Lunch Week: Tuesday

Day 2: Loaded Nachos

Need I say more?

We usually do these in a 9x13 pan and add a layer of chips, followed with shredded cheese, whatever toppings we're using (see below), and then I repeat the chips and cheese. 

Topping ideas: black or pinto beans (we put them on about 2/3 as James is currently in a non-bean-liking phase), pickled or fresh jalapenos (all my kids like spicy), olives, onions of any variety, and anything else you like! When we are having this for dinner, we sometimes add seasoned shredded chicken or (cooked) spicy sausage.

Pop it into a 375-degree oven and bake until cheese on top is melted and browning. Serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.

Elisabeth and James can each eat about 1/3 of a pan of these, leaving the other 1/3 to be divided between Fiona and me, which is about right. 

15 October

This weekend, Elisabeth swam in her first meet since joining a competitive (year-round) swim team this fall. I was blown away with how much better her strokes and turns already looked (I think watching her hero Missy Franklin this summer, really observing Missy's strokes, was a help, as well as the great coaches she now has), and she swam seconds faster (more than 5 seconds faster, in some races) than she had by the end of the summer season. 

I'm amazed by her focus and her strength, both of body and will. Although she and I are similar temperament-wise (some might say "explosive"), we are also different enough that I'm impressed and humbled by her. She is much more motivated and driven at ten than I've ever been, about most things. Though I'm a perfectionist, I'm not as competitive and determined as she is. I'm proud of her, as an athlete, a pianist, and especially as a person.

I'm still struggling, existentially, with the idea that I have this daughter who competes in a sport at already a pretty high level, who has read the entire Lord of the Rings, who makes outlines and writes essays and uses words like "subtle" correctly. I kind of feel like I'm the mama of little ones, like that's what I'm good at. Even though things have changed gradually and in very seamless ways, when I stop to reflect on all of this, I feel more than a little surprised by it all. I feel like she's still supposed to be that wide-eyed five-year-old. But, oh, she is so much more. She is gracious and serious and strong and funny. 

She turned ten six months ago and I wanted to write something about it here, but I didn't. I thought it was mostly because I was in constant pain with my kidney stone and stent, and then right after my surgery, our house went under contract and things moved forward. But of course, I also didn't know what to say, and I still don't. She's more than half grown. When she was born, I had no idea where it was all going. Of course, I still don't, and we have still a long time with her here in our nest. But now I see that all the decisions we have and haven't made have, in so many ways, led to her being the girl she is now: a reader, a thinker, a lover of fantasy and art, an athlete, a musician. 

I don't worry about her. I worry about her brother, constantly. But I know Elisabeth, inside and out. I want to hold onto her, for as long as I can. But I don't worry about her. I am awed, though, that I am her mother. We never know if we're quite up to the task of parenting the children we've been given. Maybe we are, and maybe we aren't. But to be humbled, and inspired, and to learn more about ourselves through them, that is amazing.

30 March

18 days ago, my baby boy turned six. (The next day I went to the hospital with kidney stones, more on that later, but it explains the lateness of his birthday post.)

This boy. He lights up my life, and terrorizes it, sometimes, too. This is going to sound funny, but I think I can already notice a little change in him since his birthday. He seems bigger, more sure, a little more patient. And he learned how to ride a two-wheeler last weekend. 

Happy Six, buddy! You are going to have the best year, I can feel it. 

Three!

Here I am, here I am! After more than a month of sickness (antibiotics were finally procured yesterday, in desperation), a broken toe, a 30-hour power outage, a great deal of snow, the beginning of Lent, exhaustion, and just keeping afloat, I wondered if I'd really ever be back here. And in the midst of that, we had our back-to-back birthdays on Saturday and Sunday. I turned 34, and my little lady, well, she somehow turned three.

Three. I don't know, it seems like a good number of years. I look at my little one, so expressive, honest, independent, as she transforms from a baby into a little girl, and I think she might be the prettiest of my three, and the hardest to predict. That's saying something, because I'm partial to the looks of my older two. And they are nothing if not spirited and unpredictable. But, ah, that's how it goes with these littlest ones, I think.

I have so much I could say about her, my lovely little lady. She's quiet but not shy; she's feminine but not prissy; she's strong-willed but not overbearing. She's opinionated, but unlike her siblings and me, not high-strung in the least. I am utterly amazed by her.

