Day Eight: Home at Last!

Our daddy is home! We missed him so much while he was gone. As Iris says, "Now we don't have to be lonely anymore!" He had a great trip (stay tuned for pictures), but it's so nice to have our family complete again.

"My dad went to the Boundary Waters, and all I got was this lousy stick!"

Just Belaxin'

Going Fishin'

Day Seven: Friday Fun

We went to the duckie park this morning for a little playdate, and the kiddos had a great time. It was such a nice day, although a bit on the warm side. They were sweaty, covered in mulch from head to toe, and blissfully happy by the time we left.

Later in the afternoon, we got out the wading pool for some splashy times.

Lydia loved her first experience in the pool. It was fun to watch her grab for her toys - they kept floating away! Here's a little clip of her splashing around (Yes, that IS Iris flipping out in the background - ignore that!):

All in all, it's been a good week; although, by the end of today I could feel my patience beginning to wear a little thin. To quote our lovely daughter Iris, "I sure can't wait for our daddy to be home soon." I couldn't agree more. See you tomorrow!

Day Six: Spring Cleaning

This morning we tackled some minor outside cleaning chores. I tried to get a picture of Miss Elusive helping me sweep out the garage, but she seemed to vanish into thin air the moment I started waving that camera around.

After the garage, we moved on to cleaning out the car. Lydia said, "Cleaning cars is for punks," and headed inside to take a nap. So Iris and I had to finish the job by ourselves. Check out Iris washing the car:

A small, yet very, very tragic disaster befell Iris in the midst of all this cleaning. She biffed it in the street while pushing her shopping cart. Oh, my poor baby! I'm pretty sure every neighbor in a 30 mile radius heard her shrieks. She actually did get pretty hurt, though. The left side of her face looks like she got punched with a swift right hook, and of course the knees! Always the knees! I'm going to start making her wear knee pads when we go outside. Here's a picture of our sad girl:

But there's not much a Popsicle treat (not to mention a tasty cheese stick) can't cure, is there?

Day Five: Odds and Ends

Lydia's personality has exploded the past few days. Remember how before you left we were joking that you would come back, and she would be totally different? I think you are going to find that to be true. She is squealing, screeching, singing, and babbling all day long. And so opinionated - there's no question now about what she wants and doesn't want. Can I tell you how much I love her? It's like, she was just this baby that hung out and ate and slept and didn't do much of anything for months, and then suddenly seemingly overnight she became this person. I've been loving it! She wriggles and squirms and twists and rolls - her favorite thing to do lately is to push up as far as she can on her arms and then she lets go and rocks like a little airplane on her belly. Be prepared to be amazed by a whole new Lydia when you get home.

This week, Iris has been obsessed with marriage. I'm not sure what sparked this interest - maybe Skunk getting married on Little Bear? I don't know. The other morning, she tells me, "When I get bigger, I'm going to get a beautiful dress and marry my daddy!" Isn't that sweet? I laughed and explained that her daddy is already married - to me. Is she really big enough for us to be having these conversations? As much as I think it's silly and cute, a little bit of panic sets my heart racing. Will I know what to tell her when the REALLY big discussions come around? Sometimes I don't feel equipped for this job.

Iris: (observing me juggling a load of things up the stairs) Mommy, you need octopus arms so you can carry everything.

Wouldn't that be fabulous? Think of the multi-tasking I could do!

Lydia and I were sitting on the driveway a few days ago while Iris bopped around the cul-de-sac with P. At some point, he went and got his new basketball out to show her.

"Mommy! He's got a SPONGEBOB ball! Oh, ma-a-an! A SPONGEBOB ball, Mommy!! We don't LIKE Spongebob!" She shrieks, rolling her eyes in agony.

P. doesn't get what the fuss is all about. He, bless his heart, has no inkling about my Spongebob issues (how I think he is not a cartoon for small children - or ANY children, for that matter, and that this has been much discussed in our household). He just wanted to show Iris his cool new ball. Isn't she great? My teaching apparently has taken root..... I love it!

