daydreaming.

today was beautiful,

windy and warm and springlike.

if had had today off, here is what i would have done...

-gone for a long walk with hot coffee and a good friend

-pulled out all the nasty weeds growing in my yard (i like to do yard work- remember?)

-sat in the sunshine reading my new better homes and gardens (am i old and dorkie or what!)

-plucked out the concrete square walkway in my front yard to make way for a pretty flagstone one

-taken a little trip to homegoods or the like to look for treasures

-stopped at multiple antique stores on the way home looking for that "other" special something

-had a good beer in the last bit of sunshine

-gone to carrburritos and chowed on a yummy veggie burrito

instead, i did nothing of the like. i did however get to spend most of the day outside. we played, fed geese, ate gelato, bounced at the tumble gym, cleaned a small portion of the house, did art projects, and ate veggie burgers and frozen french fries. not bad huh? just me and my three kids.

three.

no wonder i am exhausted.

this day

i don't have any new pictures to show you. i have loads on my camera but i cannot find the card reader to put them on my computer. again. i have post-pregnancy brain (does that term even exist? it means i am delusionally tired and forget absolutely everything!) i vowed to find it but think it is probably better to toss the $10 on the counter and get a new one. right?

miss hanna has become quite the expert smiler. i can't wait to show you! she also has recently found her little hands and spend lots of time licking them and trying to fit them in her mouth. it must be fun to be a baby (aside from the long bouts of crying during the day- but we won't talk about that!)

our little man, elias hit rock bottom and is now on the upward slope. his behavior is improving and he is back to acting like his two year old self! hallelujah! oh, and for those of you who might doubt it, because of my previous post, i love that little guy more than life! he entertains every moment of my day.

since i am typing left handed while the baby nurses and i attempt to watch the office, i will cut this short. until later, enjoy the few pictures of my last two february 24ths!

feb. 24th 2010, after a cookie. or dirt. i can't remember.

ah, the warmth of shreveport. the only time i was happy we lived there was during the warm winter days.

feb. 24th, 2009. i am pretty sure ada bit my charlie brown after this picture was taken.

lots of pictures to come soon. i promise!

on a lighter note.

last night in the car:

ME: "ada, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

ADA: "a barbie princess singer"

ME: "elias, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

ELIAS: "buzz lightyear space ranger"

ADA: "eelliiaass! you can't be buzz lightyear. buzz lightyear is a toy!"

enough said.

a nightmare.

he used to be my prize. my breath of fresh air. he was care free. he wore his heart on his sleeve. he always smiled and tried to please. he was perfection in a little boy. he was cute and smart and squishy and cuddly and ever-so-loving. oh, and he slept.

now, he is NOT.

it began when he turned two. like the flick of a light switch his behavior changed.

and then, we had a baby.

now, he is more like a monster. not cute like cookie monster or mysterious like the great loch ness. it is more like a bad movie. he flails and cries and rolls around on the ground ALL DAY. he has to be carried everywhere. he will not get dressed. he will not sleep. he will not eat anything i give to him. he throws everything. he hits, kicks, and tries to hurt everyone (esp. hanna, but will even go after an innocent bystander such as ada's play dates!) it truthfully is a nightmare.

i write this so that i can look back, once he is past this awful stage, and remember that this too shall pass. people grow and change with each day that passes. right now i am just counting the days.

7:30am saturday morning

this is what my morning looks like. how about yours?

one month!

our very own hanna tait turned one month this week! she was 9 lb. 6 oz. at her doctor's appointment. bring on the chub! her cheeks are getting wonderfully plump and last night she slept five hours straight (but not much after that!) she is such a good baby, putting up with her siblings who can't seem to get enough of her. it is torture just watching them "play" with her! miss hanna is very gassy though and is competing with her dad for spoofing champion of our house! lots of gas means lots of grunting and funny faces throughout the days. we are working on it though!

happy one month birthday sweet girl. we can't wait to see what tomorrow holds!

his many faces...

lias and i had a date yesterday at the museum. it was all about him, and he was happy. just look.

pensive.

bossy.

silly.
kissy.

bliss.

i was so upset with him all day today (see the previous post.) then i saw these pictures. how can i be upset with this little soul. he is so rough on the outside, but look at those eyes! they show all the love and compassion he holds, he has so much more than any other being i know. am i lucky or what?

i need a laugh.

other people tend to laugh at my kids.

i do not.

but i want to, and for that reason here are the highlights of my day. i am sure i will look back at them and laugh. today i did not.

- my son ate a lollipop for breakfast. oh, and chocolate milk. oh, and maybe three buggers (that is his new hobby.)

- for two days elias has been carrying around a plant stand on rollers. he insists it is his skateboard and takes it EVERYWHERE he goes. he even rode it down the hall at ada's school this morning. he might not have had shoes or a jacket. but he had his skateboard.

- the kids and i went went out for a pizza lunch today with several of ada's classmates. elias climbed onto the table approximately 70 times while screaming "ROAR" until he eventually decided that rolling around on the floor of the restaurant was a better plan. he cried all the way home because i would not let him play in the trash before we left.

- i spent nearly three hours helping ada make a fairy house out of mud. dirt. rocks. leaves. an empty cracker box. and stickers. of course she will catch a fairy tonight, and if she doesn't there will be tears in the morning. come on tinker belle, help me out here!

- i also spent nearly three hours holding elias by his pants (with hanna in my other arm) while he tried to destroy ada's fairy house. he hit her with a rake, rode his bike through it and even threw sidewalk chalk in hopes of destruction. but i was successful.

you see, there was a highlight. i was SUCCESSFUL. it might have only been for one of the days events, but i did it! now, i just have to get through bedtime.