Camping

We got two cabins.


We did all the camping musts and then some really creative new things.

The first night we roasted hot dogs and set up our camp.

We watched a movie projected onto the side of our cabin while we ate smores.

I endured large "only in Maryland" size bugs.

Pots and Pans singing breakfast songs sound even sweeter when you are the one listening to that music. Delicious! Thanks Ben and Rileigh.

Then we went to the beach.
WHAT?

YES! THE BEACH!

This was an unexpected little detour and I am glad I packed our suits at the last minute.

I was giddy walking with my toes in the HOT sand.
Lincoln was sneaky and went and got me a giant strawberry lemonade.

I LOVED THAT! It was divine.

My eight year old on his birthday, in one of his favorite spots on this entire earth!
(Happy Birthday Buddy!)

Could you just die from the cuteness?

THAT hat.
THAT suit.
THOSE curls.

My little shell collector.

Back to camp.

We sent the kids and husbands off so we could decorate the camp and make the cake.

They had a true battle in honor of Wyatt's birthday.

Swords.
Giant axes.
Shields.
(All rubber and soft of course)

Then from across the forest we heard, "Behold we return home from battle."

"Wyatt was triumphant, and was crowned king!"



"Welcome Home, We honor thee with a fantastic feast!"

A birthday feast.

Lincoln made chicken in a fancy foil oven grill thingy he made. It was perfect, no-- it was amazing.

I made my brother Brad's dutch oven potatoes!

Could you have a better birthday? I think not.

Birthday cake in an Orange.

Thank you Rileigh for this amazing idea!


Hollow out some oranges.

Fill 2/3 full with chocolate cake batter.

Place on the "orange lid" and wrap tightly with foil.

We put ours on the grill right above some hot coals.

I don't know how long? We checked them twice. (Unwrappwed and used a toothpick.)

One birthday candle and a song.

Then we gave them a swirl of whipped cream and ate them up.

These were delicious and amazing --with just a hint of orange flavor.

Wyatt is 8!!

This weekend was an ADVENTURE!

It was all about celebrating WYATT!
He wanted to go camping, and that is what we did.

First, this Mom has to sob about how big her boy is getting. I just can't believe he is eight. How has so much time passed? I remember my 9 lb. baby boy being put in my arms for the first time, I remember it like it was yesterday. He is so amazing. I love to talk to him, even when it is about video games! He is genuinely a GOOD boy.


Scroll through some photos that I love from his 8 years.

More about camping soon!

Cherry Blossoms

I need your opinion....

Which one of these images do you like the best? I am entering another photography exhibit, and I think I may use one of these.

one

two

(Click to see larger, and see if you can find the heart.)

three

four

five




Thanks!

(A few of them look a little cool....(blue) ignore that. I'll warm them up. =)

Apple picnic

I loved this day.

My new favorite angle....just put the camera in the grass! I love the way it turns out.

Sleep

Sleep, baby, sleep,
Our cottage vale is deep;
The little lamb is on the green,
With woolly fleece so soft and clean
Sleep, baby, sleep.

Sleep, baby, sleep,
Down where the woodbines creep;
Be always like the lamb so mild,
A kind and sweet and gentle child
Sleep, baby, sleep.


I love to read this poem to my children, especially Simone.
The NICU where Simone stayed was decorated with little lambs.
My Mom would rock her there and sing "Mairzy Doats" in a soft whisper.
Simone sleeps with a little lamb in a purple tu-tu lately.
She makes it dance every night by shaking it's floppy legs,
and she smiles brightly behind it.
Oh, how that makes my heart swell.
I have a soft spot for little lambs now.

tomorrow is for cartwheels

I've been struggling.

To-do list- I hate you.

I have so much to do tomorrow. So I've decided....
Tomorrow is for cartwheels.

I'll knock a few things off that long list, but the number one thing is to spend the day upside down with Talia and teach her how to do cartwheels.

dots

..

Two more.

