearing all the fun coming from the laundry room, came running to make sure his number one hiding spot was still secure. When he found his arch nemesis (our first born, two-legged child) in there he decided it was more than he could take. He'd risk getting cooties from touching said child to regain his territory. As he jumped in, he got a whack on the snout with the neon hot wheels that Captain Wilson was currently wielding. I wish we could figure out why they don't get along better?! Curiouser & curiouser. Anyway, when I told Wilson to get out he asked the most profound of all three-year-old questions. "Why?" "Well, what if I didn't know you were in there and turned it on!? Would that be very fun?" He looked at me and grinned. I told him that the correct answer was NO, that, in fact, it would not be fun.

(And "yes", to all you Sherlocks out there who noticed I said the pirate parade begins at 4:00pm and these photos show Wilson in his jammies, he was still in the flannel winter pajamas when I posted at 2:30 this afternoon and he stayed in them until about 30minutes before we ate supper tonight. He changed then because he spilt water down his shirt and hates even mildly damp clothes. Does anyone know if they're looking for a new assistant for Mr. Monk- I think I pretty much understand the job description.)

And for one more laugh before I go to bed- Wilson, Phil, and I were watching a movie tonight and Wilson started climbing over Phil to get to me and chose, as usual, to go the shortest route, not the most polite or comfortable. This particular route involved Wilson's knee digging into Phil's shin. I explained to Wilson that Dad's shins hurt when they get hit just like his do and that he needed to be careful climbing on people.

"Oh, sorry, Mom."
"Tell Dad, not me!"
"Hey, Dad, not her."

Thank you and good night- he'll be here all week!

The Cutest Little Town in Carburetor County

Here's what Wilson and I have been doing today . . .
He pulled out this book and noticed the "track" on the cover. Mom I want to build that track. Oh. Good. A completely over complicated and precarious car track built out things that we actually have in our house so there's no good reason I can come up with for us to not try it. (Except that you'll attempt to play with it once, it will all fall down, and you'll scream) Okay, Wilson, I'll get your box of blocks, you bring down your train tracks.

This is the town we came up with

Flo's V8 cafe- note the V on top

Mini Sally at the Cozy Cone Motel

Luigi and Guido at the Casa De La Tires (and roundhouse)

Guido is fixing a train car under the careful supervision of Luigi

Mater's shack and Chuki's (the Japanese reporter's) chic flat

Red (and wanna be Red) at the fire station complete with statue of Stanley

Sheriff's police station

Doc came to visit and split into multiple personalities (regular Doc, McDonald's Happy Meal & completely out of scale Doc, and pit crew Doc) Also pictured are a police car, policeman action figure, and a chimney sweep action figure- have I mentioned I finally got a chimney sweep to come- no more squirrels, yea!! (and a free chimney sweep toy straight off the last barge of lead paint filled toys from Hong Kong) We're super excited.

The "El"

The zoo and zoo keeper- we feature habitats as close to those found in nature as possible for all our animals

Exhibit A of natural habitats- the monkey cage

The "Ice Area" of the zoo- home to the polar bear and Yettie Truck

And last, but not least, a home for the many faces of Lightning

("Sparkly, Dirt Track, and Regular")

In case you're wondering, I have no make up on, Wilson's still in his pajamas, it's 2:30 and we haven't eaten lunch, and I've responded to two screams of "it fell, it fell" twice during this post. Miller's taking a nap now, but she was surprisingly entertained with our construction while she sat in her swing and gnawed on a snail teething ring.

Wup . . . Make that three screams . . .

6 months!

