I thought we did this right...{UPDATE}

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Aww!  I am so touched by your sweet comments and words of encouragement.  I can now look at this with a fresh set of eyes and new thoughts.  Thank you sweet friends!

summer farewell

I have been writing and thinking about summer's end for a while now.  I am sure I was thinking that Fall's cool breezes would come early if I wished hard enough.  Well, this weekend definitely marks the end of summer as far as school and long holiday weekends are concerned.  Enjoy your Labor Day weekend and the last bit of summertime!

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I thought we did this right...

You may remember a few months ago when we said goodbye to our dear Binky friends.  It was a hard day for all of us.  After about a week or two of hard bedtimes and naptimes, she began to get used to sleeping and putting herself to bed Binky-less.

We thought we had done it all correct...just like the pediatrician suggested and our dear friends confirmed.

UNTIL, I found her alseep one afternoon like this:

How could this happen?  I thought we were safe using a Binky at birth to discourage thumb-sucking and then getting rid of it by 2.  

This one seems to break the mold for her Momma on most days.  I guess it doesn't help that the little girl she looks up to still sucks her thumb.  Geez!  Who knew this could get so complicated.

Perhaps we'll be starting a sticker chart soon...

sealed with a handshake...saving graces

After our recent well-check, I told my little one, can you say "thank you" and "good bye" to Dr. A?  At that prompt, she slid down off my lap and walked up to him, grabbed his hand and shaked it and then looked up at him and said "chee, chee" {thank you} and "bye,bye."

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We were both stunned by this behavior.

A minute before she crazily shuffled the books across the floor, unloaded the diaper bag, attempted to take off her diaper, climbed up into the window sill, squashed her nose and mouth against the clean windows and squirmed like a fish out of water when he examined her.

This little one always seems to know just how far to push it before she acts quickly to remedy her actions.  Whew!

first tri

We know a special someone who is competing in a first triathlon soon.  

We wanted to say...

on your...

actually, your 

swim

bike

run.

We know you'll do great!

swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue? 

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing 

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,

Till I can see so wide,

River and trees and cattle and all,

Over the countryside.

Till I look down on the garden green,

Down on the roof so brown--

Up in the air I go flying again,

Up in the air and down!

Robert Louis Stevenson

Agreeable hour

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.  

-Henry James

Afternoon tea was carefully made with ice water to turn the little color-changing cups dark purple from their normal light pink hue.  The oilcloth mat was carefully set with paper napkins and the little spoons that accompanied the set.

They sat cross-legged {which is custom at an afternoon tea in the middle of the kitchen floor} as we passed the tea around.  We sipped our tea like proper ladies until the little one insisted on pouring.

After ice-water was dumped a few too many times, they danced like natives.  They giggled and stomped  and  sat and poured more.

   Dress-up heels were kicked off and tea cups were purposely tumped over.  Water puddles glistened in the kitchen light like little puddles in the street do after a heavy downpour.  

They scurried away after their clothes were soaked and decided an afternoon in a play tent might just be the perfect end to an afternoon tea.

It was indeed a most-agreeable hour.