Around home

Lu has finally grown enough hair for a barrette. Here are the dragonfly ones Moo picked out for her at the market.

 We are all thankful that we bought a cherry-pitter last summer when we were home. Bed Bath and Beyond truly does carry everything under the moon. Anyway, for two fruit-lovin' kids, it is a God-send. Otherwise, one of us would be "momma-birding" it all day long. Lu's favorite way to eat cherries is off her thumb. I remember experiencing the same delight with those butter finger cookies when I was little....stick a finger in and eat one petal at a time. Yum.

 So, I took the kids to the beach last week thinking we would play in the sand. The water was too irresistable for both parties. Lu came home naked (except for her bumgenius) in the front carrier, and Moo would have come home in just shorts had he not insisted he wear a shirt. The only dry shirt left was Lu's pink size 12 month sweater. It was not a good look. But hey, whatever gets them home, right? My hubbie thinks my son will not forgive me for posting this picture when he reaches his teen years. I figure I have lots of time to delete it before then. :)

 Our latest purchase and the perfect way to make that last hour between post-nap snack and when Dad comes home...a kiddie pool for our balcony. The kids love it and while I wish it were a bit bigger for Mom to fit in, I am content with my feet in the water watching my munchkins pour cup after cup of pool-tea.

church fair

Last weekend was the annual church fair. This year, a friend of ours created a special photo booth complete with costumes and a faux fancy portrait wall. Moo has reached the age of not-believing (in family photos that is), but the rest of us had a splendid time. (We'll also make a concerted effort next year to do the photo at the beginning of the day rather than the end - when meltdown has set in.)

rainy days

 And how do we pass the time on these beautiful and yet sometimes insidious rainy days? Home gym! It works surprisingly well, so long as Moo doesn't sit on top of the cushion that Lu is crawling under.

 Another favorite, is emptying mom's jewelry drawer. There's not much in there, but it is worth at least a good hour of entertainment.  Thanks to Carine for the added pieces!

Rainbow!

We have had a handful of thunder storms since we moved overseas and yet lately we have had quite  a few. What a delight to see this beautiful rainbow last week, right over our park. There were actually two rainbows, but the second one was hard to capture on camera. PTL for refreshing rains, fun thunderstorms that make you curl up with your kiddos and silly books, and the covenant promise of the rainbow...reminding me of hope and security even in times of difficulty.

The Strawberry Gobbler

Lu's new nickname, deemed by Dad. She can pack away a pound of strawberries the day it comes home from the market... thanks Dad for cutting them all nice for me!

 And I can vividly remember a few years ago seeing a mom of two with a one year old eating a snow cone. I only had one child at the time and thought, "woah! That is some serious junk food for such a little guy." And hear I am now...mom of two...and my daughter loves pizza. Please refer back to the picture above to note that she does pack away the healthy food as well. :)

looking for fun

As soon as the kitchen door opens, the little one is scrambling to see what is going on on our street. Moo is happy to tag along and peek as well. Please note Lu's little tippy-toes. Another reason not to leave them alone. :) She is getting closer to walking this week. She has been crying nearly non-stop some hours of the day...but it all ceases immediately when someone gives her pinkies to hold and walks her around the house.  Hmmm. Batten down the hatches! (PS - I had to just look that phrase up to know how to spell it. How is it we learn these crazy phrases and use them w/o even knowing where they came from? Must be the movies. :) )

Baby Bird continued

Just wanted to give you a little update on our smallest family member.

 Yes, this was indeed a newborn chick. I don't know where the egg went.

 Momma keeping baby warm.

 Growing baby.

 First flying lessons: the pep talk. (Had to take these through the window as Mama kept flying away.) I was so convinced baby would fly. I sat with the kids for 20 minutes at the window waiting. Little did I know I'd still be waiting 5 days later.

 Baby tests out those wings.

 

 Okay...baby bird is getting seriously big. If he doesn't learn to fly soon, he's gonna bust our air conditioner.

 These are from today - Dad is watching from the street lamp while Mom tries to urge baby onward. I can just imagine how the conversation is going.

"Now Junior. There comes a time in all of our lives when we have to leave the nest. You can't just stay at home with Mom and Dad the rest of your life. You need to take a step of faith here. Have courage. Go get a job. Find your own food. I'm not going to be able to regurgitate food for you forever. You can do it."

stay tuned.