Oh brother!

My brother, his wife, and two beautiful daughters visited us this weekend.  It was so nice to see my brother.  I loved talking to him, Jeanne (my SIL), and my nieces.  It just reminded me (again) of  how important family is, and how wonderful it is to spend time with your family!  My family is spread across the US (or, used to be when we lived in Cali) and so it is not so easy to get together, especially because we all have lives of our own (how novel!).

Bode and Gianna have never met my brother or his family. So when they visited the Berkshires last week, they made a point of visiting us (even though they had to drive through bad weather and winding roads). 

We went out to dinner.  It is hard to pick a place suitable for 2 toddlers, 2 teenagers, and 4 adults.  I decided on the Circus Cafe, because it has a little bit of everything on the menu, and it is very family friendly (anything with "circus" in the name is fit for our family).

Bode tricked his uncle into thinking that he was light enough to be carried around downtown (until I informed my brother that Bode is in fact, 45 lbs, and very capable of walking on his own).

It is hard to  believe that so much time passes between seeing your very own family.  I used to be close to my brother...I still am, and always will be, but it is funny how life changes us.  But it doesn't change us so much, because I know that if my brother were reading this over my shoulder, he'd be rolling his eyes and reading this out loud in a comical, snot-nosed voice (supposedly imitating the way I talk, in his mind, at least).

My nieces are the deadly combination of beautiful and sweet. (Don't change, girls!)  I think the last time I spent time with them was when they returned from England. They were 2 and 4.  Today they are 13 and 15.  Family members say that Keara (right) looks like me when I was a teenager.  I can see glimpses, but really, my first thought is, "No way. She is so much prettier than I ever was!"  It is a real compliment to me to hear family  say that she has a look of me.  Maggie (left) is pretty and confident, in that she says what is on her mind, boom.  They are unique, lovely girls and I love that they are my nieces! (Don't change!)

A giant plate of cotton candy for dessert

My brother walked Gianna around the restaurant when she got antsy. I was able to sit, eat and talk to everyone during the entire meal (a luxury!).

After dinner, we parted ways, but not without promising to see each other again soon.

See ya.

It is a fact that my mother dying has brought my brothers and sisters in constant communication, since we don't have "Mom" keeping us all informed about each other.  I guess that is one positive that came out of losing my mother.

Hug your loved ones, keep them close.

xo

Mia Gianna's second 2nd birthday

Yesterday, Nana and Aunt Dawnie paid us a visit.  We had a lovely time together.  We also celebrated Gianna's birthday (again!).

Even though it is not Bode's birthday, Bode got a few presents, too.  Bode got a new bike from his Nana.  RWF took it for a spin.

Aunt Dawnie brought Bode a special box of shells from Myrtle Beach.  He loves opening up the box and looking at all the different shells.

(This is so cute. I wish it had been cropped better when I took it!)

See ya

Another lovely family day. I'm getting spoiled, having so many visits from family lately.  I think August is going to be a long month, with no "planned activities" for the kiddos and waiting for this baby to arrive!

xo

A Day in the Life (Bode today)

I go to his room in the morning. It starts out with him accusing me.  "Mommy, why did you take me to that place? Those piggies were biting each other. I didn't rike it."  After a few questions, I realize it is a dream.  He is starting to remember his dreams.  Sometimes they are bad dreams, and those are hard to explain away.  He talks about dreams like they are real, actual events.

After breakfast, I drop him at camp. It is real camp and he spends a ton of time outdoors, in the woods, walking and exploring with his friends.

My favorite part of today?  Picking him up and seeing his bare feet and legs covered in dirt.  "Mommy, we walked Baby Bear (a trail).  We saw a lot of frogs! And a samander (salamander)! I didn't rike the samander though."

After a nap, he requests a smoothie.  I ask him what fruit goes into the smoothie.  But, there are too many choices, and he starts getting confused. So I have to play Mean Mommy and just pick the fruit for him, dumping it into the blender.

We go outside and he rides his bike.  He pulls a wagon behind him.  "Look, Mommy!  This is my bike trailer!"

And then, a cool breeze ushers in a surprise shower.  Bode grins, and runs like a maniac, around and around and around.  "C'mon, Gianna! Race with me!"

Dinner, and then a bath.  When I wasn't paying attention, he kept sneaking more and more cars into the bathtub.  Later, after he went to bed, this is what the bathtub looked like:

He is growing up so fast. He absorbs everything, and then spits it back out at me when I least expect it. I'm constantly surprised by what he thinks and says.  If I complain about the heat, he says, "Don't worry, it will cool off soon."  When he makes these type of statements, I think, "I really, really have to watch what I say."  He is super sensitive, very smart, and oh so lovable.  

xo

In a corner

No, no.  Mah preshus is not in any kind of trouble*.  She just chooses to be a big girl and sit on a stool that just happens to be in a corner.