Poor neglected blog. I will get to you later.

I have a giant to-do list.
The kind that makes you cry just looking at it.
Where to start?

1.2.3.4.5.6.

Here are six pictures out of the 700 I downloaded. NOT EXAGGERATING! It was exactly 700. How many did I mark as "keepers"? 435.

Check back..I am working on more.

I love how this branch frames the Washington Monument.

Five. That is how many years I've waited to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival.
It was worth the wait.

Let the download begin....

449 photographs.


That is the first card. I have two others.


**

Play date with friends.

Macro ranunculus.

Cherry Blossom Festival.

Easter egg coloring with cousins.

Easter egg hunt from today.



I'll share soon.

..

Simone was adamant about a few details while I was dressing her.

Looking at the flowers.

You can see her new scar here. Except is looks so huge...the dark color you see is the glue. It looks better and better everyday. I need to post about the surgery day...but I can't find a USB2 cable at the moment. =)

I think this one will make me cry when my Talia is in Kindergarten.
How much I have enjoyed our "bonus year"!

Just going along. I am busy. Lincoln will be home tomorrow, he left last Thursday. I went shopping a lot while he was gone. (Sorry sweetie) I bought myself some flowers tonight. Ranunculus! I can't wait to photograph them. I missed all three of my ballet classes last week! I get to go tomorrow. Hooray! Woohoo! I love it so much!

Funnies...

I haven't be very good about writing down the funny things my kids say. I used to be much better at that.

Here are a few recent ones....

***


Natalia came into our room. She was playing "family" with Simone.

"I am the Mom, and she is my daughter," she said.

Lincoln asked her who her husband was.

She paced a bit trying to think up a good name for her imaginary husband.

She came back
and said, "His name is Lincoln Wyatt Peanut Butter."

Then she lovingly put her arm around her "daughter" and said proudly, "We're the Peanut butter family."

We laughed so hard, and that delighted her. She was so serious, but loved that we thought it was funny.



***




Somehow the kids talked me into making a chocolate layer cake tonight.

My best chocolate icing yet.

I used my charming new turquoise cake plate with a ruffled edge, and it
wasn't even someone's birthday.

After the forks had be passed around and everyone had been served, it was quiet.

Then Wyatt said, "I wish I could marry this cake!"



***


Simone got hit in the head with a super tall Hello Kitty gumball machine.

It reopened the wound on her forehead that was just stitched up 15 days prior, but not bad enough to go back to the ER.

What a mess.

The gumballs were all over the floor. She began to pick them up by the handful in hopes of keeping them.

I encouraged her to help me put them back.

She was a great little helper.

The last blue gumball was picked and shoved into her mouth before I could do anything about it.


Now she retells the story like this.

Mum. Mum. (gum)
Head. (Points to her head.)
Owie.
Blue.



***



I was brushing Talia's hair with a new brush. She had something sticky in her hair (painful), so we washed her hair. She was amazed how well the new brush worked. It didn't hurt. (Hello...we had just washed your hair sweetie.)

"How did that brush do that so well?"

"It's a magic brush, " I said in a whisper, "Magic brush .....get rid of the tangles."

Then Natalia said, "Magic brush....I want a kitty."

"It doesn't work that way sweetie," I said between laughs.

Natalia's surgery went well. I have pictures...and a few funny stories to share soon.

Goodbye bump

Look at that little thing! I found this old picture (film) and loved seeing it again.

Natalia will have surgery tomorrow to remove a mass/bump from her neck. She was born with it, and it is time to take care of it.

This picture shows it really well.

This picture shows my silly happy girl really well.





She is excited! I caught her singing, "They will take it.......off and then MY....BUMP....WILL.....be GONE!!!" Silly.


I don't feel the same way. I am nervous, and trying so hard not to let her see that.

Thank you so much to my friends that are helping out with my other children. What would I do without you? Seriously. You mean so much to me.

Wish us luck, and say a little prayer for her.