I cannot believe that in three more years she will be six. Bittersweet. So very bittersweet.

In other news, I have several finished knits to share in the coming days. 

Hoping that this month that I spent away found all of you well -- happy, blessed, and healthier than I!

xo

28 November

{I'm sorry this post didn't show up last night, I guess I actually just hit "save as draft" instead of "publish"!}

The big exciting news that I alluded to last night was that James lost his first tooth yesterday! None of us (not even him) noticed it was loose until sometime in the middle of last week, and by then it was very loose. Everyone was so excited!

By last night, it was so wiggly that he didn't feel like he could brush his teeth comfortably, so he asked me to pull it. I haven't had to pull very many of Elisabeth's teeth (maybe one or two of the 15 she's lost), so I felt a little uncertain about how it would go (would it hurt?), but it just popped right out! So I guess it was time!

The Tooth Fairy arrived last night with a gift of a tooth pouch, just as she had for Elisabeth, and her customary note in "curly letters" (handwriting so very different from mine!) I hadn't quite anticipated him losing his tooth on that day, so I didn't have the chance to go buy some unfamiliar fabric for his pouch. I had kind of a lot -- over a yard -- of this (I'll have to go check the selvedge later to tell you what it is ... I've totally forgotten) stashed away in a forgotten sack so I figured they wouldn't have seen it downstairs in my workspace, and it was masculine enough that I decided to use it. The one downside is that I won't be able to use this lovely fabric for anything else now! (My kids are very observant.)

This pouch came out too big but it was kind of thrown together without measuring! Oh, well. I don't think anyone minds. 

What an exciting milestone! I have to say, all the "firsts" of my children just keep getting more exciting over time, and with each subsequent child. Maybe it's because there are more people to be excited about them! I don't know, but it really just keeps getting better.  

27 November

Today was a very fun day, the first Sunday of Advent, and something else exciting (you'll find out tomorrow!). (I'll also share a picture of the Advent wreath looking all spiffy with its greens in an upcoming post. The pictures I took tonight turned out really badly.)

Right in the middle of the day, there was a quiet calm spot of respite, a little like the eye of a storm, with a girl and her kitty. Did I mention I am reluctantly beginning to like cats?

18 November

I forgot to post tonight! I'm sneaking in just before midnight. 

This is a photo of Fiona napping today. Fiona, who dressed herself with her dress inside out and backwards, and who put herself down for her nap 30 minutes after I'd given up. She's in such a funny, independent phase. I'm such a fan of two-year-olds: still babies, but beginning to have their own ideas about things, and so certain about those little ideas! Whoever coined the phrase "terrible twos" doesn't get any points from me ... I love the twos!

A week in the life : Monday

So, I totally got the idea to do a week in the life thing here from Kyrie. I know it really comes from Ali Edwards, it's something of a scrapbooking "prompt", and there is a specific week for it each year, but I'm just doing my own thing. I wanted to post this last night, but honestly, by the end of a long day (I got home at almost 11pm), I was just too tired. And then our mornings are so busy. So here goes!

Yesterday, we

-played horsies under the kitchen table before breakfast.

-had potatoes and migas for breakfast. I talked to Sarah on the phone while making it.

-washed dishes more times than I care to recount.

-barely made a dent in the laundry.

-went to James's swimming lesson. Fiona dangled her feet in the baby pool while he had his lesson. At the very end of the lesson, his class went into the baby pool to play "What time is it, Mr. Shark?"

-admired our swim team's trophies while at the pool (first in our league and second in state!).

-went to the grocery store, where Elisabeth walked and read the whole time.

- played outside in an early afternoon thunderstorm -- ten minutes of downpour followed by a long afternoon of stifling humidity.

-James made a pictorial list of the things he needed to get done (bring the groceries in the house, take out the recycling, get dressed).

-lanolized diaper covers and had a lunch of salad and fruit.

-had an afternoon gymnastics performance.

-I spent the afternoon teaching cello lessons, while my husband (who was home early because he'd had an orientation day) took the kids to Costco for some staples.

-portioned out some of the staples and made a quick and simple supper

-I went out for dinner and drinks with some friends.

In doing this, I wanted to remember to take pictures that were not just "bloggable", but told a story of our day. As I look through the batch, some of which are not the usual "type" of photo I'd share here, I am bemoaning the poor light in our house (this is already generally a problem, but especially on overcast, hazy days like we've been having here lately), and wishing we had a prettier living room. Oh, well, all in good time.