Everybody says it, but I'm going to repeat it anyway . . . I can't believe she's already 6 months old- where has the time gone?! It really seems like we just brought her home. She still seems new and I still don't really feel like I know her yet. I guess that is the challenge of parenting any children after the first. I didn't ever think about the fact that I'd still be a first time parent after I had my second child. I think I thought I'd be able to pay attention more to the baby stuff because it wouldn't be so new and I wouldn't be worried about doing everything right, but instead it's just been a blurr in the background as I've tried to make sure everyone is somewhat clean and fed occasionally. The truth is, we're still learning the ropes of parenthood and poor Wilson has to be the guinea pig as we go along. And while we're old hat at bottles, diapers, paci's, and onesies we're still fresh off the showroom floor on preschool, persnicketyness, snarkiness, making new friends, and raising a child in general. Even when he's 18 and we're sending him off to college, we'll still be first time parents. I'll wonder if we bought enough socks and sheets at WalMart and worry about whether he'll be able to find his way around okay. Will I even notice that Miller has finished junior high? Somehow I don't think she'll let me miss it. I just hope I can learn to pay more attention the moments in between the milestones. As for now, they both still smile when they see me, so maybe I haven't made them completely crazy yet- or maybe they're just humoring me.

The pictures above are from this morning. She wasn't exactly Miss Personality while I videoed her, so I decided to add the photos of when she started playing after the camera was off. After the 6 month video (and, yes, I'm 4 days late making it!) is one of her playing her favorite game . . .

someone needs to teach her that when hiding, it's generally a good idea not to squeal and kick your feet- it's a dead give away

Scrapbook- Summer Time Firsts

His Popularity Continues

Well, for those of you not keeping track, Jack's YouTube hits are near 1000 and his popularity is only gaining. He is now the only known being that can get a REAL laugh out of Miller. She'll give me or her Daddy a good "huh" with a smile every now and then, and she'll laugh a little at Wilson if I chase him with her in my arms, but to get a good rolling laugh, the dog is required. He went in her room this afternoon when she woke up from her nap and she just sat on the floor and laughed at him for existing- he wasn't even doing anything. So, since I'm assuming all reading this are of the non-canine variety, you probably have never heard a good laugh from her and will probably enjoy video proof that she can be entertained . . .

Never Get Tired of These Faces!

Community Group

The Mario Cart tournament, lawn mower tug of war, and fellowship were a blast. Thanks for coming over, guys!!

Our Best Dad!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!

(Again, I'm a little late posting!)

The Greatest Teething Ring Ever . . .

Here is Miller, enjoying her new jumpy chair. I can't seem to ever catch her on camera, but her favorite thing to do in it is to lean her back, like in the picture above, and gnaw on the strap behind her head. We have other toys for this express purpose, but apparently THIS is what strikes her fancy. She does have one tooth (I guess that's what it is!) coming through on the side of her mouth sort of at the bottom of her gum- sort of a little spike. It also looks like the bottom two are about to make an appearance.

Another Before and After

This post is much over due, we actually completed the work on this room in mid May. This was probably the least labor intensive makeover a room in this house will receive. The only things we did were remove the old carpet, stain the concrete underneath, and rearrange some furniture. And the latest updated room in the new house is . . . . MY STUDIO! I'm so excited to have a place to work on projects and be able to stop in the middle and not have to clean up so we can use our kitchen table for dinner or our dining room table for guests. It's really great to have a dedicated space for all my junk, and all my junk to be within my reach (instead of on the top shelf of the laundry room like it was in the old house where painting/crafting involved me jumping on top of the washing machine to pull supplies down on my head!) Wilson has also enjoyed being able to work at the table while I work on the computer and we've both enjoyed having a spot that's big enough for us sit side by side and do things together. (Jack is also enjoying his little corner where his bed and his basket with food/water bowls and toys are). Without further ado . . .

Before:

After:

Of special interest in the above pictures is my new easel. It was a gift from my sweet husband for our 6th anniversary this year. Thank you, thank you and happy 6 years, babe!!

We Have New Neighbors

As mentioned a few posts earlier, we have new neighbors. It has been so fun to have a family from our church and a whole family of friends so close by. There is always a playmate when we need one (or someone to wrangle dead squirrels should that need arise, but I don't know why you'd need someone with those skills . . . oh wait). They have a little boy, Wilkes, that's Wilson's age and Wilkes has an older sister, Brook. Wilson is always asking to go over to Wilkes's house. You be the judge of who he actually wants to see. . .

