I’ve been putting off this post for a long time. There are two reasons. First, I have a lot to say. A lot. Second, I’m not sure how to say it. Describing a baby every month is different than describing a toddler. And describing a toddler is different than describing Mary Virginia. I could not, would
This week I did something I usually try to avoid. I quickly took pictures on Sunday, the “deadline” for the weekly photos. What it lacks in spontaneity and variety it makes up in children still in their church clothes. A photo of my children, once a week, every week, in 2016. The three of them
They way Thomas is standing, it looks like I caught him in the act of something naughty. What I caught him doing was standing. I was taking photos of his fancy three-year old sister in the front yard and I turned around and he was showing off his new trick. Thomas has been pulling up since mid-February, but he just
When I told Mary Virginia that I was excited for her birthday and she said, “Mo-o-mmy, excited is only for kids!” Whoops. Perhaps I should work on my enthusiasm. We are celebrating with ducks, purple, Cinderella, and 36 cupcakes. Everything that makes Mary Virginia light up. Three years ago today Tom went to a concert and
Friends keep asking me if we’re swimming yet. The answer? A resounding yes. Yes, we’re swimming twice a day, every day. I’ve only been in the pool once. Not because of this, but because we’re in the middle of the coldest, cloudiest, rainiest late-spring/early-summer I can remember. It’s so cold that every time I go in
If it wasn’t for Mary Virginia’s extensive duck collection, we probably could have stayed in our old house for a few more years. Immediately after I took this photo, I found four more rubber ducks. (And this doesn’t even include her plush ducks.) I got so much awesome moving advice, and now that we’re on
We moved over the weekend and WOW. Moving is a lot of work. And I am not good at work. I am really really good at watching reality television. Thankfully the kids are doing great with all the transitions, and they’re already used to living in wall-to-wall clutter and chaos. A portrait of my children, once
A few weeks ago as I was getting ready for bed, Tom rushed into the bedroom holding his laptop open to what looked very much like our dream house. Look at this room! And that one! A fireplace! A sun room! The next day we went to see it. I only had about fifteen minutes to look around, but
On her last day of school, Mary Virginia did not want to get dressed, eat breakfast, or let me fix her hair. She definitely did not want to stand on the stairs, and look directly into the sun while I took her photo. She’s dressed and on her way to school because, even though she didn’t want
Moms pack a lot of snacks. A LOT of snacks. In fact, my grocery list usually includes “snacks I can pack.” When we’re out, keeping the kids’ well-fed is second only to making sure they’re buckled in their carseats. Cereal? Packable. Crackers? Packable. Muffins? Packable, not durable. Popsicles? Not packable, sorry Mary Virginia. I pack