Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Celebrating America's Birthday

Happy Birthday, America!  Dexter was on the lookout all weekend for America's favorite colors.  He and Erin wore their red, white, and blue.  I wore red and blue.  Daddy was pretty lame - I don't think he wore any of America's favorite colors.  And Dexter totally called him on it when we went out in search of an open ice cream store Thursday afternoon (we ended up at DQ).  He wanted to know WHY Daddy wasn't wearing any of America's favorite colors.  That Daddy.  He's lame, sometimes.  ;-)

Dex and John stayed up late on Wednesday night and went to see the Longwood fireworks (for free, because no, we're not paying a zillion dollars to actually go IN to Longwood with a four year old).  They had a fun time, and I think were both delighted to stay inside the truck where it was cool and not humid because the AC was running the whole time.  I heard that lightening bugs and actual lightening were spotted, and Dexter's favorite fireworks were the red circles.  Probably because they almost looked pink.

On July 4th itself Dex and I went blueberry picking again in the morning.  He was ok with picking for about three minutes and then he was done.  So I gave him my camera, and he was happy for the remainder of the time while I picked four pounds of berries.

Picking one of the five or so berries he was interested in.

Traditional "Show me the blueberry" photo I make him do every year.

And now here's a few of my favorite Dexter shots.  Unedited, uncropped.  He takes a LOT of terrible photos, but every now and then he comes up with some nice ones.

View through the bird netting of the nice little pond and the rest of the farm

Dex holding a blueberry

The inside of Dexter's mouth.  I cannot even count how many of these pictures he has taken.  He giggles wildly every.  Single.  Time.

Blueberries on the ground.  I know he totally didn't mean to do it, but I love the composition of this photo.  Blueberry in contrast with the pieces of dirt, grass, and mulch.  It's almost like he knows what he is doing.  Til you watch him do it and realize it's a total crapshoot, and man do I love that little Canon Powershot (he was using my little camera that day, and I told him he WAS NOT to drop it or Mama would be very very angry...)

My blueberry bucket and Dexter's feet

Me picking berries

The flag on Dexter's shirt

The camera is back in my hands now, and I finally told him we could leave.

Not to go home, mind you.  Oh, no.  I made him pick black raspberries, too.  He picked one.  I think.  And then he was done.

Because he was in sight and walking distance of the strawberry playground when we were picking raspberries, and he DID NOT want to pick.  He wanted to play.

Yes.  The strawberry playground.  It's a strawberry.  You climb a ladder inside it, and then go down a slide.

Did you know the child can pump his own swing these days?  He's fantastically good at it and can go really really high.  This day, he went so high his Crocs fell right off his feet.  Which he thought was hysterical.


Back at home, cute stuff here posed in her firework shirt and shorts

Strategically placed America's Birthday decorations high above her head.  They are still up, of course.  Our living room is no longer called the living room.  It's called the "star room."


And here's a couple of all the kids, together.  Surprisingly, Buddy is the only one NOT eating grass in this one.

Hope everyone had a lovely time celebrating America's birthday!

PS - Dex picked his red and blue Crocs that way, on purpose.  The ones he wore berry picking got super muddy, so he wore the other ones later in the day.  They are just like the other pair, but the other way around, he said...

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Stars and Haircuts

I was going to take the kids to Lancaster today to go to the Hands on House.  But Dexter's favorite part is the playground outside.  And it was raining this morning.  Again.  Some more.  Our lawn is a jungle and I don't think there's a chance it's going to get mowed til tomorrow, maybe.

So we stayed home instead.  Dex and I decorated the house for America's birthday, and then we went to the barber shop, and then we went to my favorite little Mexican restaurant for lunch, where Erin cheerfully threw rice and tortilla all over the floor.

Both kids are wearing the star shirts Grandma got for them, so I thought I'd take a few pictures.  So, below are photos Dex took of our America's Birthday decorations, and the photos I took of the kids.

Stars hanging from the stair railings.  I forgot to upload the picture of the stars out on the front porch.

Little flags outside

And our big flag outside

Erin shows off her star shirt AND her very first hair cut.

She was really pretty good, considering how long we waited for her and Dex to get their hair cut.  She only cried at the very end.


Dex provides some celebratory music with his harmonica.



Star shirts and haircuts for both

Erin, shocked that Dex got so close to her, ON PURPOSE.

Happy Birthday, America!


Aaaaaaand we're done!

