Happy Birthday

Today you are two and I cannot believe it. Where has the time gone? It amazes me that I have you to love, care for, cuddle with, play with, and nurture. It is the joy and wonderment of my life that I get to watch you grow and grow until someday you'll be too big to hold.

Your dad and I say to each other almost everyday how lucky we are. We think you are going to be an amazing person. So kind, sweet, and fun. You even apologize to the fan when you bump it with your baseball bat. What two year-old does that? You are so cute when you want to share something with us. "Mama, look," "Daddy, watch," are currently two of your favorite phrases. You are so proud of yourself and so am I.

If the coming years are anything like the last two, then my heart will surely burst. Happy, happy birthday sweet little boy.

Love forever,

Mom.

Springalicious

I know, I know. Everybody loves this time of year so why risk sounding redundant? Because spring is freakin' awesome and I have to enjoy it while it's here. St. Louis has an uncanny way of shooing spring into summer before you can say 'where's my frizz serum?'. Here are a few reasons why I can't get enough of Spring these days.


1. Honeysuckle
If you could only scratch and sniff this picture you would realize what amazing smells we've had wafting into our kitchen from the backyard for about 4 days now. We are lucky enough to have a massive honeysuckle vine all along the eastern perimeter of our yard. Not only does it smell like heaven, but it gives us a bit of privacy. Nice when I'm trying to not-so-discreetly breastfeed Eva on the back porch while letting Will run around the yard.

2. Walks in the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I realize that I am a little slow sometimes, but an entire morning at the Bot Gardens and no pictures of the flowers in bloom? Not so bright. Will, Eva and I had a lovely playdate with Heather and Eleanor at the Gardens today and we'll be going back as much as we can while it's nice. I did get a cute photo of Eva in her car seat though. I'll do better with scenery pics next time, I promise.

3. Celebrations: another year of life and a new life in Christ. Will's 2 yr. birthday party and Eva's baptism will be taking place on the same weekend in a little over a week. I am so looking forward to having family and friends in town and only wish my parents lived closer =(. We haven't decided yet what we're getting for Will, but Eva's baptism gift was getting her ears pierced. I didn't take a photo of her getting them done (seemed cruel- who wants a picture of their child getting a shot? which is essentially what it's like) but here is one after we got home. She really did awesome- only cried while they were doing it and was fine immediately after. Click on the photo to see the earings better.

Happy Spring, e'rybody!

Stuff

So I have atleast 5 blog posts swimming around in my head and I will never get them written unless I just summarize these thoughts and reports now:

-Eva's 6 month check up went well, minus some number corrections: she is in the 10th% in height and weight and was last month as well but they told me 30th%. This makes much more sense. Eva is an itsy bitsy spider. She started solids last month, is rolling around like crazy, and is pushing herself up while on her tummy. Two mobile children, here we come.




-Will is in his bed crying hysterics after 2 times rocking and one more telling him it's time to go to sleep. He is clearly tired but simply refuses to sleep. He hates naps about 50% of the time. Wish I could change this.



-I've been running for the past two weeks and I can now leap tall buildings in a single bound. Not really, but that would be fun. The first few times were kinda hard (especially pushing the ox-cart that is my stroller/children) but it's getting easier and easier. I decided that something had to be done because my waistline was refusing to return to it's pre-child days despite nursing (I'd even take pre-Eva waist).

-Bach Society and Symphony Chorus seasons have now come to an end. It was my 6th season with BSSL (Bach Society of St. Louis) and my 1st with SLSC (St. Louis Symphony Chorus). I am definitely planning a seperate post for my thoughts on Symphony Chorus because it was an unparalleled experience for me. I wish I could put you all in my pocket during rehearsals and concerts so you could see. Please come to a concert. It's really for your own good.

-I need a day off. Many of you wonder why I let Rodney go camping and it's really a practical reason. It is my way of putting money in the bank. When I feel that I need a day all to me, I don't feel so bad for taking it. There was an article in Parenting Magazine this month urging moms to take a day and explaining how to actually do it. My perfect day would involve good friends, good food, a manicure/pedicure, maybe some shopping. Any other moms want to join? Now, if only it was REAL money in that "bank"...

My Little Sponge

Well, it happened. Will is no longer the dog-like, non-understanding creature that he was for so long. Today he finished a song that apparently I've sung quite a bit in his short lifetime because he knew the next line (and I honestly can't remember the last time I sang it).


Me, getting crumbs off of Will's hands after dinner: "Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake."


Will: "Shake your bootie"


Thank you, Will for making my day.

Love, Mom.

Last Week in Review

Last week was a busy one. And yet, lots of fun. Here's the shakedown/summary of the fun times.

Rodney Turns 30 On the 30th. Complete with an early pre-dawn breakfast, dinner with friends and fam at the Royale, and a "score" on the gift (I got him a Book of Common Prayer and Bible in one) it was a memorable golden birthday.

After our Pre-Dawn Breakfast

Yard Sale. We participated in the neighborhood wide yard sale on Saturday to unload some unwanted stuff. Glad we stayed open till the last minute cause we made most our money in the last 5 minutes. We didn't get rid of everything, but the money we did make we promptly spent it on Trivia Night a few hours later.

Anybody Wanna Buy a Plant Stand?

Trivia Night. Rodney's student service group, Project Badili held their 2nd anual trivia night to raise money for this year's service trip to New Orleans. Glad I'm not having a baby this year because he will NOT be allowed to travel while I'm pregnant in the future (you'll recall that Rodney was scheduled to travel to Africa with this group when my water broke 7 weeks early). Anyway, OUR TABLE WON 2ND PLACE!!! Being a geek is sometimes fun. Rodney and his co-workers did an amazing job. I had a really good time.

The Dream Team

Feverishly Working on Answers (Yes, this one's posed)

Zoo With Good Friends. Laura and I decided that Will and Emma (their youngest who is a month older than Will) should get married because then we could share grandkids. I like it. Emma Malone has a certain ring to it.

Will with Future Wife