we went to the zoo

We took the kids to the zoo yesterday. We, as in Ryan and I. It's a rare event these days that we do anything as a family of four. It is nice to have a normal work schedule again so we can enjoy our weekend together. It was also nice to enjoy an outing pre-baby...a four and two year old are relatively low maintenance and I'm enjoying it while I can.

So, the zoo. It's a small one, thankfully. Just the right size for a four and two year old. It was not without mishap (a leaky diaper on the way there) or tantrum (Mia didn't want to stop riding the carousel). And, at the end of the day, we carried two crying children to the car who weren't satisfied with their pick from the gift shop and who also fell asleep before we hit the freeway. But what is an outing with small children if there aren't problems with bodily fluids and loss of limb control? By the way, holding onto a thrashing two year old isn't easy when she really, really, really wants to ride the "kitty" which happens to actually be a red panda. 

Laci's favorite was the lion and I think Mia's favorite was riding the carousel. Miraculous since she was terrified of the carousel at the fair just a month ago. Mia also managed to look at the animals without trembling in fear, something else she wasn't able to do at the fair last month. She is turning into such a big girl lately. 

And now, here's a bunch of pictures of the back of my kids' heads, and maybe a few from the front. A few of Ryan, a few of the animals, and, as always, the disclaimer that I was in fact there, although I'm not in a single picture. Because if it weren't for me, these pictures wouldn't exist.

 

~ red panda aka "Kitty" ~

~ strangest looking tortoise I have ever seen ~

 

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.

time and energy and who's gonna clean the toilet

 It's perfectly normal to think I have the most beautiful children ever, right?

I wish I had the time and energy to spend more time here, blogging, recording little pieces of our life.  A third pregnancy should come with daily bursts of energy.  Enough energy to take care of two other children, grow a new human being, clean the house, and do a few things that are fun, like blogging.  BUT, it does NOT come with bursts of energy.  You know what it comes with?  Hormones.  Lots of them.  And hormones bring out emotions, and tiredness, and all things opposite of "getting stuff done."  At least that's how it feels for me.

At this exact moment, there are about a million things I could talk about.  IF I wasn't so tired and overwhelmed by all the things.  All.  The.  Things.  That I feel like I need to do.

You know who doesn't feel overwhelmed?  Kids.  Because they truly know how to live in the moment.  They wake each morning with energy because they aren't thinking about a jillion little things that don't really matter.  They are just thinking, "Wahoo, it's a new day to play!!"  I envy them at times.  I should probably spend more time playing, except then who would clean the toilet?

And with that, I think it's time to give up thinking for the night and just go to bed.

just a few snaps from labor day

With a long weekend like Labor Day weekend, one would think I would have taken many, many pictures.  Well, one would be wrong.  As it turns out, I took pictures for exactly one hour.  Yes, just one hour of the entire weekend.  And that was plenty...sort of.  I didn't get any pictures of the adults, and Miss Harper managed to evade me enough that I only got the back of her adorable head.  But I have a few, and here they are.

corn husking lesson from grammy

 

one of us was too eager to wait until the corn was cooked

 

harper was too busy watching her cousins to look at me

fresh tomatoes from the garden

cousins swinging...it's tough being the oldest sometimes

summer evenings

Summer for us means Ryan works a lot, and usually on the evening shift.  I play single momma in the evenings, doing the dinner-bath-bed routine alone.  It isn't my favorite.  And if I'm being completely honest, most evenings are spent at my parents' house where I have a few extra hands to help.  But, a good number are spent at home, too.  Just us three girls together.  It isn't terrible.  The girls are usually pretty good about going to bed, as long as I can get them to eat more than two bites of dinner and can get them tired enough from playing.

This summer, more than ever, I truly enjoyed many of the quiet evenings we had at home together, even if I was usually exhausted and ready for them to go to bed an hour before it actually happened.  I laugh at Mia's antics during dinner, where I'm certain she burns more calories than she consumes.  I take cute pictures and videos and send them to Ryan at work  We sit together on the couch after bath time, sometimes reading books, sometimes watching TV.  They ask me to sing to them, which is laughable if you knew how terrible I sing.  Even Mia, who hasn't allowed me to sing since she was a year old, will ask for Baby Beluga or Twinkle Twinkle.  Yes, since age one, Mia hasn't liked my singing.  If I tried to sing a note to her, she would cover my mouth and shake her head.  As horrible as I know I sound, it makes me happy to know the sound of my voice can still soothe her.  And eventually, they both fall asleep and I am amazed at how quiet the house becomes.

A few nights ago, both girls had fallen asleep on the couch around me.  I looked at them, like I always do, except it suddenly hit me how they won't be little like this for long.  I mean, I know time is passing quickly, it isn't like I forgot that part.  It's just that sometimes, the truth just hits you like a brick, and suddenly I was glad we waited a year to put Laci in school, and I'm glad I have these evenings at home with the girls even if it feels too hard sometimes.  Because I won't be able to do this forever.  And as much as I love seeing them grow and learn and change, a part of me wants them to stay just the way they are.

***

A few weeks ago, Beth was in New York for work and we decided to "help" Grammy water Beth's yard.  I'll just let the pictures tell the story.

 

 

 

And now, to enjoy the last bit of summer while it's here.