I'm also reminded what a fantastic and lovely little family I have here, and how good it is to have good friends.

At the pool

One of my favorite things about summertime is all the swimming. I was on swim team myself through my childhood and teens, and it's been one of my favorite things as a parent to do with my kids. We've been doing 5-day-a-week swimming lessons all summer long since Elisabeth was three. Last year was her first year on a swim team, and she loves it. We have thought about doing a year-round team (that's what I did as a girl), but I'll be honest that the logistics of it, with my kids being relatively far apart in age, is a bit daunting to me still. Maybe in the fall; we'll see. 

For now, we are enjoying our three hours a day (at two different pools!) of swim team and swimming lessons. Time spent at the pool is worth every moment, to my way of thinking. I'd rather be there than just about anywhere else in the world right now. (Except the ocean, but that will have to wait until we can afford to travel again ... it's the one thing I don't like about where I live.)

These days of summer are so priceless.

A break sometimes feels so good, and other stuff

Thanks to all of you who have been checking in over the last three weeks in my absence! All is well, we have moved on from the hurt over the job rejection. It's disappointing on many levels, both from a career and personal satisfaction level for my husband, and our family's bottom line (I hate that I always have to be thinking about that, but it's the reality), but we remain hopeful that someday the right opportunity will present itself.

I didn't intend to take a long break, but it was a good thing, too. Sometimes it's easier to "do" stuff without feeling like it needs to be written about. 

But I did "do" some stuff that want to share with you, so here is some of it. (Plus an announcement at the end of the post if you are getting bored wading through all my photos.)

I met someone. We were able to spend one treasured day together while she traveled for work. It's so hard to put into words what it was like to meet Sarah and spend that day with her. We had so much to talk about; a lot of what we talked about was blogging -- our motivations and feelings about the whole thing, the ups and downs, pressures, and genuine pleasures. And not because we had nothing else in common, but because it really is a part of our real lives and it's so good to have someone who "gets" that. I haven't had the opportunity to meet very many bloggers face-to-face. This is due, in part, to the fact that I don't live within close geographic proximity to any of the bloggers in this particular corner of the community (crafty-photo-mama types), and even more, of course, due to the fact that opportunities to travel are very limited given our income. It's just the reality. So, having the opportunity to sit across the table from Sarah, at one of my favorite local restaurants, and take her to my favorite yarn and fabric store, was a real gift ... not one that I'm likely to repeat very often, and I really soaked it up. It was a beautiful day. Thank you, sweet Sarah.

I finished a lot of knitting projects. (And started a few new ones.) More on those to come, very soon! I think I overcame a huge knitting funk that I had been in! 

We played, and played. Indoors and out, with kites, and kitchens, and more.

We had the first (and hopefully only) summer injury, hereafter known as the Red Rover Incident of 2011. 

Swim team season is officially underway and I couldn't be happier! It's my favorite time of year, I think. (I know, I know ... in October, I'll be rambling on about my love for autumn. Let's just go with it.)

The sun, the sun! I'm so happy, here on the cusp of summer.  

I will be back TOMORROW with another post! Yee-haw!

Nine years old!

This is the scene to my left as I sit at the computer late on the night of my firstborn child's ninth birthday.

She lost a tooth today. The Tooth Fairy has already made her visit, though I have yet to head to bed. I know there is a sprinkling of fairy dust on my child's pillow and surrounding areas. There is a note, and two dollars -- normally the Tooth Fairy leaves two quarters, but a tooth lost on a birthday seems bigger than that, don't you think? -- under her pillow.

But I'm still up, reminiscing about this day, and these nine years of motherhood, and this daughter of mine.

In the early hours of the morning, she opened her gifts blew out the candles on her birthday ring -- this year with only three little figures left in the ring, making way for nine bright candles. And so many little people in the center! (Note to self: buy more birthday ring candles!)

She served on the altar at church this morning, a responsibility she relishes.

We ate pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, potato chips. And lemon cake. (From the latest issue of Everyday Food -- the recipe isn't up on the website yet, but I highly recommend it, if you have a copy of the magazine -- still on newsstands.)

We played this game. The children read together.

