CASA Superhero Run

I don't know how much you know about CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), but they do such amazing things for abused and neglected kids in our area. We're big fans, so we were really excited when Nate had the opportunity to paint a backdrop for their Superhero Run. Milo and I stopped by to cheer the runners on and get a picture or two of the backdrop, but we ended up in the pics instead. Check out Nate's amazing handiwork, and also look at their website if you're interested in getting more info or helping them in any way (http://www.casapines.org/).

We weren't quite picture-ready - Milo was still in pjs and I had the ultimate rumpled hair. Oh well. How often do I get a superhero pic with my little man?

A good dad

Emily sent me this picture yesterday, and I had to post it here. It made us both think so much of Nate and Milo... In fact, Milo was wearing his Cars shirt (with cape) yesterday, and Nate ended up wearing a towel cape around the house last night, too. So, here's a photo that very well could be my men...

More Remarkable Milo

Well, I told you I'd have to add things to my remarkable Milo post... Because I think of more things all the time.

-After I posted on Friday, we had a rough time. Milo wasn't napping, I was exhausted, and by the time it was all said and done, Milo had never gone to sleep and I was sitting in the recliner crying. I try not to cry in front of him because he's so sensitive and gets very concerned. This time was no exception. He kept patting me on the arm and saying, "Mommy, what's wrong? What's wrong, Mommy?"

I finally told him, "It's okay, baby, Mommy is just so tired."
He said, "Oh Mommy, you tired? Your tummy hurt?"
I thought about it and answered, "Well, yes, it does hurt a little bit."
He continued, "Poor Mommy. You want some crackers?"
Sweet sweet sweet boy.

-Milo is apparently also very concerned about my looking appropriate. Today I was tired and feeling lazy, so I put on a giant tunic the length of a lot of my pre-preggo dresses with a pair of dark brown leggings. Now, let me just say, I frequently mention that leggings are not pants and shouldn't be used as such, but in this case, I felt like it was more of a pair of tights under a dress (but let's just be honest -pregnancy isn't the time to start wearing leggings as pants). Milo didn't agree. He kept asking me, "Mommy, where your pants? You forgot something." And he was practically heartbroken when I went outside to water the garden, telling me, "Mommy, you not go outside! You have no pants!" Good thing Milo's got my back, right?

-Let me also mention that today Milo asked me to put on what he refers to as his song so we could run some laps around the living room. Any guesses on what his song is? Ummm, yeah. That would be "Toreador Song" from the opera Carmen. I don't even have to say it. Remarkable.

Remarkable Milo

I know we've already established on here that I'm a little biased... But I still think my child is truly remarkable. Two-year old Milo is a polite little boy wonder as far as I'm concerned, and I've made a list to prove it.

-After I've changed him into his pajamas at night, Milo gathers up his clothes and takes them to the laundry basket.

-He covers his mouth when he coughs.

-When he burps or toots (as all boys do), he promptly says, "Scoosies!"

-When he sneezes, he says, "Bless me," and makes sure to bless anyone else who sneezes on his watch.

-Milo always takes his fruit snack wrapper to the trash after snack time (without being reminded), even when Curious George is on. Do you understand how huge that is?

-Sometimes Milo just has to cry a little bit. Usually when he gets irrational I pull him into my lap and sing to him (which always calms him down). Lately, when I do this, I hear him whisper, "Thank you, Mommy," and he pops up and kisses me on both cheeks. Makes me melt every time.

-The phrase I hear most often from Milo (aside from anything to do with cars) is, "I help you, Mommy!" And he really does at least 90% of the time.

Anyway, that's my proof, and I'm sure I'll have to come back and add a few things as I think more. Maybe every other newly two-year old child does these things. If so, feel free to not tell me. Because I'll think Milo is remarkable no matter what.

Daddy's haircut skills

 It's been time for a haircut for a little while, but Nate and I were both a little nervous after the buzz cut incident of last year... But Nate had a great idea for an undercut on Milo, and he did an amazing job tonight. Smiles all around.