This was taken the first time Wilson found out Wilkes had a sister. We were at their house to swim in Wilkes's new inflatable pool. All the other boys were shooting each other with water guns. "But where's Wilson?" Ah, laying out with Brook.

And this was taken today at the pool. I had taken the camera to get some pictures of Miller in the pool because I had forgotten it when she went for the first time. Wilson asked if he could take some pictures and I said sure and handed him the camera. So, I pose with Miller and smile while also talking with Wilkes's and Brook's mamma. I notice after a few seconds Wilson has never said, "cheese". I look over and realize that I'd have a better shot of being in a picture on the red carpet at the Oscars than I would to be in anything taken by my son.

The other day we were walking to their house to retrieve a forgotten toy and on the way Wilson asked if he could play at Wilkes's house. I told him that we could not invite ourselves but that we could ask Wilkes to come play at our house. He responded with a shrug of the shoulders and, "or we could ask Brook, too . . . whatever."

Don't get me wrong. Wilkes is great for a sword fight or a car race. But if Brook's around, well, it's definitely a tough call for poor little Wilson.

And then there were THREE

I left Wilson, Miller, and Phil at home by themselves for the first time a few weeks ago to go to Bible study. I guess in an attempt to prove to me that they could take care of the baby, Wilson and Phil took a few pictures.

Wilson can feed Miller- and take his job quite seriously too, I might add

Daddy can feed Miller, too- although not so seriously

I love Wilson's photography compositions

My First 29th Birthday

You know, you get to an age where you have to continue with life as usual whether it's your birthday or not. Diapers have to be changed, birthday or not. Spilled milk has to be wiped, tears have to be dried, screams have to be screamed (your's and your children's) whether it's your birthday or not. And while you wouldn't trade it for the world, it's real easy to get up, fold a hundred loads of laundry and then realize, wait a minute, this is my birthday. Shouldn't I be Queen for the day today? In a wonderful attempt at heading off the depression that can ensue on such a birthday, my sweet friend Jamie took me and the kids to lunch- it would have been more successful had she not asked if I was actually turning 30 . . . but whatever. Just kidding, James! thanks so much for getting us out of the house and then hanging out for the afternoon with us while you waited for your AC repairman to come (another highlight of mommydom- wrangling 2 kids, pregnant with the 3rd while you wait for someone to show up "between 1:00 and 5:00" with no air conditioning in June in MS!) We went to a new deli and then the kids played in the outdoor fountain before coming back to our house for a change of clothes and some yummy b'day cake leftover from my mamma's family celebration earlier in the week.

I also got a very special gift. Wilson and Phil went to a bead store and Wilson picked out some beads and made me a "millipede bracelet". It's really pretty bright blue, oblong beads. When it lays flat the beads fall to either side of the wire they're strung on, and it looks like the legs of a millipede to Wilson. They also had some pink beads made into earrings from Miller.

Thanks, everyone for a great first 29th birthday- I feel very loved!

Memorial Day '08

As promised . . . Memorial Day pictures:

Aunt Ashley and "Baby" Adam meeting Miller for the first time
Wilson getting a little lovey in Chick fil A
Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better
Adam and Wilson playing Legos
Wilson hanging out with Pat Pat & Paw's dog, Dixie.

A few minutes after this was taken Wilson looked at me and said, "Dixie licked me . . . I'm gonna lick her back." And he did.
Miller and Matthew having a Hawaiian fashion show

Better Late Than Never

I've gotten a little behind in posting lately. Oh sure, you knew about squirrel #2 hours after it happened, but how can I keep that kind of fun to myself. What I'm behind on are all of our day to day things- hopefully I'll get Memorial Day pictures posted before the Forth!

New to me

This came in the mail today. We'll take one of everything. Of special interest is this- I can't think of a better way to spend $109 on a 5 month old! Baby clothes that need to be dry cleaned- as Phil would say, "it's the answer to a question nobody asked"! But still, how cute is that!?

Here We Go Again. . .