All through this day, I thought to myself, "I can still see the baby she once was in the girl she is now." I remember her tiny newborn face, in those moments after birth. And yes, this is still her. Yes, this is still the busy, dazzling, delicious toddler underneath those serious dark eyebrows and thoughful gray eyes.

Yes, the sensitive and stubborn preschooler with the Shirley Temple-curls is still here, though we see her differently now, in our sensitive and strong-willed nine-year-old who is beginning to experiment with many new, intricate hairstyles. The nine-year-old who treated us to a "fashion show", twirling and dancing in her new (very "big girl", certain-styles-only-please) birthday clothes. The flower-loving girl who treasures the early spring flowers of her season of birth. Who I saw stealing a peek at the end of one of her new birthday books. (Something her mother has been known to do, too.) Who is still delighted to wear her birthday crown all day, just as she was when she first got it years ago. And who still believes in magic. Shouldn't we all have some magic on our birthdays?

Yes, I can still see my baby in my big girl. And I am amazed and surprised and excited to see the big girl that I never could have dreamed of back in the baby days.

We are so blessed to have this incredible girl in our lives. Happy birthday, lovely Elisabeth! You mean everything to us.

(You are seeing this a day late due to technical problems -- also some of the reason I haven't been here in a while. This will be the year we get a new computer!)

Five years old!

{please excuse the breakfast crumbs! ack!}

It's funny about time. Sometimes, you can see how you got from one point to another and it makes perfect sense -- I think about Elisabeth turning nine this spring, and even though that seems so "big", and even though, in some ways, I can hardly believe it, at the same time, nine years seems about right. It really feels like it's been that long. But sometimes, the passing of time doesn't seem to make any sense at all. When I think back to that snowy Sunday morning five years ago, when I awoke and had a baby in my arms just an hour later, I can't believe it's been a full five years. Five!

So, my little guy is five today. Ages three and four were challenging for him. He's a sensitive little soul who feels things so acutely, and it sometimes leads to misunderstandings (or worse) between him and the people around him. I'll admit to more than a few moments of frustration where I have asked "Why? Why me? Why is he so challenging? How are we supposed to get through this?" And those moments are often followed by moments of grace, in which I realize that I am the exact mother he needs, as hard as that might be sometimes.

But he is such a smart, loving, wonderful little boy, too. He fills our lives with fun, creativity, and joy. His curiosity and zeal are so inspiring, as are his honesty and vulnerability, too.

As I think any parent of a challenging child would say, I will gladly accept the storminess with the sunshine. I do hope that things are easier for him as he enters this year of Five. But no matter what, he is such a beautiful part of my life, I cannot imagine a world without him, challenges and all.

I'm brimming with love for my sweet boy. Happy birthday, Jamesy!

Two years old!

I can hardly believe that it has been two whole years since we welcomed this little one into our family.

Ane yet, here she is, filling our home, lives, and hearts with her particular blend of sweetness and stubborness, determination and delicacy, playfulness, thoughtfulness, and fun.

I'm amazed, constantly, by the individuality of each one of my children. You sort of think, "Oh, three kids, I've got this figured out." But each of them is so amazing; growing, changing, becoming themselves in their own wonderful ways. A father of eight children that I know once remarked, "If you want to know at what age children reach certain milestones, ask the parent of an only child. After eight, I certainly don't know!" I think that says exactly what I'm thinking today, as I look at my new two-year-old, who has less to say than her siblings did at this age, but at the same time, so much more to say. She is, without a doubt, the most determined and stubborn of my three; almost fearless. And yet, she is so delicate and tender. A little bit small for her age, a little more prone to sickness and injury. We definitely baby her. And I'm really, really OK with that.

She is our baby. Our sweet, fierce, loving, precious baby.

She's so ready to be a big girl. And I know that so much will unfold in this magical year of Two. I can't wait.

A first

Today I did something I've never done before: cut hair. I have lots of friends who regularly cut their children's, their husbands', even their own hair. I have always been way too intimidated to even try. But with my two guys' hair growing ever more shaggy and overgrown, and income in November being quite slow, well ... I put those clippers and scissors that have been in the bottom bathroom cabinet for the last two years to use!

I used to assume that I'd keep James's hair on the long side. But he was such a baldy, for so long, that those long locks don't seem to fit. So we like to keep his hair pretty short. My husband also likes his hair on the very short side, so hair maintenance for them is much more complicated than it is for the girls in our house. (I had my hair cut in August, for the first time since 2008.)