And of course, Iris' best moment so far this week was this:

She finally worked up the courage, after many failed attempts, to ask C. if she could have a ride in his jeep. I'm so proud of her bravery! She had a total blast. I wish you could have seen how adorable they looked going around the circle together. Truly, the highlight of her day!

Day Four: An Ordinary Tuesday

Today was an average day. Things moved along at their usual Tuesday pace. Iris created a masterpiece for you to hang at the office, but sadly it was destroyed this afternoon in a thundershower. We laid it out to dry in the garage and then left the garage door open. It disintegrated in a puddle of water. Whoops!

We took a little walk to the mini-park this morning, and it started sprinkling right when we got there, so we had to head for home rather quickly. Iris, however, picked you some lovely flowers along the way while Lydia gnawed on her grasshopper and made stealthy grabs at Iris. (I'm always trying to get a picture of that, by the way, but they move too quickly! It's so funny to watch.)

I discovered some forgotten library books a few days ago while straightening up the bookshelf, so this afternoon we took a trip to the library. I seem to be making a habit of acquiring late fees at the library. I think these books are on your card, though. Hee, hee! We went to the Thomas library, and Iris had a good time perusing books and playing in the playhouse. I love the set-up they have for kiddos there.

I was so proud of Iris tonight. While I was getting Lydia ready for bed, she picked up all the toys, set out her before bed books, and got her jammies on all by herself! She has been such a good help to me these past few days - I don't know what I would do without her.

Oh wait. I almost forgot.

The nicest part of the day happened right after lunch. The doorbell rang, and imagine my surprise when I opened the door to receive these:

Thank you so much for the flowers! When did you set this up, oh beloved husband of mine!? I will tell you, Iris was a little confused by the fact that the flowers have the same name as her. She carried one around the rest of the day, though, like a little signature piece. I want you to know, you totally deserved this trip because you work hard and you do such a great job taking care of our family. I couldn't ask for a better husband and daddy.

Day Three: Rain, Rain Go Away!

I woke up this morning to the sound of heavy rain. My heart sank as I realized that the storm which had raged all night was still going. Aaargh! Rain, rain go away. Come again another day....or never come again....that would be nice.

We had our first minor melt down regarding your absence today. I suggested we make waffles for breakfast. Iris thought that maybe pancakes would be a better choice. I calmly stated that waffles were my area of expertise - that you are the pancake maker in our household. Iris dropped to the floor, huge tears welling up in her eyes and wailed, "I WISH MY DADDY WAS HERE TO MAKE ME PANCAKES!"

Well.

You may think I attempted to make the pancakes, but I did not. We cuddled on the couch for a few minutes - me explaining your trip again and what you were doing and how you were missing her too. And then I made waffles, and they were lovely, and Iris devoured them.

The rest of the morning went smoothly. One (because at the moment I'm so sick of rain I can only think of one) nice thing about rainy days is that they are good days to build indoor tents to play in. Check out Iris in ours:

Around mid-morning the rain stopped, and we decided to head for the new mini-park despite the gloomy skies. We actually went on Friday evening after you left because from our backyard we could see kids playing there. No sooner had we arrived, however, than one of the association ladies came over and kicked everyone off. It seems some truant bigger kids had prematurely ripped off the yellow tape. Iris, as you know, has been chomping at the bit to get over there and play so she was a little disappointed. But I promised her that on Monday we would finally able to use the equipment and she was OK with that. So today we played and played. She was ecstatic! And the new playground set is pretty fabulous. Way better than what was there before, I must admit. I'm sure we will be spending a lot of time there this summer!

(I love Lydia's face in this picture. She's totally not sure about the situation)

Day Two: Sunday, Sunday

If you had been in our house this morning, dear daddy, you would have been rocking out to the tune of "She'll be Comin' 'Round the Mountain." Iris was and it looked a little like this:

She found that catchy tune on the Leapfrog Learning Table and played it obsessively over and over. Lydia just hung out and played with her toys like this:

Then we went to church. I had been debating over whether or not we were going to go, and I'm so glad we did. The message today spoke to me and was so appropriate in light of what we've been discussing. We'll have to get the sermon tape so you can listen for yourself. It was pouring buckets as we were leaving prompting lots of conversation in the car about floods and Noah's Ark. Iris suggested we might want to use her hippo floaty to navigate all the water!

