boo-boo

this weekend...

I have big plans this weekend…including (but not limited to):

• straightening up the house
• drinking some wine from a box
• collecting cicada shells for Jack’s new collection (is this gross?)
• watching Lila crawl around (because she finally started, yippee-yahoo…oh crap I have to start cleaning my floors!)
• painting my nails a fun color (yellow, maybe)
• cutting the grass (yes, this is fun to me)
• drinking beer from a can
• hanging with my favs

…extra long weekend, I love you!

machines!

This weekend we went to an event called "Meet the Machines" sponsored by a local construction company. I had no idea what to expect, but suffice to say it was overwhelming and brilliant and I've never seen so many little boys so happy in one place!

Next year we'll get there earlier (even though we showed up at 10: when it opened...apparently you need to get there at like 9-9:30 if you even want a chance to operate a scooper truck or go up in the high lift! Fail.)

Lucky for us, Jack was happy enough to meet Bob the Builder, run around with his hard hat on, explore every vehicle imaginable, and get sandy & sweat digging for treasure!

Also, the monster truck had a "For Sale" sign on it, and Jim is quite interested...have fun living in it, honey!

Next year we'll be better prepared for the chaos and excitement...also, I hope Lila's done teething by then because she was a little too preoccupied with her sore gums to enjoy the machines!

(cell phone pics=boo.)

compliment...

"...your family is unbelievably dapper. Good looking gang!" (from Seth over at The Midweststyle...)

Made my day...even though he thinks St. Louis is a Chicago wannabe...pshh!

technicolor children...

(with Photoshop Express on my iPad)

drawings

I introduced Jack to the iPad last night...complete with cautionary warnings (i.e., "Don't ever touch this without asking Mommy or Daddy"/"Be VERY careful and touch it gently"/etc.). He calls it a lily pad.

We went through alphabet tracing aps (so neat!) and shapes/colors aps and reading aps...his favorite ap so far is Glow Draw...

He drew me a picture of myself (below)…can you see me? He also started to sign his name on the bottom right, and might have lost interest...


I'm going to limit Jack to 15 minutes of iPad before story time at night, and we'll either read books on it or play educational games (I really love the letter tracing!). I don't want him to become addicted to the technology (I'm the pot calling the kettle black here...). Now that the weather is warming up (kinda), I'd much rather he spend his time playing outside and searching for worms and swinging and imagining...

luck...

We have bad luck…with things. Our trees cracking, breaking, falling…our cars popping tires on the highway, and later requiring a new computer chip costing roughly a mortgage payment…pipes backing up (gross!), electricity surging, outlets busting, doors jamming, windows leaking…it’s one thing after another with the house, the cars, the things… It feels like we’re always bracing ourselves for “what’s gonna happen next”...

But then, I see my little girl light up when I walk in the door, and jump up and down in her excer-saucer until I hold her…and my best guy squeezes my face so tight when he plants a hard kiss on me…and I have no idea how I go to be so lucky.
Seriously, I’m the luckiest. I get to witness these children be spectacular every single day. I get to call them my children. I get to be their mom for the rest of eternity. I’m overcome with humbleness and love.

Whatever mess can be made of my things, my stuff…bring it on. Because someone thought me worthy enough to have these children, and I am eternally grateful. I will forever ask, "How did I get to be so lucky?"....but then, maybe not...maybe this one time, I will try to just go with the flow and not over analyze the hell out of it...I have much better things to be doing with my time...like be lucky.