So Awesome

We made a day trip to Winston-Salem to visit Tim's parents in May. It was seriously the best visit ever. The weather was perfect spring weather (I think you all know the type I am talking about). We left the doors of the cottage open all day and let a cross breeze flow through. We sat on the porch, rocked, watched the spectacular view. We picked strawberries and which were so magically delicious that we ate nearly two gallons of them that day. We made a delicious salad from just the stuff we gathered from Jim and Amanda's garden (so awesome and so delicious), we had good conversation, the kids got to hunt for eggs in the chicken coop, Amanda took them on a super fun and clever treasure hunt, we went canoeing, the kids went little kid ATVing on a jeep someone left at one of Jim's houses and I discovered that Eleanor looks fantastic in Yellow. It was really a totally awesome trip.

I am sorry for all these Eleanor pictures here, but she is just so cute to me that I can't resist.

I love this picture of Eleanor and Monkey. I think it would make a great painting. Perhaps an impressionist one.

If you covered this in snow and surrounded it with a deep evergreen forest then this would totally look like what I imagined the Narnia lamppost looking like.

Love me, Love my Volume

Background: Eleanor is Loud. Very Loud. She is just Loud. Gillian is quiet. Very, very quiet. And she demands quiet from everything around her. Very sensitive ears.

So Eleanor was "talking" right next to Gillian who was crying and covering her ears and James comes up and says in a very rational and reconciliatory tone:

"G, Eleanor has a loud voice. She's like Mommy. You and I have soft voices like Daddy."

Better than what I said to try to smooth things over which was, "Gillian, get over it."

I actually heard James bust out with a "what part of down don't you understand?" in a very weary sounding voice to Eleanor. That kid is seriously way too old.

He is not wrong though. Eleanor gets the strength of her voice from me. Something about our voices just carries even when we are talking at the same level as everyone else. I hate it. I get tired of being the only voice you hear on family videos and the one who gets singled out of a group of talking people to get told to be quiet. I am honestly talking just like everyone else...it just sounds so much louder. And don't even get me started about how I sound when I am talking a little louder. I am sure all of you know exactly what I am talking about. ;-)

But Eleanor has been good for me. I am starting to embrace my loudness, realize that it is just part of who I am. Love me, Love my volume.

On the flip side, it is really, really, really hard to hear Gillian. Very frustrating too. If only I could combine them into one perfect volume.

Hair!

Sara's awesomeness at braids totally inspired me a couple visits ago and so I have been practicing. I Command you to Witness the Fruits of my Practice!

In these first ones I just love her little expressions. Something about Gillian's expressions just charm me.

Gillian's Tonsils

**Addition: We don't know the results of the Sleep Study yet. They said results in 2 weeks and it has been three. I think I will call. It was actually a really uncomfortable night...Gillian almost lost it a few times, but managed to hold it all together. They had no idea what to do with the onesie pajamas. Apparently no one has ever worn them before. They really should have specified. Once they got all the stuff on her, they had to take it all off because she needed to go to the bathroom. Oops.

We took Gillian to the ENT to take a look at her tonsils once her pediatrician told us her tonsils were 4+ in size. When Tim told the ENT guy what the pediatrician had said, he said in a doctor voice, "You do know it only goes up to a 4." But when he took a look in her mouth he said, "Wow, those tonsils are a 4+!" So he scheduled her for a sleep test to see how they affected her sleep.

Tim went with her and said she was incredibly brave.

Quite Contrary

Gillian's face is saying, "I would certainly never act like that."

Unfortunately, when I was searching for a picture documenting the many, many, many temper tantrums Gillian has thrown I couldn't find a single one. I have a strict, "Only take happy pictures" policy so that the kids will look back and only remember good times. These pictures of Eleanor were taken during Tim's reign. I think I am converted, just a little bit. There is something kind of charming about their two year angst (at least when it is a silent picture).

Kids are So Weird

Easter #2

We celebrated Easter a week late in South Carolina with Sara, her family, and Tim's parents. I love having kids old enough to play. As soon as we arrive, we don't see the children again really until it is time to go. It is awesome.

Amanda brought stuff for Fruit Pizzas in celebration of every one's birthday since we are rarely together for birthdays.

I think this is a great picture of Sara so I had to put it in.

Best. Picture. Ever.

Easter--aka Candy Day

Past Months' Pictures

Gillian and the Jasmine we planted to hide our ugly fence.

Eleanor and her best buddy James. She will only hold his hand when we are walking.

Showing the kids how it is done.

Tim has been helping the kids to do "pull ups" every night. He will count while the kids hang on the bars. Eleanor especially is surprisingly good. It is hard to tell, but she is just hanging in this picture.

Gillian at her first real dentist appointment.