Just after after the haircut

Giving Daddy some love after a job well done.

Styled and ready for action.

Pink socks and yellow pollen

 

Remember when I said Milo likes to help with laundry? Another clothes-folding escapade involving my fuzzy pink socks...

 

We're having the most wonderful weather paired with the oddest phenomenon - the East Texas spring pollen. Everything is literally covered in a layer of bright yellow dust. I've got to get a picture for you because I had never seen anything like it until I moved here. So, look forward to that when I have a chance. And Happy Hump Day!

The good, the bad, and the fabulously sparkly

Things that I'm enjoying today:

1. Zoya PixieDust Nail Polish in Godiva. Really sparkly and textured nails that will apparently weather even working in the garden with no gloves. This is serious business, people. Pay no attention to my torn cuticles, horrible paint job, or the fact that it's nearly impossible for me to take a good close-up shot of my own fingers, okay?

 

 

2. Milo. Always Milo. Even though this poor baby has been teething like crazy on an upper molar for a week and has crying breakdowns every 20 minutes. He's still the sweetest boy I know.

 

 3. My window box of herbs - Oregano, Basil, and Cilantro. I can't wait for them to start growing so I can season the heck out of our foods. Now if I could only keep Milo and his little blue shovel out of this box...

Things I am not enjoying today:

1. Sheer exhaustion. It's a combination of a week of very little sleep with no sleep-in day and working extra hard in the garden all weekend. Amanda was about to physically restrain me from pulling any more vine roots (and her fabulous boys planted my potatoes and my tomato plants yesterday). I tried to explain to her that pioneer women had to do all their manual labor pregnant or not, and she reminded me that they had a much higher mortality rate.

 

2. Indigestion. Always indigestion. The only thing keeping me going is the thought that Lucy is going to have a downright luxurious head of hair.

That's all I've got. So the good news is that the positive outweighs the negative, which is not a bad way to start a week. Hope you're feeling the love today, too.

Weekend Update

My two men watching a movie.

Future drummer?

Not up to much this weekend. Just enjoying a little family time while we can. Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Garden Party

Today was GARDEN DAY, oh joy of joys. I've been thinking about a garden for years (and possibly you remember my drought-year garden that produced the two tiniest red peppers I've ever seen?), and it finally worked out this year. And what I mean by that is, I asked our friend Megan if they had a tiller and a few days later she texted and said, "Hey, Gabe said he'll come till up your garden for you." Cue yesterday, when the fabulous Gabe really did show up and till up my very own patch of garden!

Nice and large for a first garden! This isn't even quite all of it.

Milo and I headed out first thing this morning and I sorted through the soil and pulled out the weeds and these crazy intense weed-vines that infiltrated (seriously, so disturbing, as I thought they had only taken over our fence last year). Then I hoed the heck out of the garden, finally making rows for my seeds. Then Milo, Sarah, Lily, Kaylee, Braylen, and Delaney all helped me plant! (And by the way, Delaney, thanks for planting my green beans in your super-cute outfit... It's a good thing you left before the hose came out.)

So we are almost finished! Just going to buy tomato plants and a pot for herbs on Sunday, and then we'll get everything in the ground and ready to sprout. I am exhausted, and let's be honest - I've never felt so pregnant. Then I saw a picture Sarah took and realized how really pregnant I am (I don't allow too many photos for the sake of my own vanity).

Happy weekend to you!

Milo isn't perplexed - just intensely scowling about the sun in his face.

Wearing gloves makes me feel capable of getting all the way in the dirt.

Yes, this is posed... But it's pretty much how it went down.

Sooooooooo pregnant. And in unflattering super-baggy jeans...

