little miss ingenuity

isn't the saying, "necessity is the mother of all invention"?

wh-wh-what??? of course...i HAD to ask. the reply, "mom, i have to get the BACK of my hair!" strangest part? i'm jealous i didn't think of it first!!

alice in wonderland

i have been meaning for some time to take vivian to the ballet. however, i had an inkling that she wouldn't be able to sit through an entire production of the nutcracker (heck, i'm 34 and i get antsy....yep...i admit it....i'm that uncultured! ha!) so when i saw that the arkansas festival ballet was putting on a production of alice and wonderland, i jumped at the chance. we called our friends, the green's, and bought the tickets.

and can i just say....IT WAS WONDERFUL!! vivian said it was her favorite (even better than any of the plays we've seen this year), and i absolutely agree! the costuming was amazing, the dancers were elegant, and the story, filled with characters all sizes and ages, was relevant and funny! vivian was so excited to meet the fabulous cast....like the cunning cheshire cat,

the completely captivating caterpillar,

and of course, alice. :)

plans

today i had a plan. we would get up, get dressed, tidy the house and head to a friend's house. let's just say it didn't quite go down like that! i had misunderstood when i was to arrive, and ended up leaving the house AN HOUR early. what were we going to do for an HOUR? we were dressed like bums, so we couldn't go inside anywhere, and frankly, the thought of unloading, and reloading everyone was just more than i could take. so i thought for a second...hmmm...i quickly made the decision to take a quick drive to my grandad bauer's old neighborhood. my sister and i sold his house a few years ago, and i hadn't been there in a while. let me interject here that i have some amazing memories of the time i spent as a child at his house. every year my parents would travel overseas for two weeks...and we spent that time with my maternal grandparents, the bauer's. shannon and i would eat raviolis (a rare treat that grandad would, of course, divide equally as we waited anxiously), ride our go-cart (yes this was in THOSE days, before helmets and safety reports), eat pawpaw surprise ice cream (i later learned was a can of fruit cocktail blended in ice milk), and spend hours in his garden picking vegetables and climbing all his fruit trees. we would also help our grandmother can or freeze, or play dress up in her slips and heels, or make tents from sheets on the covered back porch....in short it was heaven on earth for two little girls. we also spent a lot of times at the neighbors, the kitchens'. no, they didn't have little kids our age, but they had a swing, and horses, and would let us ride along on the lawn tractor. they were our grandparents, too. i can even still remember the way their house smelled...and i loved it! so today just as we approached the turn, imagine my surprise when i saw a woman in mrs. kitchens' side yard. i thought, surely not...she must be in her late 80's by now...and that lady is pushing a wheel barrel!! but after circling grandad's i took a second look and decided to pull over. i got out, and took off my glasses...not sure she would know me since we hadn't seen each other in several years. i smiled and said, "mrs. kitchens, i'm not sure if you remember me, my name is....." and that was all i got out before she said, "SOMER!" and grabbed me for a big bear hug! in just a second, i was ten years old again...overwhelmed with that wonderful aroma, blanketed with memories and wrapped in this sweet woman's arms!! it took me a few moments but i asked if she would like to see the babies, to which she replied a resounding, "YES!" and before i knew it....we were taking a walk to see the horses, check out the garden, talk about the neighbors, recall stories of fun times at my grandparents, and of course...

swing on that swing. it was surreal. it was wonderful. it was just what i needed. a loving embrace, a moment to remember and reflect, a detour from MY plans, a chance to "be still, and know that HE is God." (psalms 46:10)

wednesday

we had lots of errands and appointments today, but we tried to make it fun. the kids always love a visit with their favorite dr. deed.

and who doesn't enjoy a yummy chik-fil-a lunch?

but i guess it was just too much...truth is, i can't blame them, this is how i feel after a big day too!!

bye bye pre-k

last night was pre-k graduation (pics to come), but the really sweet part was when we got home. vivian wanted to try on her new "kindergarten pants". i said sure, and while we were at it, we tried on the shirt, some new shoes, and accessories.

she is all ready....probelm is, i'm not sure IIII am!!!? ;)

our family zoo

because we were unable to head to the zoo on friday, we decided to go on saturday. this meant we could have a very special guest....DADDY! the kids were so excited (as was i)...and what better time to debut our first photo of our family of five at the zoo!! :)

of course this was also daddy's first chance to see the penguins.

b very sweetly taught daddy all about the different penguins.

while vivian demonstrated how some penguins are as big as kids.

it was unusually chilly for may, so our sweet baby f just wanted her mommy. (which i didn't mind.)

and speaking of babies and their mommies, look who has lots of new babies...the groundhog family! they are SO cute. and speaking of families...sometimes in the animal kingdom life is so very reflective of human life.

take for instance the brother and sister gorilla.

ummm....yeah.....
;)

lucky mommy

every once in a while there is a moment with your child that you want to burn into your memory forever. thursday was such a day. after a long morning at the jumpers, and a picnic, we headed home to lay frances down and have some quite time. imagine my surprise when my almost four year old came and crawled in my lap and started gently petting my cheek. we talked for just a few minutes and then he said, "i love you pretty mommy" and nuzzled into my chest.

