This summer will go down in history as the summer that Mary looked her fear in the eye, balled it up, and stomped on it. She became confident on her bike, is a completely independent swimmer, and went to summer camp all by herself. These are huge accomplishments for a little girl. Mary and I
Anna is nine months old, but when I sat down to write this post I accidentally wrote “8 months” in the title. I don’t think you can blame me. No one, not anyone, could be expected to keep track of the months when they’re moving as fast as this. I’m not exactly sure what happened
One afternoon David got off he bus, and as we walked home he asked, “Mommy, what kind of train does a Pokémon have?” “I don’t know, what kind?” I answered. “A PIKA-CHO-CHOOOOO!” I laughed hysterically, twice as long and as loud as the joke warranted on its own merit. But, you see, I’m not used
When David was a toddler, he was so difficult that Tom and I thought we’d done something wrong, we’d ruined him in a mere two years. In five years he’s changed so completely from the tantrum-prone, stubborn, volatile toddler, that Tom and I make note of it nearly every day. The toddler to big kid
There comes a time in every baby’s life when they realize they are destined to be bipeds — descendants of homo erectus. As soon as the baby realizes this, it is the only thing they can think about. Practicing standing becomes the baby’s only focus, their sole pastime. It’s their browser home screen, their phone
This past week Mary started summer camp — her first time ever doing something like this. (The first time any of my kids have done any sort of camp.) A few weeks before it started, she asked me, “Mommy, how long is camp?” I answered, “It’s just for a few weeks.” Mary looked down at her hands
When people read the title of this post, I imagine them doing the same thing I did, “Seven months? That can’t be right.” Then holding up their fingers to count off the months, “November, December, January, February…” Sure enough, seven months with sweet Anna Leigh. But it can’t be seven months… (By the time I
No more pencils, no more books, no more WAKING UP THE BABY FROM HER NAP TO GET TO THE BUS STOP ON TIME!!! On the last day of school David had a big smile, a wiggly tooth, just like he did on the first day of kindergarten. The only difference is that now David
Today is Mary Virginia’s fifth birthday. She was born on her due date, June 7, 2013, with a scowl on her face. Mary took her first breath at 10:53 a.m., and since then she has not stopped talking long enough to take another breath. Now she’s five. Happy birthday to my curly girly, my Mary
On the morning of Thomas’s birthday he woke up at 6 a.m. Everyone else was still asleep, and instead of doing what his siblings would have done at his age — stay in bed and scream until someone got him — Thomas got up, quietly walked around our house, then came into my room and