Growing WarriorsJust your typical family…

two things about being two……

- after a snack or a meal, lately the two year old Lydia will run to me, saying, “Diesel (the dog) already washed my hands mommy”

- Walking around the corner to the mailbox used to take less than 5 mins there and back. Now it takes about 20 mins. For some reason the two year old has decided to travel backwards the entire length of this journey. She doesn’t walk backwards at any other time…but every single time we go to get the mail, as soon as she gets on the sidewalk, I hear, “I walk backwards mommy” and she does…very s l o w l y

Well as you may have noticed, I posted a few pictures tonight. Alas, there is one picture missing. I’m very sad about this too. And there will never again be another opportunity to capture this moment on film. Yesterday my baby started college. I BEGGED with her, pleaded with her, wept at her feet, to please please please let me walk her to her first class and take her picture at the door. I just wanted to complete the circle. 12 years ago, around this time of year, I stood outside of her first grade classroom, on my tippy tippy toes (the window in the door was rather high), and tears running down my cheeks as she found a seat, and settled in on her first day ever of school. All the other mommies dropped their children off and left, they had done this the year before for kindergarten, I am sure, but as this was our first time, I stood there for the longest time, dripping tears on the floor, trying to catch her eye, wave to her or something, but she walked in that room and never once looked back. I was hoping for the same experience as she walked into her first college class (this time I would have a camera!), but she refused. She did it alone……

but she did it!!!!!!!

P8190095, originally uploaded by deannajo.

why are we paying for ballet lessons again???

Apparently while I was working the other day, Meredith was bound and gagged and put under arrest.

Her crime you ask?

She tried to break this convicted felon out!

P8090081, originally uploaded by deannajo.

Just a picture of my girls’ chicken pox!

I have been wanting to post this teeny video to the blog for a while now, but I didn’t know how to do it. Thanks to a recent post on Sarah’s blog, I can now do just that! Thanks Sarah!! Hope you feel better soon….btdt x4

Anyway, when my dad and step-mum were here last month, they took this little video clip with their camera, and I think it is just adorable. And this is what we’ve been doing this summer Enjoy!

Lydia wasn’t the only one with chicken pox. All three of the little girls got it. What a week. Wed and Thurs were the WORST. I estimate that I spent appx 4 hours on Wed alone applying itch-cream to three little bodies….probably at least one hour soaking in an oatmeal bath (kids, not me), and uncountable hours listening to whining and crying. I made up for all of my less-than-stellar parenting moments on Wed alone.

Now the kids are pretty much back to normal, although still rather spotty. Most of the pox are scabbed up, but there are still a few that haven’t, so the kids are still on house-arrest. The other day Allison said with a sigh, “I really miss HyVee” – HyVee is the local grocery store

Yup, we are seeing spots around here. Namely on Lydia….chicken pox.