and that was it. he was out. just like when he was a baby. (luckily i had the camera sitting on my bedside table.) i knew i should take advantage of this child free time and do laundry, start dinner, etc....but i also knew this was a very rare occurrence. my sweet rambunctious boy doesn't sit still often. so i just sat, quietly holding that boy, and thanking god that underneath all that big boy exterior, he is STILL my baby.

detour

friday morning the kids and i had planned to head to the zoo...when we arrived, however, the line was across the street, and there were fire trucks and ambulances everywhere. i STILL don't know what happened...but i decided it might be a best to take a detour.

we all agreed upon the "jumpers". i was a bit leery of how frances would do...i guess my fears were for not. she LOVED it!!

as did this little boy.

it was a "super" detour for sure!!

and the truth shall set you free...

last week i tried to take a picture of the girls as part of a thank you for our sweet friend.
it was NOT going to happen. frances wanted to play with her new favorite toy...the iphone.

and then she wanted me....so how come these are probably my most favorite pictures of the week? ;)

"mudder"

i do believe this was the best mother's day on record. seriously. there was no running around, just a relaxing weekend with friends and my sweet family....AND we managed to even get a picture of that allusive creature known as "mommy"!!!

the festivities began with presents the kids made at school. vivian graciously agreed to be the photographer while i opened gifts. this is the wrapping for vivian's gift (which incidentally was a beautiful hand towel with her hand print).

and this was her attempt at a photo of she and i with said towel. :)

bauer made a lovely teapot, with a poem and tea bag included. so very sweet.

and sweet little frances (who was so proud of her gift she couldn't have her picture made) made a picture frame with all three of the kiddos picture in it. i might or might not have cried at how excited they were to give me their gifts!

then on saturday night, after a beautiful day of sunshine and yard work, and a date with my hubby. the kids gave me their big present...with a little help from daddy...a jewelry box complete with their photos! after a great night's rest, and a wonderful church service, we headed to my dad's where he and dotdot made burgers and the kids played. then i was sent home to take A NAP!! while clif pressure washed the house. WOW!!! i was so spoiled!!! thanks to my wonderful husband and kiddos, i KNOW i can make it another year until i pee in privacy again! ;)

rockin and rollin birthday

yesterday we attended t. lee's 5th birthday party. it was a "everything wheels" party and even frances got in on the action.

bauer had such a great time on v's bike that i couldn't even get him to slow down for a good picture. (i have a feeling there will be a lot of "action" shots in this child's future!)

but the most interesting (read: HILARIOUS) thing of the day, was the new way they teach kids to roller skate.

with a walker! i'm sorry, but isn't this the very definition of adolescences meets geriatrics?!

easter "day" style

sunday after church, per tradition, we headed to the mulhearn's.* i didn't get many pictures, but i think these really sum up the day. ;) bauer meant business when it came to egg hunting...look at that action shot!

although he had some pretty stiff competition from davis, setler, and vivian.

and can you believe the easter bunny brought a bounce house? i do believe those cousins are enjoying themselves!!
*i have no idea how this wasn't published early...sorry for the out-of-place order.

kindergarten round up

this is vivian. she is our soon-to-be kindergartner, and today was kindergarten round up. sigh...
i decided it was a very good occasion to introduce vivian to one of her grandma carolyn's favorite places...the victorian tea room. so i picked her up early and we went for lunch. she was SO excited, and was a very VERY big girl. she drank tea, and had red wine dijon brisket and fresh fruit.

when i asked if i could take a picture, she said, "sure...get one of my good manners, please!" ;) i must say i was very impressed. when the waitress asked if she would like a cup with a lid, she said no thank you. very polite, but very grown up. she didn't raise her voice, or wiggle in her chair. she kept her napkin in her lap, and even commented that the flowers were "lovely". it was as if i could see her growing right in front of my eyes. sigh....

it was a very special lunch, one i know i will never forget, for a multitude of reasons. but possibly my favorite moment was when the dessert tray arrived and vivian was asked to pick her favorite. after careful consideration she chose the "sampler", which was a combination of FOUR different desserts! i said, "that looks really yummy, i bet you will really like that!" to which she replied, "i think so too! but mommy, what are you going to have?" "honey, when ladies lunch they share dessert." "mommy, i don't know about that part!!!" hahahaha....sigh. :)

finally we headed to the school, where the kids were sent to check out classrooms while the parents listened to the principal and teachers talk. this was the only picture i got of sweet miss v, but i think it sums up her feelings of the day. when i asked her as we walked to the car what she thought she said, "mom, i LOVED it!!" i'm so glad to hear it........SIGH!!!!!!

easter best dress

i love these sweet babies.

and even though they REFUSE to pose for a decent picture.

they still are the cutest things i have ever seen.

the family picture was a no-go as well. (yes, i wear glasses. we have a screen at church that provides lyrics, i can't read it without them. and yes, i am old. and yes, i forgot to take them off.)

but back to these hooligans...

i really believe it must all stem from this cute man. (surely not from moi?!)

as they get older it really doesn't get any better...look at how vivian wanted to pose!

at least she offered to take a grown-up picture afterward. ;)
happy easter, everyone!