Anyway, I am super proud of myself. (Sorry the pictures aren't very good -- my little model is very uncooperative these days. Sigh. And my big model prefers anonymity.) I mean, they actually look like "real" haircuts. Our usual old-time barber does a better job (I swear he is Edward Scissorhands; the scissors seem to be part of his hand, they move so naturally), but these will tide them over until next month when they'll get better cuts before Christmas.

It's funny, when posting daily, the kinds of things that are shared in this space that would normally be skipped over. I really like it. :)

Steps

About three weeks ago, Fiona became a walker. It was just barely more than two months after her cast came off. The funny thing about it, now, is that those two months seemed agonizingly long, as she worked, in her thoughtful way, to regain the strength and skills she lost during the time with a broken leg. And then she started taking a few steps -- 5 or 6 at a time -- in the last weeks of August, finally taking off and replacing crawling altogether during that second week of September. I had pictured in my mind that it would a big, grand thing, but it was so slow, and so gradual, that it didn't occur to me until after she was really a toddler, that it was "happening". It's funny how things go, isn't it? There was no parental papparazzi of camera and video camera snapping shots from every angle (as I imagined there would be) when she transitioned, ever so quietly, to walking. It just unfolded, like the unfolding of a flower.

I'm learning that this is the way with our Fiona. She has her own soft way about her, always unfolding, sometimes imperceptibly, until you realize that she has opened and grown, ever more toward the light.

It makes me ache with delight.

Summer is ... Swim season

Here at the very end of summer, with so few posts from me in the last couple of months, I thought I would visit a few of the highlights of this summer.

The most prominent aspect of this summer (after Fiona's broken leg, I suppose) was swimming. We have always done swimming lessons for the whole summer, five days a week. But this summer, specifically, was Elisabeth's first swim (team) season.

At the beginning of the summer, she was one of the weaker swimmers on our (fairly large) team. She couldn't dive off the blocks, and had a fair share of "DQ's" (short for disqualifications). But as the summer progressed, she improved extremely rapidly. Her times kept jumping down by several seconds at each meet. She started to practice in the "harder" group. By the second week of July, she had qualified for the League championship, where she placed in the top ten in backstroke, and ultimately ended up making the State championship, as well. She was named our team's most improved girl, a title she really deserved.

For me, it was hard not to swell with pride at her accomplishments over the summer. Now, with our swim season behind us, I can look at it from another perspective. I'm proud of her, but not just for being fast, and qualifying for championships. I'm proud of her for working hard, and not complaining when it was tough. I'm proud of her for trying her best, even in the midst of being new -- to the team, to the sport, and to competition -- and not knowing what to do, and the disappointments of disqualifications. I'm proud of her for working with, and being respectful to, a number of different coaches with very different styles. For being a true teammate and friend. For rising to the occasion, working hard, learning, growing, and showing much character.

Swimming is fun. It's exciting, fast, and thrilling when your body hits the water at the start of a race.
But in the end, I shouldn't be surprised that the swimming itself was only a part of the whole; only a means to an end in what became a priceless experience.

(photos here from our state swim meet a few weeks ago)

July 4, a tale in photos

{a dinner of fried chicken -- secret ingredient: baking powder!, corn & radish salad, potato & herb salad, watermelon, soda in bottles, beer, my grandmother's cherry pie, and my best scratch brownies}

 

{rain, rain, rain!} 

{sparkling} 

{in the driveway after dark}

Not pictured: over-excited children taking breaks in the afternoon, best friends, laughs, municipal firework show in the rain.

There may be nothing better than celebrating our fortune, gratitude, and ... summer. Hoping that those of you who celebrated this weekend were as blessed as we were.

(Tomorrow the cast comes off and then we'll be camping for a few days!)

Planning

Fiona's cast comes off on July 6. We have been counting the days since ... well, since day 1! Anyway, we have just 9 days to go (including today)!

I've been spending some time planning what we'll do when the cast comes off. First "big" thing? Camping!

But before we even step into the campsite with our newly cast-free girl, I will be dressing her at the doctor's office. And I even have that planned out.

I knitted her a new diaper cover to celebrate being back in cloth diapers!

More pictures will follow, along with details (teaser, sorry! I'm doing that to make sure I actually share pictures later).

Also, in "getting by in the cast" news, we have found the best invention on earth. The CastCooler.

