Wordless Wednesday: Baby faces

Grace (5) and her baby doll Bella sleeping

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Wordless Wednesday

 The prettiest little monkey I've ever seen...

Grace, age 5

 

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How I Lost My Imaginary Friend

"Imaginary friend" is the term Jason uses to describe people I know online through blogging.

Two weeks ago, Josiah, Grace, and I drove to meet Kathleen and her family for the first time when she was visiting family in a nearby city. I was very excited and a little nervous to meet Kathleen; Josiah spent time speculating whether or not we would actually recognize each other.  (We did.)  We met at Chick-fil-A since rain was in the forecast, and as I spotted Kathleen parking and everyone getting out of their van, it was a little surreal...I told her it was as though photos from her blog were coming to life in the parking lot.  We all enjoyed our lunch together and, since it wasn't raining after all, we decided to head over to a local zoo as we had originally planned.

The kids paused briefly for photographs

Josiah, Jacob, Audrey, and Grace

before they began racing through the zoo together. At one point, Grace came running back to tell me, so excitedly, "Feline is here!  Feline is here!"

Who is Feline?  Feline is the deer Grace becomes when she is playing the Baby Deer Game.  While she rarely crawls under a pillow to become the baby deer who has lost her mother, she still occasionally does the Baby Deer Dance. 

So, yes, I had to explain to Kathleen why Grace was so very excited to see a deer in a zoo. 

We saw a bald eagle

 

and he saw me when Kathleen made some noise to get him to look her way! Yikes.  What a look.

 

We saw a few bears

 

At the bear exhibit

and some really cute owls.

Audrey and Josiah

 
We left the zoo area and headed over to the playground.  I find it hilarious that Kathleen and I both got similar shots here

  

and here 

  

as we walked towards the pond.  (I had stopped off at our van to get Josiah's water bottle and as well as some leftover fries to feed the geese and ducks.  Everyone else went on down the trail, so Kathleen and I walked these parts separately.)

  

 We spent a little time feeding the geese and ducks the leftover fries

 

 

and then some grease from the fries got on my camera lens and made the rest of my photos a little blurry.  :(

The kids had fun playing together.  The girls played "house" and the boys played games of friendly but sometimes, well, painful competition. Kathleen and I chatted in the way that moms with six children around them chat.  (It would have been seven except Robert stayed with Jason that day.)

The kids rather reluctantly posed for a group shot before we said our goodbyes.

And you know what happened?  Somewhere along the way--really, early on during our visit--I lost my imaginary friend

Kathleen and me

...and found a real friend. 

I love how it wasn't awkward when we first met.  We began talking like we'd known each other for a while--which, of course, we had, just online.  I love how our kids got along so well.  I love how Grace wants to mail Audrey some of her books as soon as she got home--just because--and how Josiah has asked when he can see Michael and Jacob again. 

I'm hoping it's pretty soon, because I'm looking forward to seeing Kathleen again, too.  I have a few hundred questions to ask her now that I'm not a bit nervous.  ;)

Wordless Wednesday: Praying Mantis

Photos are SOOC.

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Our new addition

No, not that kind of "new addition."

Or that kind.

But I think it's still a great addition! (Even if my husband is less than enthusiastic about my posting these photos. I have apparently crossed a line.)

With all the rain we had earlier this week, I had plenty of time to come up with a fabulous idea of how to extend my existing clothes line with the several feet of line I had left over by tying one end of the line to the porch post...

The existing two lines around the porch posts are on the left of the photo, and the new line is on the right

and tying the other end to our swing set.


Now I can hang an entire load of whites on the clothes lines at the same time!


Plus, this little extension will hopefully also extend the time I will use the clothes line during the year, since this portion is in the sun for more hours of the day.

Why, yes, I am easily amused. And, no, I don't have a belt with my name on it...although I did when I was about 8 years old. ;)

Our "Garden"

About the only thing I've been able to grow this year has been flowers and herbs. Grace has really enjoyed the morning glories that recently started blooming!



She named one spot where morning glories grow in our yard "Morning Glory Garden," and she makes a trip outside to pick as many flowers as I'll let her each morning (or as many as she can get away with).


And, yes, she is usually still in her pajamas.


These morning glories originally came from seeds I bought when Robert was the one picking me flowers--at least 8 years ago. When it's time to cut down the vines, I make sure some seeds fall where I want the vines to grow the following year and that takes care of it without needing to plant any seeds by hand.

And there are some places I don't let them grow anymore...

Robert (age 6) with monstrous morning glories that took over our front porch
September 2003

What about you? Have you grown anything this summer?

Overheard: The Anniversary Edition

Grace: Happy anniversary, Mommy!

Grace (5) in particular kept telling me "Happy anniversary" throughout the day and promising me different gifts, like some of her money. It became the running joke of the day because she always said "Mommy's anniversary" and didn't mention Jason, even though she understands that we celebrated our anniversary because it was like the birthday of our wedding date. Even Josiah (9) kept referring to it as "Mom's anniversary."

~~~~~

Since we were in Athens, we had to get some Krispy Kreme donuts as we were heading home. Robert (14) pretended he didn't want any, and then we pulled into the parking lot...

Grace [bubbling with excitement]: Too bad, Robert! You're getting Rice Krispies!!

Robert [laughing]: They're Krispy Kremes, not Rice Krispies.

Grace [still bubbling with excitement, and now talking in a sing-song voice]: We're getting Krispy Kremes for Mommy's anniversary! And also...

She paused for effect, and I really thought she was going to add "Daddy's anniversary." But...um, no.
Grace: I'll give you 20 cents when we get home!

The 20 cents was Grace's anniversary gift to me. She was disappointed that she forgot to bring her money in the car.