When you live in the country, you can spend your whole day biking around the patio naked and the neighbors never complain.
And, yes, I know she's probably getting too old to post naked pictures of, but omigosh, how could I not post that?
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Mmmmm.
Today the temps soared into the seventies. It was downright dreamy.
We met up with Ben, Kate and their kids at one of our favorite parks. The kids ran and played until we decided it was time for lunch. We noshed on bagels and soup, and I'd swear that all four adults actually went home having had real conversation. How refreshing.
After quiet time we spent the rest of the day outside. There was swinging and running and laughing and playing. I picked up an entire winter's worth of poop, which, when you have three dogs, is substantial. (I think if we bought a snow machine we could sell lift tickets.) But because of the beautiful weather, I almost didn't even mind.
I was so immersed in the day, I didn't even pick up the camera once.
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The kids meet Joe
Ever since Bonnie had the baby, Neko has been begging to meet Joe. I managed to convince her to wait until she left the hospital, but once she heard Bonnie had come home, she was demanding a visit.
It's fun to see Neko be this age with a baby. When Shep and Ellery came home, she was interested in them, but she wasn't old enough to really understand what's special about a baby. She inspected every part of him. She checked out his umbilical cord. We taught her about the soft spot. She insisted he borrow our hungry caterpillar.
Shep was interested at first, but then quickly decided there were far more interesting things to do.
Ellery was beside herself with excitement. Her greatest baby dreams had come true. For nearly an hour she sat and squealed "Baby!" and then "Cute!"
Joe? I think he's going to fit right in.
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The Pink Load
When Neko was born, we weren't sure if she was going to be a girl or a boy. All the clothes we owned up until the point that we left for the hospital were gender neutral.
When we came home from the hospital, every person that walked through the door brought us an outfit that was pink. When I did laundry, I used to do what I called "The Pink Load." You know—lights, darks, pinks.
As she grew, her wardrobe expanded to a rainbow of colors, and I never looked back.
This year? She won't wear it if it's not pink.
Once again, I can run The Pink Load.
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Sled dog
Neko's school went to go see a former Iditarod participant speak today. He brought his sled, trophies, and one of his sled dogs.
After bath time, Neko asked if she could draw on a pair of socks with a permanent marker. The OCD in me heard a little voice in my head go, "DRAW ON SOCKS?! You can't draw on socks!" Isn't that against some kind of law?
I'm glad I didn't say it outloud, because then I started thinking about it. Socks don't cost a lot. And besides, when they're being worn, they're in shoes. No one sees them, anyway. Parenting lesson #462 learned, I handed over the Sharpie. And in about five minutes flat, a sled dog appeared before my eyes.
Mush! MUSH!
(Which is actually totally incorrect, as I learned today. They don't actually say "mush" at all." But it's too late to get into all those details.)
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Clothing optional
Suddenly Ellery has developed an interest in the potty. And no interest in clothing.
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Joe
In his first act of proving to Bonnie that children know how to foil the best laid plans, my nephew Joe arrived tonight, after a long day of that began with what Bonnie thought would be a simple, routine test.
Everything went perfectly, and he arrived at 8:37pm, kicking and screaming. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and measured 21 inches long.
He is, of course, incredibly scrumptious. Not that I'm even the slightest bit biased.
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Child labor
Because I had the kids all day yesterday, Tom gave me much of today off to get caught up on my astronomical pile of Things To Do. On the way home, he vacuumed the car, and then suggested the kids help clean the floor mats, which they did enthusiastically.
So, at what age do they catch on to the Tom Sawyer technique?
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While I was gone
I left the house at 8:00am this morning with three children in PJs and a car full of snacks and movies. We stayed away until nearly 5pm, leaving Tom to tend to the goings-on at the house.
In the time I was gone, a band and a video crew ambushed our house and shot a music video. There were six or seven vehicles in the driveway. Huge bins of equipment. Lights, monitors, and make-up. Our entire sectional couch moved into the mudroom.
Other than some straggler cars in the driveway and a big box of leftover pastries, you wouldn't have known anything happened here today.
It was a bit surreal. But this whole week has been. Weird things go down in the doldrums of February.
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Not yet shy of the paparazzi
I hadn't taken my camera out in two days, so I found five minutes and looked for someone to shoot. My children went scurrying like cockroaches. But my nephew, Chris? Not yet shy of my camera. It's only a matter of time before he catches on.