Mother's Day

They call me Mom.  Does it get any better than that?

Spring in the Gardens

Last Sunday, we had family pictures taken at the Virginia Tech Horticulture Gardens.  It was a hot and sticky day but we got so many fantastic shots.  Enjoy!

 

A very special thank you to Liz McNeil of Keleigh Photography for the beautiful work!

Busy Bodies

Life is pretty busy these days.  Here is a glimpse of a couple of weekend mornings when everyone is in a good mood.

Not really sure where to start...the longer I go between posts, the more I end up putting it off because there is so much to tell.


And as I say that, I notice it is 9:51pm on Sunday night....not going to start a post now.  
Enjoy the videos!

**Oh want a laugh and a taste of what we are dealing with on a daily basis...look at minute 2:00 on the second video.

Nate,The Alpine Great

Alberto Tomba and Johnny Mosley have got nothing on this kid!

In Awe

I know I am not the first mother to watch her child with awe and wonder but this kid is just the most amazing, most beautiful, most intelligent little thing ever.

For the first time since she was a baby, Alice was so under the weather today that she slept most of the day.  She has had a fever and threw up a number of times this morning/afternoon.  She has never been the type of kid to let others do things for her but today  she flat out refused food and medicine and said that she "couldn't walk very well" so she was carried from couch to bed and back.   She woke up about an hour ago and is now sitting across the room from me nursing some ginger ale, apple sauce, and goldfish.  (the unfortunate part of this is that it is 9:00 and her usual bedtime was and hour ago)

Anyway, back to the amazement and wonder.  I sit and watch Alice as often as I can.  I especially love watching her when she does not know I am watching her....in the rear view mirror in the car, while she is doing an art project at the kitchen table, and right now as she is sitting in my chair with her picnic tray watching TV.   I am continually surprised at the things that come out of her mouth.  Her sass is shocking but her smarts are even more so.  

I had planned to share a number of examples but my girl has just notified me that she will be ready to go back to bed after Dora.  She did just tell me "I is not scared anymore because I am with you."  Once in a while she will tell me that she loves me...I make sure to tell her as often as I can.

Que Sera Sera

Of course John and I will be supportive of whatever Alice, Ben, and Coop decide to be when they grow up but if their personalities are any sign, we think we know what will be.  (note: I am willing to bet that I can name the people who broke into song when they read the title of this post. (and Tim, you are not so far from her yourself!))

Alice - The Hostage Negotiator or Lawyer.  She has mastered the art of answering questions without really answering questions.  Here is a typical conversation on the way home from school:
John or Me (C/J): How was your day Alice?
Alice (A): Good
C/J: What did you do?    
A: Played
C/J: What did you play with?
A: Lots of things
C/J: Who did you play with?
A: My Friends
C/J: What did you have for lunch?
A: Food
C/J: What kind of food?
A: Sandwiches

You get the idea.  I really do not even thing she is trying to be evasive, it is just what makes the most sense to her.  Add in her magnificent talent for stalling and she is most definitely who I would want on my side of the table.  Last night, as I was putting her back to bed again; she asked me if I would sleep with her and hold her.  When I said No (Because I already did for 25 minutes) she looked at me and said "But I like you so so much, Mommy".

Ben - The Actor/Singer.   Ben grins at you the moment you walk into a room, he enjoys standing on his "mark", and claps for everything. He also spends a lot of time working on his vocal range.  He makes this gurgling sound that sort of sounds like Chewbacca all the time.  He experiments with different pitches and volumes and will practice for an entire car ride.

Coop - The Athlete.  Cooper is a machine!  At 10 months old he weighs in at a very solid 27 pounds.  He is a master at obstacle courses usually going over and through instead of around things in his way.  He is ridiculously fast and has already outrun my attempts to close the bathroom door before he gets to it.  The amount of food he puts away in one sitting makes me weep at the idea of future grocery bills.  I sincerely hope he does not want to play football but if he really does, he will be awesome.

And just to show how different they are from each other...

Alice, Ben, and Coop at 10 months

Sickos

We all have been sick for the last couple of weeks.  First, Ben started with a cold last week and gave it to Coop.  Coop then took it to the extreme and developed double ear and double eye infections.  Just about the time his antibiotics started working, John and I were hit hard.  Alice has made it through with only a slight cough.  To say there has been a lack of sleep in our home is an understatement.

Lots of mobility changes with the boys - both are crawling and are getting fast.  Alice moved up at school and is doing fantastic.  More on all of it when I am feeling better.

Enjoy the videos - I am going to take a nap. 
Be sure to listen to what Alice says in the first video (2:20 mark).  I almost choked on my coffee.(For the record, she couldn't really see what she said she could see)

A Case of the Mondays

This is how we found our children at the end of the day.....

 

It's going to be a long week.