Splashing in Puddles

 

One of the photography groups I'm in challenged us to post photos of "reflections" (of our kids) in the puddles created by our spring storms. 



I love photography challenges. 



They help me think more critically while holding the camera, and often they create really fun situations for play that I wouldn't otherwise think of. 



So yesterday, between the morning mild thunderstorm and the afternoon severe (tornados sighted) thunderstorm, the kids and I got outside to play in the puddles. 


 
They were a little weirded out, at first...



...but pretty soon they both were having a grand time, running back and forth on the sidewalk, splashing. 



Lucy is in love with "Ring Around the Rosie" and was teaching Elliot how to play it. 



You have to sit down!  Sit down, Elliot!

(shaking his head): "Uh uh!" 



But then he decided to join her, after all.  And they both sat in the puddle and laughed. 



Ashes, ashes, we all fall DOWN!



I couldn't tell if they were admiring their reflections... or just enamored of the water. 



Probably the latter. 



I found it difficult to capture a really interesting reflection in this tiny, shallow little puddle. 

 

I'm curious to see what the other moms in the group got. 



I see a garbage truck!!!  (highlight of our play time outside)



11 days until my medical renewal exam.  It's going to be fine.  Baby #3 due in 3 1/2 weeks.  Can't wait!

April Showers...

We've enjoyed a cool spring with just a few rainstorms scattered here and there.



The most recent one was much anticipated and turned out to be a little disappointing.



But it was nice not getting as much hail (and hail damage) as was predicted.



After the storm passed, we took a family walk around the neighborhood, and I got to play with the lens I was renting -- a 105mm/2.8 lens with excellent optics and macro capabilities.  It was such fun.



And Lucy and Elliot loved looking for roly polies.  Lucy doesn't pronounce "l" at all.  So she says, "rowee poyees" -- and it's SO cute.




Look!  Another rowee poyee!!  And another rowee poyee!!
 

Elliot was equally, if not more, excited about all their little six-legged friends on the sidewalk. He loves bugs.

 It was such a nice walk.

Seventeen Months (Elliot's Monthly Photo)

One more month and Elliot will be a middle child!  No longer the youngest -- he'll be sandwiched between his big sister and little sibling, and he'll be a big brother!  Hard to believe he could be a big brother. 



Things we've enjoyed about Elliot this month:



Whenever he hears a siren, he says, "buh-buh!" which means "trouble" -- as in somebody got into some trouble, and the fire truck is on its way to help them! This--the narrative we've given Lucy to put her mind at ease about the scary sound of sirens--has translated to a one-word explanation from Elliot anytime a siren is heard -- buh-buh!



He is so, so affectionate and loves giving hugs and kisses and rubbing noses.  He will run from person to person, hugging legs.  This makes cooking in the kitchen challenging at times.  Challenging is a euphemism for crazy-making.



He loves bugs.  He and Lucy have enjoyed squatting down together outside, searching for bugs.  And he is fearless in picking them up to inspect them.  It sort of makes me cringe, seeing him pin a roly poly between his thumb and index finger.  He's so quick they don't even have time to roll up.  I'm not looking forward to his first encounter with fire ants, but hopefully that is a ways off.



Watermelon has become a  most beloved snack.  He enjoys stabbing each little piece with his fork.  He is really good with a fork/spoon!  It's impressive. 

He's still napping twice/day... sort of.  He has a morning "rest time" around 9 and then a proper nap time around 1:30 pm.  It's nice having a routine.  I'm sad that the routine is about to be challenged by the addition of #3, but we'll roll with the punches and adapt.  Everything will be fine.



He likes tickling Lucy, and she likes the attention.  They get on each others' nerves around 4 pm--the most difficult time of the day.  But usually they are very sweet to each other and enjoy playing together.  They love spinning together in the hugglepod.

He has "mama" and "dada" down pretty solid.  And "ball" -- and he likes repeating other words after us, though none are as clear as those three.  He doesn't have a word for Lucy yet, but he certainly loves pointing to her when we say, "Where's your sister?" or "Where's Lucy?"



He loves giving kisses to my belly.  And he signs "baby" and then gives my belly kisses.  I am so, so curious as to whether he understands that there is a baby inside. 

We've hit a lull with potty training.  Elliot's enthusiasm is waning, but that's pretty normal with a lot of kids.  I'm sure it'll pick back up again at some point. 



Elliot is very task-oriented and focused, especially when it comes to clean-up time!  He loves sorting toys appropriately and putting the correct toy in each box. 



Elliot, we love you and are so glad you're our son!  You are a delight.

Playing With Water, Time, and Eternity

Remember how Lucy used to love playing with water?  I mean, really -- what kid doesn't like playing with water. 



But I remember she used to stand at the sink for as long as I'd let her, pouring water from cup to cup.  For whatever reason, the other day, she decided she wanted to play in the sink again.  And she was having such fun and was so still, and the light was so pretty. 




So I got out my camera and quickly got the random appliances off the counter. 



And then, just for fun--I looked back through the blog and found the photos from exactly a year ago.  And oh. my. word.  I cannot believe how much bigger she is now!!  It has only been a year.

I was reminded of a C.S. Lewis quote the other day. 

For we are so little reconciled to time that we are even astonished at it.  “How he’s grown!”, we exclaim “How time flies!” as though the universal form of our experience were again and again a novelty.  It is as strange as if a fish were repeatedly surprised at the wetness of water.  And that would be strange indeed; unless of course the fish were destined one day to become, one day, a land animal.

I think that's true. Maybe we are continually surprised by the passage of time because we were made for eternity -- for a timeless Being.



That being said -- I am glad and grateful to be in this temporary slice of the time/space continuum.  With Lucy.  And with Elliot and Daniel. And we are so anxious to meet #3.  And even though Lucy has grown so much in the past year -- I am holding the terror of it in the same hand as the gladness. 



I can't hold on to the baby years... or any years.  "Letting" them pass is trusting that God will be enough in the next chapter in our lives, and the next chapter after that.  Until the years are all used up and we can finally go home.



But for now, I'm glad to take this chapter one day at a time.  

Bluebonnets

Have you gotten to see any of the big fields of bluebonnets yet this season? 




Bluebonnets in Texas are so beautiful.



We went to scope out a field a week or so ago. 

 

We had my nephew with us, which was nice. 




We don't see him much these days, and he and Lucy like each other a lot -- especially when they haven't been around each other recently. 



The light was a little harsh when we went (6-ish, a full hour and a half before sunset). 



But it was fun (and challenging) photographing the kids and practicing editing afterwards.



And Daniel took a few much needed maternity photos of me with the kids. 






 


Nothing else to report.  It was nice to see the bluebonnets.  Glad we live in Texas.  That's about it.