I feel like she looks in these photos.  Kind of stuck, kind of looking around, like, "What next?"  I feel like I have a million things to do, little time to do those million things and very little energy to do those million things.  Not to mention that there are two other little people who need me, first and foremost.

Despite these feelings, I plan to relax with RWF, BWF, and MGF this weekend. My family is most important, and all that matters to me. 

I hope that you spend the weekend enjoying what you love.

Happy Friday.
xo

* Just so that we're clear: I'd never stick my child(ren) in a corner for "punishment."

Morning traffic jam

On our way to camp in the morning, we are always stopped for horse crossings.  I love seeing the beautiful horses walking from stables to tracks.  This weekend is opening weekend for the race track.  I hope to expose the babies to the horses a little more during this race season (without, you know, the crazy race atmosphere).

After we dropped Bode at camp, Gianna and I took Priscilla for a walk. Priscilla is getting more stubborn about going outside.  I feel bad that she is so miserable, but also insist on "kicking her out" first thing in the morning.  She usually clings to the side of the back door until I let her back in again.  I can't always get her to the dog park, and she refuses a walk around our neighborhood with me (the flies!). Sometimes she wakes me at 2 or 3 AM because she needs to go the bathroom. This is not an ideal situation for any of us. 

See ya

I'm ready for camp to be over.  Bode is suddenly speaking differently. It is a combination of a baby voice (think, "wittle" for "little") and a New Yawk accent ("buttah" for "butter") (combined example, "I wan a wittle peanut buttah on mah sanwich!").  I can only imagine that this new style of speaking is coming from a camp friend. It unnerves me.  I am constantly correcting him, as I will not have him speaking like that.  

Happy Thursday.

xo

Hello my name is

So.  When your stomach gets soooo big from pregnancy, it kind of has a mind of its own and it definitely takes on a space of its own. I am so clumsy and awkward right now. I'm constantly bumping into my children, Priscilla, doorways, etc. The other night, RWF was watching TV.  I walked by his chair and I bumped into his elbow.  When I felt  his elbow jab me in the stomach, I glared at him like he had done it on purpose. He looked at me and said, "It was you! Not me!"  True, true.

This afternoon, unbeknownst to me, I was walking around with a name tag slapped across my belly.    When I finally noticed it, I wondered, "How did that get there?"  And then I remembered when I was putting Bode down for a nap, he was talking to my stomach, to "Nichoras,"  saying stuff like, "Okay, okay, you can have that name. You like that name? B-O-D-E! Bode. But your name is not Bode. But you can have that name." Etc.  I wasn't really paying attention then. But I do remember Bode saying stuff like that.

I was desperate to put Bode down for a nap so that I could nap.  So I was listening, but not really, you know, paying attention. (Mother of the Year! Nominate me now!) 

Also, in terms of the name of the baby, and naming him "Nichoras," I'm trying to be quiet. I don't want to give too much weight to "Nichoras" but I also don't want to dash Bode's hopes for the name, confuse Bode, etc. So when he starts talking to "Nichoras," I just  let him go.

The name tag was from Bode's camp this morning. I guess Bode put it on me.  Maybe "Nichoras" asked for the name tag. I'm not sure.  When I asked Bode about it later, and started to remove the name tag from my shirt, he said, "No, no! I want it to stay there."  So I left it there until Bode went to bed tonight.

I did ask Bode to snap some photos. You know, to memorialize this event. 

This weekend, Bode was also writing letters to "Nichoras."  He was very serious about this letter-writing.  He wrote one on Saturday and another one on Sunday. When we asked him what he had written, he wouldn't tell us.  But he did want us to know that he was writing the letters  to "Nichoras."

He is such a sweet boy, this boy whose name is really Bode.  I love him so!

xo

Camp 2

Bode started another week of camp today. I think he likes it.  It is hard to tell because he doesn't really tell me anything.  I ask him if he had fun, and he answers, "Yes."  I ask  him to tell me something that he did at camp, and he answers, "I don't want to talk about it right now." That's about the extent of it. I guess this is preparing me for the teenage years.

He was pink-cheeked and thirsty when I picked him up.  So he stood in the parking area and drank an entire  bottle of juice.  We stood in the shade of a tree while he drank it.  It is supposed to get up to 97 today.

Ai-yi-yi.  I'm from Texas, but I don't do heat.  No, thank you. 

I did take Gianna to the park this morning after dropping Bode at camp.  I promised her that we would do something "fun" after she saw the "fun" that Bode was about to have at camp (she has wised up since last week).    So I pushed her on the swing for about half an hour (no joke) until she finally consented to get off.  Then she played on the slides and tunnel.  

Ringlets courtesy of Grandpa. Thank you, Grandpa!

I think we will stay in this afternoon and have some crafty fun.  I'm in the mood to paint, and I found a fun project online. The project is a little beyond the babies' abilities, but maybe we can have fun with it anyway.

Hope that your Tuesday is cool!

xo