After nap, the weather was warm and sultry. Perfect for.....the wading pool! Yep, Iris had her first swim of the season this afternoon. We had to have a little talk, however, before things could proceed. I turned around after filling the pool to find Iris stripping down! I informed her that we DO NOT take our clothes off outside. There will be NO nudity OUTSIDE! The six year old neighbor boy was roaming around out there, for goodness sake!

Iris got the message and her bathing suit and all was well. She had a great time- here's a little glimpse:

We had a fun day, but we missed you!

Day One: Just Hanging out in the Backyard

Todd is off on a fishing trip braving the vast, wild, unspeakably beautiful country that is the Boundary Waters. While he is communing with nature in its most primitive form (No cellphones! No TV! No bathrooms! Yikes!), we will be here - missing him. It's going to be a lo-ong week with no daddy in the house. So here's the start of our week long diary: Hopefully when you see this, Todd, you'll feel like you didn't miss a thing!

(tucking Iris into bed for the night)

Me: Let's pray for daddy to have a safe trip and that he will catch lots of fish.

Iris: I hope daddy doesn't bring home a whale!

Attack of the Orange

We had a rather dramatic episode happen during lunch today.

I sliced up an orange for Iris to eat with her peanut butter sandwich. Innocent enough, right? I get Iris settled at the table and start feeding Lydia. She likes to stick her fingers in her mouth, so we usually feed with one hand and hold her hands down with the other. Everything is proceeding normally. All of a sudden, I happen to notice that Lydia has little welts like mosquito bites forming on the top of her fingers all the way up her arm. That's strange, I think to myself, but continue feeding away. We finish up and I'm wiping her face and when I go to wipe her little hands I see that she is starting to be COVERED in these welts and they're getting bigger and now her face is starting to break out as well. Suddenly, it clicks - I didn't wash my hands after I sliced that orange and I bet she's having an allergic reaction to the juice! Everywhere I touched her was covered in bright red hives. So what did I do? Well, I called my sister of course! She is always so helpful in situations like these (thanks Em). She suggested washing her down (I did) and calling my doctor to see about whether Lydia could take some Benedryl (I did and she could). Disaster averted! I put her down for a nap, and by the time she woke up the welts had faded away completely. Can you believe it? Our little miss sensitive skin was totally unperturbed during the whole ordeal. I, although outwardly fairly calm, was inwardly freaking out just a teensy bit. I mean, if TOUCHING her could provoke such a reaction, can you imagine what might happen if she EATS one?!?

Lesson learned: Oranges, while seemingly harmless fruit, can be very, very dangerous.....

I came across this picture recently of Iris (on right) taken about the time she started sitting up by herself. I was surprised by how much Lydia (on left) actually does resemble Iris. Aren't they cute? It's so weird to see Lydia sitting up and playing with toys because it doesn't seem possible that she is big enough to be doing that yet!

Rolling, rolling, rolling......

For your viewing pleasure: Lydia rolling over! she rolled over front to back for a week at ten weeks old, and then was like, "Hmmmm....I'm over that", and has rolled over only sporadically since then. And by sporadically, I mean basically never! I was starting to really believe that I was going to have the only baby in the history of the world that NEVER rolled over. What baby sits up alone BEFORE rolling over?? On Monday, however, she just started doing it. So casually too, as if she'd been doing it forever. Like, what's the fuss all about? Now I'm on my tummy - oh! now I'm on my back. What's up, mom? The little stinker! Now I have a hard time keeping her on her tummy.....

Mommy: (teasing and goofing around) I think you should....hmm....pick Lydia's nose!

Iris: (shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly) No thanks.

Mommy: (feigning shocked surprise) You don't want to pick her nose?

Iris: (matter of factly) We-ell.....I'm not a big picker.

Mommy: You're not, huh?

Iris: We-ell....daddy always says, (beginning to sing) "Don't stick your finger up your nose......"