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Didn't Rain on my Parade

It's been raining ridiculous amount here this week.  So much that John was draining some water out of the pool with the hose.  And while he was draining, ANOTHER rain storm came through.  And the level of the pool stayed exactly the same - water coming IN to the pool at the same rate as water EXITING the pool.

It rained so much this spring that strawberry picking season was delayed.  And it seems like it was really short.  So short we didn't go.  Which didn't make me sad because I hate picking strawberries, and Dex doesn't really eat them.  But Erin.  Oh, ERIN.  That girl can eat her some strawberries.  But still, not enough to justify going to pick.

We did go pick blueberries on Saturday, though.  Those are easy enough.  And Dexter likes them.  Our past couple years of picking he has picked enough to fill his belly, but put zero in his bucket.  But this year he was surprisingly helpful and managed to fill his belly AND Erin's belly, AND he even got 20 berries or so in his bucket.  I was impressed.

How many blueberries you got in there, chubby cheeks?

The running commentary from this one as he is picking is priceless.  "That one is blue.  That one is green!  OH - I forgot to look when I was picking!  I picked a green one!"

Lots of green berries still on the plants, so I think they will be open for another few days at least.

Everyone say "Blueberry!"

Cute Stuff here was pretty content to sit in the back pack and have blueberries shoved in her mouth every couple minutes.  After she was sick last weekend, she was still a bit dehydrated all week.  I think she pooped one time all week, and we were beginning to get a little concerned.  Blueberries turned her right around.

"Did you just take a picture of me eating a blueberry?"  he yells with glee.

Erin intently studying the blueberry plants.  "How do I get those berries from there in to my mouth..."

Ah, screw it.  I'll just try to eat this stick.  Someone will come shove a berry in my mouth soon, anyway.

No way!  Did my brother just TOUCH me?  ON PURPOSE?

Brotherly love makes her very, very happy.

In the afternoon I packed the kids up and headed over to a friends' house so I could get Erin an air conditioned nap (our AC got replaced on Saturday) before our big PARADE DEBUT.  We walked in the Darlington Independence Day parade on Saturday evening with our friends from the Bel Air moms group.  All the kids rode their bikes, and wore their Bear tee shirts.  So we Biked for Bear.  It was fun.  It was hot.  BUT - it didn't rain on our parade!  Dex said he had fun.  I have no idea what his favorite part was.  My guess would be the playground at the end of the parade?  :-)

Pre-parade dinner picnic.  What the hell, the kid has only pooped seven times today.  May as well give her some more blueberries...

Erin swiped Dexter's earmuffs for the parade.  Wasn't sure how loud it was going to be.

Dexter spent the entire parade, as he put it, "Behind the thing I REALLY liked."  Our friend Jordan's battery powered Gator.

Littlest Strider rider.  She was OMGCUTE

This is most of the group.  We are certainly not professional parade marchers, but we had a fun evening.  The kids were hot and tied and happy.  I was hot and tired and also EXHAUSTED.  And happy to come home to a new, fully functional, much quieter fancy air conditioner.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Love Wins

Dear Cristin and Clara,

How many times have you been married?  Three?  Four?  I lose count.  And how many times has that marriage been taken away?  Two?  Three?  I lose count.

That taking away is, of course, just in the court of law.  I know, in your hearts, you have been married since the very first time you said "I Do" so many years ago, even though the state only recognized the legality of that first union for about three seconds.

When I heard the news this morning about Prop 8 being reversed and the federal government recognizing your marriage, I sent you a message with tears of joy in my eyes.  Because no one deserves a legal marriage more than you two.  Nowhere have I heard a more heartfelt declaration of love and commitment than at your wedding in 2009.  Nowhere have I seen such an amazing couple.

I am celebrating with you today, dear friends.  I am delighted I got to see the day that love wins.

xoxo,
AMC

Missing the Funny One

Some of my favorite Dexter quotes from the weekend at Grandma's house, and from phone conversations we had while he was there:

Grandma!  I am not talking to you!  I am talking on the phone, and you keep interrupting me!

Grandma, why don't you know how to do very many things?  (This was after Grandma tried to get out of playing with Grandpa's trains by saying she didn't know how to make them work)

Me:  What's your favorite thing to do at Grandma and Grandpa's house?
Dex:  Play with Grandpa's trains.  I like playing with Grandpa's trains A LOT.

And then, just randomly hanging out in the living room on Monday morning before anyone else got up:
I like this house.

I'm glad, sweetie.  Cuz you're stuck there for a couple days.  Hope you're having fun!