This strange-looking device wraps around the cast (torso or leg, or even foot & ankle), and attaches to the vacuum hose. It pulls fresh air through the cast. It is amazing! We ordered it after 10 days in the cast, and we have been so happy to have it. It helps to cool Fiona down, and keep the cast dry. It's been wonderful!

Things could be worse. There has been lots of unhappiness, that's for sure. Sometimes we've got an inconsolable girl on our hands. But we've also done so much reading with her, which has been a delight for everyone. And we've taken lots of walks. It helps that we live fairly close to our small city's downtown (a 30-minute walk, at least at a 4-year-old's pace). Yesterday we walked into town for ice cream. So, it could really be worse.

Lots of you have complimented me on my grace during this situation. Thank you for that. I assure you that I'm not always graceful under pressure, and there have been plenty of "bad" moments during this ordeal. But I also practice: I practice letting go (that's the big one), looking for positives, and being as graceful as I can be. It is not easy, and it's not some "lucky" thing about me in particular. It is something I have worked on, and will probably continue to work for the rest of my life. But thank you for your kind words, for noticing the hard work (and progress, although I know that most of you didn't know me 10 or 15 years ago, when I was much worse at this) I've accomplished in this area. Not so easy for a classic type A personality. :)

{Oh -- some of you wrote to me about a post that appeared and then disappeared last week. Lots of you have shared anecdotes and advice. The post you're wondering about was from last May. I'm not sure what made it reappear briefly, but I immediately took it down when I saw it, because it's actually an old post. (It's here.) I wrote it when I was just two months postpartum, when emotions were running high, and I was feeling sentimental and a little freaked out about my oldest being so far away from being a baby herself! Since then, I've realized that we were farther away from the "end of magic" than I thought, and also that this type of belief will gradually slip into something else. It's not so scary as it seemed almost 14 months ago.}

A Little Celebrating

We have a tradition in our family of celebrating Midsummer Night. Tradition holds that if you prepare a party for the fairies on this night, they will leave a small gift in return. (I've written about this one other time.)

Elisabeth and James happily prepared a tea party, complete with tiny pieces of cake (left over from Father's Day the day before) and fruit.

They awoke early the next morning to find the tea party devoured, a ring of rose petals in its place, and some small gifts, all covered with a smattering of fairy dust (superfine glitter is great for this!)

What fun it is to see their excitement as we celebrate these treasured traditions. And what a nice respite these things are in the chaos of our current situation! (Less than two weeks to go....)

PS: The book is Mudpies and Other Recipes by Marjorie Winslow, and I've had it set aside for almost 8 years, waiting for a time when Elisabeth would be a fluent reader and be able to use the book on her own. I never felt like my reading it with her was quite right.

In the cast...

Wow, I'm so sorry I've been away for so long. There are lots of bloggers out there who continue to post through tough times -- sometimes sharing pieces of their challenges, and sometimes choosing to focus on other things. I've discovered that I'm not really one of them, for whatever reason. In a way, it doesn't make all that much sense, because plenty of ordinary living (and even making!) happens around here, even in times of stress. But for some reason, I find that I have less to say when I'm under stress. So, there you go.

Anyway, having a child in a spica ("spike-uh") cast has pretty much knocked me on my back! Nothing could really have prepared me. There's the constant itching, the ripping at the cast, the inability to sleep. There's the annoying diapering situation. (Though very validating of my preference for cloth diapers!) There's the whining and immobility of a toddler who'd rather be toddling. There's the feeling of being held hostage at home.

There are good things, too. There are friends who have brought meals, cleaned, and come over just to sit with me. There are friends who have stepped up with rides to swim meets for Elisabeth (at 5:30 in the morning!), and to take James out for some time away. There is a little "roly" (a board with small ball bearing wheels on the bottom, and foam and fabric over the top that my friend Meghan fashioned for us) that Fiona can lay on and scoot around with (until she gets bored after a few minutes....) There is the community that has prayed for us, offered advice, encouragement, and support of all kinds. There are tons of resources out there. There is lots of reading, holding, and talking to our littlest girl.

There's the fact that we only have two weeks left.

I didn't intend for this to become a whole post on its own -- it was meant to be an introduction to a different post about Midsummer Night, and our visit from the fairies. I'll write that one up too and publish it tomorrow! (I promise!)

Until then!