The One

It's amazing what you can accomplish in a year....

From this:

TO This:

FROM THIS:

TO THIS:

Can't wait to see what a year from now brings.  

Happy Birthday Baby Belle!!!

I Come Back With This

The other day Baby Belle had her one month checkup for her ear tubes.  After waiting over an hour for what I knew would be an actual appointment under 3 minutes, I wasn't exactly chipper.  This after working all day, and a one year old missing her late afternoon nap.  (Okay, almost one year old. Close enough to qualify.)

So, when a less than aesthetically pleasing nurse stares at me and then tells me how I look EXACTLY like her cousin -- so much so that the nurse herself had to do a double take -- I couldn't help but spend the next minute and a half she was in there hoping that her gene pool was very deep and that she wasn't from one of those families where the cousins look like they could be sisters.  And then when she left I looked in the mirror and studied my face to see what kind features she might possibly be seeing that could fit in with her family.... I don't know, I couldn't find it.

And with that, I come back from this bloggy break.

I'll save my excuses for other posts, I'm hoping to do better, but no promises.  But since somehow has a very important birthday coming up (exactly at what age do birthdays begin to not be important?) so there should be more soon.  There's still first day of school pics to share!  And a ton of complaining to do.

All in It's Own Time...

Like getting dressed and getting your head caught day after day after day. (Says the mommy who has continued to put her own shirt on backwards several times this week.)

Milestones

There are a lot of things one achieves during their first year of life.  First smile, laugh, word, crawling, walking, etc.

All of these are great, important, meaningful, lifeskills.

However, it is easy for others to forget the importance other milestones can be for one's pride and confidence.  Not necessarily as dramatic as pulling up on furniture, or talking, or drinking from a cup, but the all important skill of finding one of your sibilings' pajamas and tirelessly working to masterfully put them on your head.  The pants are the most rewarding, and consequently, the funniest as well.

Celebrating

In honor of the birthday of our nation, here is a picture which emphasizes the freedoms of choice and expression we celebrate each and every day.

Because You Need to Know

I woke up this morning thinking in French and German. Somehow one and a half years of mediocre achievement in French should not be mixed with 7 years of German.... And I don't even know if it was correct because I don't remember what I was thinking about.

While getting dressed I put my shirt on backwards. For the third day in a row. Different shirt. Yes I changed it around.

Monday I go back to work. Could be the cause of all of the above....

Sent from Adrienne

In Training

Fortunately she has no chugging skills yet, 

and most of the water ended up under her chin and down her chest.

But her territorial skills had a workout. She wouldn't let anyone even touch 

this to take it away.  

We're getting ready for a festive evening of food (Mexican), fun, and then fireworks.  Napping was sporadic for all, so we'll see who makes it up for the 9:15 blastoff.)

Happy 4th

I'd like to say we're doing a lot of this over the weekend, but the sun is hot and the clouds are...absent, and of course it's Chris' weekend to work.  And for the record, the Belles were there with us.  In fact, this is a Belle picture.

We're here holding down the fort, splashing in the backyard splash pool--with clothes on, sometimes that's the fun in it all.  Except Big Belle just mentioned "Wouldn't it be lovely if there was just one of us?"  I'm assuming she means just one child.  I asked her in return, "How do you know you would be that one...."  She pondered.  And then chuckled.

In the meantime, we've enjoyed a little down time, and are going to head out right now to visit the local DQ.  And hopefully, bedtime is not too far around the corner.