Sitting Pretty

Madeline's been sitting up pretty reliably for a few weeks now, and is quite proud of herself. In other Thomas family news, Patrick seems to be over his temporary obsession with wearing Donald's shorts and football jerseys, which was proving to be a serious impediment to his ability to dunk balls.

Sky Meadows Hike

Somewhere in Sky Meadows State Park there is a pink sock missing a baby, but a few bare toes didn’t ruin a wonderful Mother’s Day weekend adventure. We saw a chipmunk, a worm, and dozens of beautiful butterflies, and once again found ourselves needing to redefine the “moderate trail” designation in our guidebooks. These kids are heavy! Patrick really enjoyed walking some parts of the trail (and insisted that he use a hiking pole) and Madeline as always enjoyed the view from the Bjorn. On Sunday morning I was really touched by the nice wishes we got from some of the patrons in La Madeleine at breakfast. We tasted our girl's namesake pastry (not bad kid) and then my very understanding family indulged my wish for a photo shoot in the park. Patrick’s smiles now cost us a bag of gummy treats, unless of course he’s running with a football, in which case the smiles are free.

A Few of My Favorite Things

For Mother’s Day I’ve made myself a little bouquet of favorite things from the past few weeks:

“I’m giving Madeline a gentle hug Mommy. Go get your camera”

Madeline’s traffic-stopping, toothless grin. We literally had old ladies following her around like she was a rock star during a recent shopping trip in Tennessee.

In the midst of a temper tantrum over not getting a treat because of bad behavior Patrick stopped mid-sob to pat his chest and ask, in a desperate last attempt, “Is this good be-ha-ha-ha-vior?”

The chunks-upon-kachunks that are Madeline’s gorgeously thunderous thighs. Even cuter when stuffed into white tights and topped with ruffled underpants. Monogrammed ruffled underpants.

Patrick’s sweaty head the other night after a busy afternoon playing at school. With his basketball shorts and shaggy hair he looked just like a big kid coming home from practice.

The wonderful variety of Madeline’s summertime baby clothes (especially seersucker bubbles and ‘play sets’) and the contrasting singularity of Patrick’s fashion interest. That kid is going to get married in a tuxedo made of football jersey material. And possibly a Cookie Monster diaper.

Riga-tiga-toni, Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-ouille (the movie), hangaburger, and la-zag-ina—“it’s hard to say, isn’t it Mommy?”

Patrick’s incredibly brave showing at the dentist despite being visibly scared. When it was all over he sat up and, thinking the dentist couldn’t hear, whispered “Get me out of here Mommy.”

My very first kid-made Mother's Day present: a beautiful red flower planted in a pot, with a card and a photo of Patrick making it "all my-byself."

I'm a very lucky Mommy.

The "One" Club

Welcome to the “one” club Colton! We had a great time celebrating with our favorite nephew in Knoxville this past weekend. Upon arrival late Thursday night Patrick made a quick survey of the scene and told me sadly “they only have 2 footballs Mommy.” Needless to say, the two footballs were quickly appropriated by you-know-who, who slept with one tucked under each arm. We stocked up on kid clothes on a trip to Pigeon Forge on Friday, and enjoyed the beautiful weather playing baseball after dinner with a brilliant inflatable set. Like a true member of the Thomas family, Colton attacked his chocolate cake with gusto on Saturday, and he and Patrick whiled away the afternoon dunking on his new Little Tikes hoop. On Sunday we watched Colton be introduced officially to his church, followed by a festive lunch with the Liner family. It was a wonderful weekend and over way too fast.