Just in case there's any confusion about where Lydia gets her looks...........

.......she's the spitting image of her Grandpa Tony - they even share the same hairstylist!

Birthday Party Fun

Iris: Year in Review

Happy Birthday Iris!

Our little lovey is three today!

Iris: Mommy, Lydia is just wiggley, wiggley wack!

(referring to Lydia's antics while getting her diaper changed)

A New Bike

Iris got to pick out a new bike this past weekend as part of an early birthday present and was so excited! We've been laughing, however, because she keeps telling us that she will be taking good care of it by NOT leaving it on the driveway behind Daddy's truck. (We had an incident last summer with a certain red tricycle being smashed behind this very truck.) So every day we've been out with the new bike, and it's been fun. Good-bye baby, hello big kid!

Iris in full biking get-up. It seems that it just isn't possible to actually bike unless you are wearing helmet AND elbow pads AND knee pads!

The bike! Pink, of course. No other color bike will do. She's the only girl so far on our cul-de-sac, and I love to see her girly little bike amongst all the rough and tough boy bikes.

Daddy helping Iris practice pedaling. He's such a good daddy and much more patient that I am. This pedaling thing is tricky! Iris is so accommodating though. Cheerfully, "I can just use my feet, mommy. Don't worry, they work really well." And then she slowly, ever so slowly inches her way around the circle using just her toes to propel herself - stopping for frequent drink breaks using her handy new pink water bottle because biking works up a thirst!

The Stroller

We took a trip down to Old Town St. Charles yesterday afternoon despite cloudy, threatening skies to get some ice cream and browse the bookstore there. I am always up for being able to use our double stroller (Is it ridiculous to love a stroller so much?). We got the girlies strapped in and started heading over the worn, broken sidewalk towards the ice cream parlor. Strolling along, I glanced down at our daughters and laughed out loud! Lydia, with a look of supreme satisfaction on her face, has got Iris' coat sleeve clenched firmly in her tiny fist. Iris is trying in vain to wrench it away from her.

You see, Lydia loves Iris - is fascinated by her, and she wants desperately to just TOUCH her. However, every time Iris sees those little arms reaching for her, she bolts away. To the other side of the couch, the room - wherever she can go to escape those loving hands. It's not that she minds Lydia being near her, she just doesn't want Lydia touching her in any capacity. BUT in the stroller, our lovely double stroller, Iris can't go anywhere - she's stuck. Lydia is able to touch and touch to her hearts content. Which she totally does much to her big sister's deep chagrin.

We continued our jaunt - Lydia triumphant, Iris resigned, Todd and I amused at our silly sisters!

One of the best things about being a parent is.......

Little upturned faces I can smooch whenever I want!

Oh, Iris!

This evening........

(.....sounds of Daddy running the saw outside........)

Iris: (sitting at the supper table listening) Is that Daddy's bottom?

This morning........

Iris: Daddy, go get my backyardigan chair!

Daddy: Iris, you're able to get it yourself . I think it's in the garage.

Iris: (in desperation) Noooo, you go get it..I want you to get it! I caaan't get it!

Daddy: (ever so patiently) Iris, I can help you, but how can you ask me nicely without whining?

Iris: (resigned) Daddy, I just can't stop whining.

SELF-LOVE: Lydia discovers herself in the mirror

Random Pictures

I was so excited to get these pictures of Iris pushing Lydia on the swing. Iris occasionally can be an elusive subject if she thinks I'm going to take her picture and she doesn't want me to. Note how sneaky (and far away) I had to be to actually get the shot. I had to catch her when she wasn't paying attention! What I wish I had videotaped instead and what you can't hear is Lydia laughing hysterically at Iris as she's pushing her. It was so cute it almost broke my heart! It is especially touching because Iris rarely chooses to interact with Lydia and today she asked if she could be the one to push her. So, I think Iris is finally starting to warm up a bit. I think it helps that Lydia LOVES her - and who wouldn't like being the focus of all that adoration? I can't wait for Lydia to grow up a little so they can REALLY play together......