super scout

These pictures of Scout were just too funny for me not to post. I'm using the "wind in the hair" look as my current Facebook profile picture because doesn't every woman perceive herself as some kind of superhero at some point in her life...or is that just me?

tillie walking

It is so cliche but true: once those little guys take their first steps on their own, they are off and running. The first time you see that three-point stance you know you're in trouble. Tillie turned 15 months exactly one week ago, and exactly one week ago she decided to finally try walking on her own. It was a week of "Tillie's walking all by herself" chants reverberating throughout the house...until the excitement died down. It evaporated because once Tillie took those 12 long steps [solo] from the bathroom to her bedroom the gig was up--she could walk (and walk well). Tonight Alex even said, "Has it only been a week? I feel like Tillie's been walking for a month."

And that, my friends, is how it happens. And that is why first steps turn into sprints down the sidewalk, and afternoons turn into decades.

This is Tillie walking:

a day for mom

I handed the camera over to Alex when he got home this afternoon because, on Mother's Day, it seemed like a fitting opportunity for a shot of my brood and me.

Here we are getting ready for the shot, and...

oops! We lost Scout. Get back into the picture. Tillie is trying to run away. Focus, Catcher, focus.

The end result: I love it! Who needs to see my face, anyway? This is life with these three.

that's my name

At the risk of sounding too philosophical or introspective, there are times when a simple picture says everything (don't they have a saying for that?). Take, for instance, this afternoon when I was playing with the kids at Sparky Park. I drew each of their names in the sand/dirt/gravel concoction and asked them to put their feet by their name so I could get a picture. This is what I got:

The pictures are pretty accurate descriptions of their budding personalities, in my humble opinion.

ice cream social

The day started out grey and rainy. Those are the days you dread as a mom to three little--let's call them all toddlers for the sake of argument--ones. Rainy afternoons can be fun when you're older (or hungover) and you can spend the afternoon reading or watching movies. But when you have to entertain others who need constant re-direction, you need a plan. Or a survival manual.

That's when I came up with the brilliant idea of having an ice cream social in the kitchen this afternoon. Catcher and I set the table and prepared the toppings--marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles, bananas, chocolate syrup--while the ladies snoozed.

The ice cream party was a hit. Then again, when is ice cream not a hit with kids? Tillie ended up sleeping through the whole thing, but that's okay because we saved her some bananas and she didn't really need the mess of the ice cream and chocolate sauce anyway.

a day in the life

Last night I went to bed with my camera. I mean, I didn't sleep with my camera, but I put it on the bedside table so it would be there in the morning. I had this idea that I would document a day in my life. The documentation wasn't as easy as I thought it would be--there's no time to set up your shot, get the right lighting, blah, blah, blah--but my "experiment" did make me take notice of the day. Things I would otherwise overlook, like breakfast cereal spilled all over the kitchen, became mini stories within themselves. The day went a little something like this:

6:41am wake-up call from Scout. She's our sleeper, but Tillie wakes her up every morning, and after 20-30 minutes of Tillie "talking" to Scout from her crib, Scout comes upstairs to tell us "I think Tillie wants you." This happens every morning.

And here is Little Miss Wakey Wakey waiting to be rescued from her crib.

Scout tried to pour her own cereal. This is what happened.

The bathroom in the morning--one of my hot buttons. Everyone wants to be in there with everyone else, and we all trip over each other until someone (or everyone) ends up crying. It drives me crazy.

Then again, when you stop and take a minute to actually observe, it's kind of comical.

Preschool drop-off. Alex was with me, so I sent him inside while I waited in the car with Tillie. In the rearview mirror you can see Catcher watching from the third row while Scout makes a production out of getting out of her car seat.

There was a little time to kill before taking Alex to the airport, so we visited one of our old favorites--Jo's Coffee on South Congress.

I made Tillie pose on the steps of the San Jose Hotel because beautiful and interesting people stay there.

Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in all its cloudy glory.

After school and a tear-filled wardrobe change (she spilled water on her romper and insisted she change), I was ready for Scout's nap.

Catcher taking a picture of me taking a picture of him.

After naps and snacks it's time to get down to business and go to the gym. Side note: it was a cloudy, drizzly day and we needed to get out of the house.

We had cereal for dinner. This is how it happened: we left the gym too late, and I took the long way home. I took the long way home because we left the gym too late, so I was going to treat the kids to P. Terry's for dinner. I was going to treat the kids to P. Terry's for dinner because I never made it to the store today (we're basically out of food) because I got sidetracked while registering Scout for another preschool next fall. There are no pictures of the registration process because I was in utter disbelief that I actually got her into this program (more on that at some point). 

But back to the dinner thing. So...we were on our way to the P. Terry's drive through when I realized I had left my wallet at home when we left for the gym. (I knew my bag was too light!) After promising the kids to a special treat tomorrow since I screwed up, we all decided that cereal for dinner was a decent idea. It's a good thing that we did choose cereal because Scout threw it all up on her way to the bath. I didn't take a picture of that because that's just gross.

After baths I was exhausted and the camera battery was dead, so our day was done for all intents and purposes.

next year is almost here

The answer is yes. The question is: will I cry on Catcher's first day of kindergarten next fall? I know the answer because yesterday was kindergarten registration. And I cried. I didn't cry cry, but I definitely got a little choked up when the incoming parents were treated to an introductory Lee Elementary video during the first few minutes of orientation. Even the smell of the cafeteria didn't bother me when the young students projected on the screen looked out and said, "Thank you, Mom and Dad for sending me to Lee." It was Oscar-worthy.

My morning with Catcher began with a lovely walk to Lee Elementary. Catcher kind of skip-ran because he could hardly contain his enthusiasm, but it was nice to enjoy a peaceful moment with just the two of us. I timed our walk--for future reference, not because I'm that much of a dork--and it took us just shy of 15 minutes door-to-door. When we arrived at the school we were directed to the cafeteria where I saw nervous parents and jaded parents and parents that were running late and those who had arrived way too early. That morning I was wearing my "this is my first kid to go to kindergarten but I'm totally cool and not nervous and would never get emotional about it" hat. But then I did get (slightly) emotional and decided we [parents] are all pretty much the same when it comes down to it. 

After we spotted two of Catcher's current preschool mates and settled into our seats, the children were quickly whisked away and ushered into the library where they met the school's three kindergarten teachers and completed a series of puzzles, drawings and alphabet games (I secretly think they were "testing" the kids, but don't tell anyone). When we rejoined our little ones in the library, next on the agenda was heading to the auditorium for a "Dinosaurs" program that was performed by the current class of kindergartners. I mean, so cute. If were weren't already filled with Lee pride by the end of that bit of propaganda, the principal came back to bid her farewells and remind us to take a Lee Elementary tee shirt on our way out the door. In fact, make sure you get one for every member of the family--there are adult sizes, too!  When we got home, after I made Catcher pose for a snapshot while holding onto his tee shirt, he dressed his bear it.

Catcher wore his shirt to bed last night.

And Scout wore hers.

And I wore mine.

And Alex wore his.

They didn't have baby sizes (sorry, Tillie).

I'm pretty sure that LEE bumper sticker they gave us in our welcome packet is going to end up on the car.