I just got out of the shower. When I first got in I was running my hair under the water thinking this is nice. One kiddo is napping, the other is playing, I'm getting a shower- in the morning. And then I suddenly realized, something is missing. I was pretty anxious about this shower and had a nagging need to hurry up and get in the shower while said kiddos were occupied. Why was I in such a hurry . . . what have I forgotten . . . was there somewhere I was supposed to be? No . . . someone else is supposed to be in here! Jack is supposed to be getting a bath.

Why, you might ask, is it worth ruining the perfect shower scenario with a dog, how dirty could he be?

He could be covered in ashes and squirrel blood- that's how dirty he could be.

I ran out and called him into the shower for his bath.

Earlier this morning I was dressing Miller in her room and heard a bit of a commotion downstairs. This was the distinct commotion of Jack "finding something". Honestly I thought the something was probably in our yard, so I ran downstairs to save our blinds from his excitement. I hit the bottom stair only to see him doing an all too familiar dance in the fireplace. Not 15 minutes later out came a small rodent. It was stunned and so was Jack. Jack quickly recovered and went after it. The last thing I heard as I ran screaming was the crunching of bones. Ahhhhhhh

I tried to call Phil, but he couldn't get to his phone. So, I looked out the window and saw that both cars at our sweet new neighbor's house were both there. Fortunately they are also friends from church, so I didn't mind calling at 7:30 in the morning for help. They also are partners in our quest against the squirrel world. I'm not sure if Will and Phil spend more time shooting squirrels or doing yard work. But I do know that Will was in his driveway sporting a bathrobe and cheering Phil on yesterday morning as Phil picked yet another one off on his way to work! So Will's sweet wife sends him down to save us from the dead vermin in my den. They have now been bumped up to REALLY good friends because Will has seen me in my pajamas with no makeup on. But that's okay, because I've seen him running like a mad man down the street wielding a broom, golf club, and pellet gun. We're even. He came prepared to inflict blunt force trauma, take a clean shot through my living room, and/or takle any wiley dust bunnies under my sofa. I honestly couldn't be more thrilled. I had not even put my contacts in yet, so I wasn't really sure if we had a baby squirrel, rat, or chipmunk, but I did know that there was blood- Wilson had been running back and forth between the den and my bedroom to give me updates. Will scooped up the baby squirrel carcass with his golf club and I held out a Kroger bag with my eyes closed. He left with his arsenal and the bagged corpse after checking the chimney for any siblings still hanging on. So, I was left with the dog still hopping around in the fireplace (I'm pretty sure there's still something else up there) and a small pool of blood on the floor. Anyone know the correct home cleaning products for removing squirrel blood from stained concrete? I chose antibacterial Windex and Clorox Anywhere.

Will, I'm not sure if Hallmark has a "Thank you, neighbor, for saving us from the wildlife that fell out of our chimney and was subsequently killed by our dog" section, but if they do, I'll be sending you a card. Just in case they don't:

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!

Jack, less than thrilled about being hauled into the shower. I told him we take a bath after we murder, it's sort of house rule, but that didn't help his feelings a bit.

Flashback

1980

Maggie

1 year:

2008

Miller

4-1/2 months:

My mom's been cleaning out their attic over the past few days and has found quite a few of our old clothes and toys. Wilson has been over the moon with "new" trucks and cars, my old circus train and airport, my brother's old blocks and countless other toys and games. Every 10 minutes he wants to know what else Granna has in the attic for him. "What else haven't I seen?" We stood at the bottom of the attic as she pulled something out the other day and I had flashbacks of standing in the same spot with my little brother as she pulled down my old cozy coupe for him over 25 years ago. He stood there shaking with anticipation and didn't get out of the car for hours. The only way my mom could get him out for a bath was to promise him that it could be parked right beside him in the bathroom! Wilson stood there with the same quiver saying, "What's it gonna be?" like he was waiting for a prize to be revealed on the Price is Right. It was too fun. While he immersed himself in relics of the late 70's and 80's Miller and I played dress up. She completely filled the dress mom made me for my first birthday! There were so many other sweet things we tried to squeeze into, but apparently the only thing that rivals the growth of the actual weeds in my yard, is little weeds I call my children. Does anyone know if they make "queen size" onesies?