Laundry

A picture is worth a thousand words, and had I gotten a shot of this one, you would have loved it. Alas, my words will have to do this time…

Milo is my best “helper,” and he loves to assist with the laundry. And by assist I mean he hunts out his bibs and socks to put away, and then hangs my underwear around his neck and dances around the house. When I’m really lucky, he also dumps all the clothes I’ve just folded onto the floor so that I have the delightful opportunity to fold them twice, but I digress.

So imagine Milo’s excitement yesterday when, in addition to a plethora of panties (I finally found and washed my bag of BIG undies from the last pregnancy), he also found a giant bra (thank you, pregnancy, for giving me a distractingly large rack). He managed to wrestle it around his neck, and there it hung by one shoulder strap, causing one huge cup to rest just over his tummy.

I could already see the wheels turning as he looked back and forth from himself to me, patting the cup tenderly, until he finally had to say it. “Wook, mommy! I got a Woosie, too!”

Morning face

Ever wonder what Nate looks like first thing in the morning? Yeah... Just like this.

Time change

Milo LOVES a hat. Especially with pjs and only one sock.

My two guys.

Things I am doing today:
1. Caring for my sick, cranky, molar-teething child.
2. Dealing with sleep deprivation related to above child being up most of the night.
3. NOT seeing my husband, as he's working 5:30 am - ?????
4. Making a new soup recipe - Spicy Cannelini Bean (follow the link for the recipe) in my crock pot.
5. Feeling a little sorry for myself because I'm tired, weak, and a tiny bit lonely, but making a new recipe to try to cheer myself up.

Oh, and I'm just going to say it (because you're probably already thinking it). The spring time change SUCKS.

Now, aside from all the mopey mess above, did you see my cute pictures from this weekend?

A really good day

I'm finding the days I feel most beautiful and comfortable in myself aren't the ones when I have the best outfits (because, let's be honest - maternity clothes can only do so much), perfectly styled hair, or gorgeous makeup. They're the days I spend running around with Milo, inside and outside. They're the days we trash the living room by unrolling old tubes of wrapping paper and stomp around on bubble wrap, or the moments we spend sliding and swinging at the park with the crisp air blowing in our faces. They're the times we sit down together at a family dinner, and Nate and I spend the evening playing Rummy together or Yahtzee with Milo (or even come up with a new game for him). These are the things that make for really good days.

Sunny afternoons

Two posts in one day - you probably don't know what to do with yourself, right? But I couldn't resist. Despite feeling somewhat yucky, the gorgeous weather beckoned Milo and I outside, and when Nate got home for lunch, we all had a picnic in the backyard. Milo literally kept squealing out loud because it was all the things he loves - eggs and pears (for lunch), Daddy and Mommy, and outside. After we ate, Milo encouraged us all, "Daddy, Mommy - let's go run!" Do you know anyone who could say no to that? So we did. We ran around the yard, Milo slid down the slide, and then the boys got on the trampoline for a few minutes (an activity Milo adores doing with Nate). All in all, a fantastic late morning/early afternoon.

 



This, my friend, is the face of ALL BOY.



Both delighted.

Backwards Day

 Milo was super proud of himself this morning - he put his shirt on all by himself...

The only problem? Well, you tell me...

 

Apparently it's backwards day at our house today. No worries, because pregnancy or life in general has left me feeling a bit out of sorts anyway. My whole body feels weak and tired for no good reason and I'm hoping backwards day involves a big fat nap. The last time I remember feeling this way was when I was on migraine medication that made my blood pressure crazy low, and I'm sure that's not a common pregnancy complaint. My solution? Well, I'm hoping for some low-key rest time. The chances seem slim, though, as Milo is a bit on the surly/demanding side this morning... Guess we're all having a Monday, eh? Hope yours is going smashingly well.

Stillness

Do you ever have those times where you just want to sit down and relax, but everything seems to stop you from doing just that? Oh my word, I've been having weeks upon end without a break (and even though we do rest on Sabbath, I've let my mind do a lot of work even when I was being physically still). But this weekend, it is on. I may just literally sit in one place for hours on end, just because I can. Hope you find a bit of the same!