B.S.F.s (or best sibling friends)

It's good to have a friend, and a sibling is a built-in friend (Well, in my world it is. I forget that not everyone gets along with theirs, but let's pretend, for my sake, that all siblings adore each other and are best friends). I never knew what it was like to grow up on my own because there was always someone around. Coming from a family of five kids, there was a lot going on, and someone up in your business most of the time. I'll admit it. Sometimes I just wanted to get away.

Now that I'm an adult, I understand that being part of a family and having someone with you who always loves you (even if you're fighting like cats and dogs) is priceless. I would give anything to have a sister or two (or three and a brother) living with me again. Good thing I can console myself watching these little nuggets love each other so much.

Sometimes you just need to water the yard...

...and dig. 

Snuggles and secrets.

Babysitting

Both of my little people adore babies. So when I told them we were keeping my one-year old niece Mia for the day yesterday, they were overjoyed. And they wore this sweet girl out! There was non-stop playing until nap times, and then Mia slept like a rock. Milo and Lucy wanted to wake Mia up from her afternoon nap, and it wasn't enough to just wake her... They needed to get into the playpen with her.  

Lucy's Pink (second) Birthday

Oh, Lucy's birthday. It has now come and gone with tons of crying on my part (the night before, actually), and my baby is 2. Really, if you ask her, she turned "pink," but that's neither here nor there. We celebrated with friends and family and she got over-the-top spoiled. And honestly, I feel spoiled that so many people love my little lady.

It's tragic that this adorable picture is so blurry.

Cuties in pink.

I don't know if I've ever seen anything more perfect.

The cake! I was super excited about this one. 

Ombre center. Oh yes, I spent nights dreaming of creating this.

Happy pink birthday, Lucy!

Happy Father's Day

Can you tell what they spelled? Can you also tell how delighted they were with themselves? To all the fantastic dads out there - Happy Father's Day. To my amazing husband, who is clearly the best dad of them all, I love you. Hope you have a wonderful day doing nothing at all (I've promised Nate I won't plan a thing and he doesn't have to leave the house.).

Read it to believe it.

I have always disliked the word "moist." Ew. I seriously just cringed typing that. Anyway, it turns out that this is totally legit and I'm not the only person who feels this way. This article explains it all. You're welcome. Now we've all learned something new.

Little people love

Just for the record, I adore these little people.

Dear Bill

Dear Tropical Storm Bill,
I'm sorry I said you weren't scary and doubted your ability to dump a ridiculous amount of rain on our area. I can see now that you are fully capable of producing flash floods in an instant and destroying my pepper plant (which, for the record, I consider a low blow). You got the last laugh, though - my hair is large and in charge for my birthday.
Sincerely,
kate

Storms and scones

Well, Tropical Storm Bill is on his way to East Texas, but so far, he seems to be as scary as his name. Oh wait, Bill is not scary at all. So, yeah, I meant exactly what I said. We had a few showers earlier today, but nothing too major compared to what the Weather Channel was predicting. Then again, after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, everyone is scared not to predict the worst. And let's be honest. When people are actually prepared for a storm, it doesn't seem to hit as hard. I'm just saying...

These blueberry struesel scones are the most exciting thing happening around here. Made with fresh blueberries from our trip to the patch last week. Good to know these blueberries are going to good use!

If you're just aching for the recipe, here's the link. I followed the recipe almost exactly, although I found I needed a smidge more milk to get the dough to come together. Enjoy!

One going on pink

Somebody around here is having a birthday... Lucy has been picking pink over all the other colors lately (my vote was yellow, just for the record), so I told her we could have an all-pink party. Somehow she got it in her head that on her birthday, she'll be pink, as opposed to two.

Holly ShiFtwell

It's no secret that, for some reason, when my little people start talking, they develop horrible potty mouths. I guess it's only funny because they've literally never heard the words they're somehow forming... 

Have you seen Cars 2? There's a lovely little car named Holly ShiFtwell that Lucy is really fond of. Pay no attention to the fact that she is in the midst of a delicious blueberry pancake breakfast here. This is the only time I can catch her sitting still.

Fun and mostly free summer activities

What to do, what to do? We spend most of our time at home (obviously), so sometimes the days tend to stretch on endlessly. I love my job as a stay-at-home mommy, but sometimes I run out of inspiration. I know we don't live in a big city with endless opportunities for entertainment, but we at least have a few things going on around here.

#1 - The Splash Pad. Milo loves it. He runs around screaming and splashing in every available water spout and then wipes his face on my shirt (right around bootie-level) to get the water out of his eyes. Lucy is touch and go. Maybe it's because she's a girl, but I never know what to expect of her. The last time she went, an older boy tried to hold her hand and asked if he could dump a bucket of water on her. She was done. She spent the rest of the time holding me or my mom. At least it made for some cute photos?

#2 - Hopscotch. I drew a simple grid in the driveway and these little people have been hopscotching it up. Too bad I don't have a video of either of them saying "hopscotch." I guess that will be free fun for another day.

#3 - Blueberry picking. While it's not free, it's really close to it, and it makes for a complimentary snack as you go. We went to Grimes Blueberry Farm today, and these little people had a blast. Milo only ate 3 blueberries because he was so busy filling his bucket. Lucy ate every blueberry she could get her hands on and ended up squatting under a blueberry bush to poo. To each his own, right? And note: no adults may wear sleeveless shirts while picking, so don't go thinking you're going to get some sun. You will be forced to wear a men's short-sleeved button-up dress shirt. But they will be nice enough to loan you one...

Anyway, there are the three things I have pictures of. I'll keep you updated as the summer rolls on, because there's all kinds of fun to be had before I start homeschooling this little man some kindergarten. Oh my word. That's a discussion for another day.

Happy Monday!

A well-made bed

I make my bed every morning. I read somewhere that people who make their beds have a more productive day, and whether it's true or not, it stuck with me. Plus my mom always made me do it, and I 100% appreciate the lesson (thanks, Mamacita!). Milo sometimes watches me and helps put the pillows on, and the other day, as I was making his bed, I happened to mention that when he was a little older he would be able to make his own bed.

Yesterday he came running in first thing in the morning. "Mommy, come quick! You've got to see what I did!" As I walked into his room my heart warmed. He had lovingly straightened up his entire bed and was so proud of himself. We hadn't talked about it. He must have woken up planning what he was going to do. I seriously have the sweetest little man alive. 

This morning his tummy hurt and I walked into his room to grab his blanket so he could snuggle up on the couch. Guess what? He had already made his bed again, even though he wasn't feeling his best. I can't even find the words to explain how much that makes me want to cry because he is just so precious. And even though that bed isn't done the way I would do it, I will never say a word because that job comes from all the love in his giant heart.

Perfect.

Anniversary pics

I keep forgetting to show you a picture or two from our anniversary trip to Houston last month. Just proof that Nate and I keep getting better with age...