may 15

After dinner tonight, I called off cleaning the kitchen. I have an amazing husband willing to wash dishes for me, but I made him hold the baby while I spent 15 minutes taking pictures of my girls. I'm still plugging away at my 365 project, with a new word prompt each day. Today's word was whimsical. So, I put butterfly and ladybug wings on my kids and made them go outside to play. 

Doesn't everyone do this? They should. 

They decided to play hide and seek, a game not well suited to two year olds. Mia's counting is commendable, but goes something like "11, 12, 14, 17, here  I come!" And her "hiding" is more like standing with her back turned to the "finder."  But it was fun for them, and entertaining for me, at least for the five minutes they were able to focus on a single game. 

And then, the sun peeked out from the clouds for just a few minutes. 

It was sort of the icing on the cake for me. 

may 7

We are in the middle of a ladybug explosion. They are everywhere. And in various life stages. Until a week ago, I had no idea ladybugs morphed like they do. Or, maybe I learned it long ago but have forgotten. Either way, it's been an educational week for us.  I thank "the googles" for my newfound knowledge. 

(All pics taken with my iPhone and Olloclip.)

storms and sunshine

Life is unpredictable. That's usually where the difficulty lies, in the events you didn't expect to happen.

My dad's surgery went well. Very well. Unfortunately, he has developed a somewhat unrelated infection that is keeping him in the hospital longer than planned. He is too far away to visit, and even if he weren't, his infection isn't something I need to expose myself or my family to. My mom is with him, as she should be, and we all miss them. 

Here at home, Laci started running a fever Friday afternoon. She's had some stomach issues and a persistent fever, although it was much better today and I feel like she is finally getting healthy.  Mia is healthy at the moment, though I haven't let down my guard. The house is well-stocked with towels and bowls in strategic locations, and I have plenty of Tylenol and Advil.  Just in case. And Ryan and I are tired. We haven't slept much in the past three nights. 

This hasn't been the easiest weekend, but surely not the most difficult I've ever experienced. Not even close. So, I'll continue to dig deep for patience with my children, for energy to keep up with life, and fill in the gaps with coffee. 

So, since this was a dark, stormy weekend, both literally and figuratively, I'm rewinding to a couple of weeks ago when the sun was shining and warm and we planted flowers and seeds in the yard.

Yes, it was even warm enough to play in the water.

And, at the risk of sounding entirely too poetic (sappy), don't we all grow best after a good storm?

(Sunflower sprout - photo taken yesterday)

we need jackets

Early one morning last week, the girls wanted to go outside to play.  It was sunny, but certainly not warm.  In their nightgowns, they wrapped their blankets around their shoulders like shawls, put on pretty red shoes (because that's what girls do), and played on the dirt pile.  I warned them they would be cold.  They assured me that their blankets would keep them warm.

Ten minutes later, they returned to the back door.

"We're cold," they said.  "We need jackets."

"Maybe you need pants," I suggested.

Mia stared at me a few seconds and said, "No, just jackets."

Because wearing pants outside in the cold is clearly a ridiculous idea.

get outside

Just a few pictures from Friday afternoon when I threw my children outside and told them to "Run, run, run!"  Sickness and rain and wind and cold and laziness have kept us cooped up too much lately.  So, while Noah napped, the girls and I soaked up some sunshine, and ran, and climbed rock hills and sand hills, and found holes the dogs had dug and called them "fox holes," and fought off crazy mosquitoes.  

And it was fun.

some summer pictures and random news

Just a bunch of pictures from a random summer evening, except not completely random because, dude, my children are properly clothed.  It's a rare occasion these days, so I thought I should take advantage.  Of course, wearing nice clothes does not, in any way, deter them from digging in the dirt, standing in the water play table, climbing mountains of gravel, or just tromping around the yard with a giant stick.  And I like it that way.

Ahh, dear summer, you are coming to an end.  Tonight marks the last night Ryan will work second shift, and the beginning of his first full weekend off since early July.  I am grateful to have survived another summer, a ridiculously hot summer, and am looking forward to cooler evenings as a complete family.

Other random news of our household:

Mia cut a new molar on the top, which explains her extra wild behavior and poor sleep habits the past few weeks.  One down, three more to go.

Laci has asked me, "How big is that going to get?" in regards to my belly.  She has also informed me that she does not like babies and would prefer for baby brother to stay inside forever.

I have decided that there needs to be another way for babies to be born.  Although I've done this twice before, I'm not so eager to do the whole labor/childbirth thing a third time.  I'm hoping instincts and adrenaline will kick in to get me through.  I'm also hoping to make it to the hospital in time, I don't want to have a baby in the car.  And even as I write this, the idea of a fourth child has entered my mind.  Ryan says we are done.  Hmmm....

As for Ryan, I'm guessing he's just excited to be done working so much overtime.

And, well, I think that covers the basics for the Edwards tonight.  Here's to hoping I'll find the time to post the rest of our summer pictures before winter arrives.

summer garden

Mom downsized her garden this year to just four raised bed planters.  Usually she plants enough veggies to feed half the town.  And while I know she loves to share her produce with half the town, it takes a ton of work and we gently suggested that it might be a little too much this summer.  After much prodding, she agreed and I think she might actually be enjoying the lighter workload.

And based on these pictures, the girls only care about the carrots and radishes anyway.  For the record, these ARE a baby carrot variety, but even they shouldn't be this small.  It seems they haven't got the memo about waiting for the veggies to grow for more than a few days before plucking them from the ground.

 

And these few blueberries...

...are already long gone.