Rose the Spider

An evening on the front porch with Dale, Rose and Lily starts like this...

And becomes this...

Rose is apparently a spider trying to eat Dale and Lily.

At first Lily was fascinated with the way Dale and Rose played together, hugging and then pushing each other to the ground, giggling one minute and screaming the next.

But she warmed up quickly and joined the "scary spider" game.

Being the spider is exhausting.

Dale has endless energy.

Suddenly the tables turned and everyone was chasing Rose.

Then Dale laughed hysterically as Lily threw his sister to the ground.

Meanies.

Rainy Day

One rainy afternoon when Monga, Sara and Lily were visiting, I snuck outside with Rose alone, so we could have some quiet rain time.  The rain was misty and cold, and it woke up my senses again, making me feel renewed.  Rose was quite happy stomping around the yard in her pink horsey jacket, examining deer poop and playing in the mud.

But then we were discovered, and things weren't so quiet anymore.

Olathe in One Day

I love my nephews and nieces.  They are rays of sunshine in my life, and it has been such a true and honest pleasure to be closer to them for the last few years, to see them grow and learn.  And they are all amazing, for sure, each in his or her own special way.

January 26, 2013

I was eager to get to Olathe for some basketball games, and even though Mark couldn't join us this time, I gathered up my personal support system and traveled to Olathe for one busy day with all my nieces and nephews.

First stop:  Max and Matthew's basketball game.  They had already been busy winning at the pinewood derby that morning, but they still managed to play quite a good game of basketball.

Matthew and Max, two cool basketball dudes.

No doubt if I am presented with an opportunity to take a few pictures of my insanely adorable children, I'm totally gonna do it.  So before we even left the game, my kids got their cute on for the camera.

My traveling support system would not be complete without cutie patootie Miss Lilybug herself.

At Uncle Scott and Auntie B's house, Max showed Rose all his pinewood derby cars from past years.  She was impressed.

This trip to Olathe was also to give Max and Matthew their birthday gifts.  Dale drew his cousins each a picture of a Dr. Who sonic screwdriver.

After dinner we were off to Mary's basketball game.  Let me tell you something, sister's got game!

It was getting late that evening, so the kids were becoming harder and harder to wrangle, but we stuck it out and rooted for the talented and fierce Mary.

Some of Mary's fans.

It's always exhausting, but I never regret it.  Thank you to my wonderful nieces and nephews.  You guys are all awesome.

Another One of Those Days

This happened...
Let me be clear.  Rose now likes, and thinks it's hysterical, to take off her clothes during nap time and then sometimes pee all over her sheets and pillow.

Sister is out of control.

When Rose isn't terrorizing her mother, she is going through drawers looking for anything she can find useful.  Enter corn dishes.

They make lovely shoes.

One of Those Days

January 23, 2013

It was one of those days...

And she was so proud of herself.

It took days before all that black marker came off her face.

I cannot even begin to express how "Rose" this picture is.

January Art

January was the month of art.

It's fascinating watching Dale create his masterpieces.  He gets inspired by any number of things and then runs to his art drawer, gets out his art notebook and markers, and begins to create in an often intense and urgent manner.  It's as if he must get his visions out immediately before he explodes.

"Ocean" by Dale.

I am often mesmerized by the visions that come out of Dale's brain.  There's something special there.  I'm certain of it.  I just keep the markers and paper flowing freely and then sit back and enjoy the show.

Here are some of Dale's favorite pieces...

"Apples" by Dale.

"Skyscraper" by Dale.

"Kung Fu Panda is sick" by Dale.

"Buzz Lightyear and Woody" by Dale.

And of course, every art piece has a lovely little "x" kiss on it.

Nighty Night, My Babies

Both of my children have very specific night time rituals, and both children have had their rituals turned upside down these last few months.  It's been a bedtime adventure, to say the least.

One night as I snuck quietly into Rose's room to check on her, I found her like this.  She had tucked her baby next to her with a tiny pink blanket.  My heart melted at the sweetness of it all.

The next morning Rose most likely screamed "NO!" at baby several times before calling for Mommy to get her out of bed.

And well Dale...what can I say?  He sleeps with his Mommy now, keeping Daddy's side of the bed nice and warm.

Because I can't bear to move him back to his bed.

Kansas Again

January 19, 2013

Until our house sells, the kids and I still consider Manhattan our permanent residence.  We spend most of our time there, away from Daddy, because that's where all our toys and beds are.  We need our toys and beds, oh yes we do.  So once we had a good visit with Daddy in Colorado, we headed back to Kansas for a few weeks.  Luckily, Daddy got to visit us one beautiful sunny weekend!

Off to the park!

Let's face it, Daddy's a much better swing pusher.

While Rose tends to wander aimlessly around the playground, Dale is starting to have more and more imaginary play, allowing him to settle in one location for a little longer.

Rose will show up long enough to destroy what Dale has been working on, and then she's off again.

The geese were out in full force, flying and pooping everywhere.  We went down to the water to check on the situation.

It was all good until the geese thought we had food for them.  They were getting too close, and it was time to go, but it sure was a lovely day.