Fun with the Monkeys

This week has been a little nutty. I was off on Monday morning, so I had all morning to do as I pleased (can't really recall what I actually did!), then hung out with Baby H that afternoon. On Tuesday, I got up and hung out with my niece Sienna for the morning and, as always, she was a hoot.

I don't know about the rest of the country, but Durham has been nailed with some severe pollen. B and I washed our cars on Sunday and you can't even tell. His Jeep looks like he went mudding in green sludge. Yuck.

So anyway, off Sienna and I go to the park, where we proceed to climb, swing, dangle, and crawl over, on, and across anything in reach (as well as learn about table saws, but that's a different story). When we got back to the house, she flopped on the porch and asked me to "draw" her, a game where the girls trace each other's bodies, then draw in the clothes-- like paper dolls, only a a life-size scale!

Well, when she got up, I realized I didn't even need to use the chalk. There was a perfectly-shaped Sienna outline in the pollen. "Sienna," I asked, holding her by the pinkie, "Would you like to take a bubble bath?" "Ohhh," she said, "in Daddy's bathtub?" And why not?

So off we went to the bathroom, where I tried my best to wipe off her little legs (which looked like she had on yellow-green leggings) before plopping her in the massive tub and letting her literally swim around for the better part of 20 minutes.

Oh Spring, I love you, but seriously, can we have some rain to get rid of this yucky dust?

Off to hose my car off. I hate even touching the handle to get in these days!

Happy Easter!

B & I had the best Easter, best in my memory for sure. We got up this morning and met Mom, the monkeys, and my sister and her husband at church. Going to their church is really fun because I get to see some of the kids I sit for, and boy are they adorable all dressed up for Easter!

We grabbed lunch after church, then B & I enjoyed an afternoon by the pool (it was 90 here!), then washed our cars before getting the fun news that my sister's family was on their way over for dinner, with Indian takeout, to boot!

We had dinner outside by the playground while the kids ran around, the perfect way to finish a celebration of a day. Happy Easter, everyone!

Adventures in Babysitting: Star Wars

Me: Ok, I give. You're going to have to explain all this Star Wars stuff to me.

B: (long pause) I could, but then you'd know how much of a nerd I am and I just can't see that being good for me.

ADventures in Babysitting: Star Wars

Me: Ughhh, so tired. Can't go play Star Wars today.

B: What do they make you do.

Me: I have to be Derk Smalls and chase them around.

B: You mean Darth Mal?

Me: Whatever. Do you think they'd let me be Ghenghis Khan, the fat one that just sit in a lump on the steps?

B (jaw drops): Do you mean Jaba the Hut?

Me: Sure.

B: I'm not sure we can stay married.

Recap!

I hate to do it this way, but it's the only way to get back up to speed! Here are our highlights from the past few weeks...

St. Patrick's Day! We spend the holiday of B's saint (appropriate, no?) with a few of his high school friends and their lovely better halves at the St. Patty's Day festival in Columbia, SC. B and I went down there thinking the "festival" would be what most places have: a few bars in a row with green beer. Don't get me wrong, we were stoked!

So imagine our surprise when we pull up and realize that they're closing off the entire downtown for a festival that begins at 9am with a parade. We ended up getting down there around 11, heading through the fences, and finding the streets lined with beer venders. Beer in funny glasses? Beer in discount refillable mugs? Green Beer? Don't mind if we do!

It was a perfect catch-up weekend, and one in which we were all asleep by 11 that night. Well done St. Patty's Day, if you ask me!

Work! These days, I'm doing a lot, namely babysiting for five families around 30 hours a week total. Now that spring has sprung, it's wonderful! We go outside, build obstacle courses, swim at the community pool, take walks, have picnics, and take some really great naps.

I had to convey to B that, while these all sound like wonderful activities (and they are!), there are still plenty of diaper changes, tantrums, eye-to-eye intentional conversations, lunches fixed (I hate touching those tiny canned hot dogs), and cleaning up. I think it's best captured by our exchange the other night:

B: Hey, there's something green on the back of your shirt.

Me (freezing): I'm going to need you to be more specific, because I've seen a lot of stuff today.

B: It looks like pen.

Me: Oh. Thank God.

Let's just say I shower a lot and toss all my clothes into the hamper as soon as I get home! This week was fun; I called B to see if he wanted to come over and go for a walk with me and my seven-month-old charge. It was fantastic! He and I got to talk, the baby thought we were talking to him, and we got a little exercise to boot (ok, ok, I was tired of pushing the stroller so I made the call... :))

Nana's Here! I've had such a blast hanging out with Mom a little while she's been in town. She and B hit Trader Joe's yesterday so she could take home some fun wine and sample some of their yummy fare. I wonder how we get a franchise started in Alabama...

Mom's really here because my sister is finishing her PhD, which she just turned in yesterday on April Fool's (of all days!). She'll have to defend later (on Tax Day, if you can believe it), but this is a huge milestone. I know Easter's going to be great around here!

Beach Weekend B & I headed to the beach this past weekend for a night to help his parents get it ready for the season. It was so nice to be outside in the sunshine getting things marked off the list while enjoying the great view of the ocean. Sign me up to help every year!

While we helped a little, we spent a lot of time having great meals with his parents and catching up with the rest of his family, who were also in town to help. We've missed them. Hope they come see us in Florida!

Big Move Our next big move is upon us and will be here before we know it. By mid-May, B will have graduated, we will have packed and hit the road for his little brother's graduation, one of my friends will have had a baby, and three more will be several weeks closer! Sure, we're feeling blessed, but definitely keep praying for us!!

Feeling Blessed

Over the past few weeks, I've really been feeling blessed. Busy, but blessed. As you might remember, I've got a few balls up in the air. I'm editing a cookbook, editing a business book, managing a social media campaign, redesigning a website, writing for two travel blogs, and babysitting. Boy am I babysitting.

I was feeling bad and a little stressed about spending so much time away from B and wanting to accomplish all I was doing in a top-notch style (except, of course, for the wording of this blog. too tired to edit thoughts!). And then I started making choices.

I could either hang out with Mom while she was in town and go to the science museum with the girls, or I could stay home and work. I made the choice to go with Mom and suddenly one of my moms didn't need me one morning. Found hours! I made the choice to go with B's family to the beach for a night to help get it ready for the season, and got up at six the morning we left so I could work for five hours before getting in the car and working three more. A full day's work and I still got to spend the afternoon on the beach!

These days, and maybe it's the Lenten season talking, I really feel God blessing both my intentions and my time. I try to get my priorities in order, and I feel like he's rewarding me for that, which is such a wonderful thing! And I know that you're suppose to keep church and state on their own turfs, but I found myself feeling overwhelmingly blessed when I found out we'd be getting a tax return that would replenish the coffers we used to contribute to my Roth. Again, rewarded for trying to do what's right for us and our future.

Not exciting, but peace-bringing, that's for sure! B's on the golf course today and I'm uber-jealous. But not jealous enough to go. Just jealous enough to stay inside with a glass of sweet tea and read People magazine. Ah, the life.

Adventures in Babysitting

Things I've Heard Myself Say This Week:

No sitting on the baby's head.

Penises belong in the bathroom. (Isn't that from a movie?)

Things I've Had Said to Me This Week:

If someone asks to see your penis, you have to say "I'm sorry, it's a private part." (age 3)

And my favorite:

Three year old: You hide the Easter eggs and I'll find them!

Me: Ok. Count to ten then go looking.

Three year old (each time he found one): Hm, you can do better. You can do better. You can do better. I really think you can do better.

Me: Well, you've only found three eggs and I hid eight, so we'll see, right?