it’s been a fast-paced crazy week.

and i feel like i’m so behind in all that i have to do…

…but that thought is not as overwhelming as it used to be when i know i am behind by choice because i choose reading books. and playing ‘go fishin. and rockin’ baby dolls and goin’ to bed early with a tired little binks. and i will get caught up…because i always do.

and while i’m treading water in the work pile, i’m also chasing and re-diapering a gets-naked-in-two-seconds-flat baby…about fifteen times a day.

we tried packaging tape today but miss houdini pulled it off in no time.

and so it is…naked never hurt anybody.

this post won’t be long as i’m so ready for bed after being up three hours last night with her…thrashing and whining…and it finally dawned on me after three hours, a little dose of tylenol and a morning google search that yes, there is such a thing as two year molars.

it is warm these days. and very, very sunny happy. with breezes and barbecue scents and evening bikerides. and i’m happy to live in a neighborhood on these kinds of days. even though i often dream of a big old farmhouse in the country…or a city brownstone…or a seaside escape. our little neighborhood house makes me happy too. with its clean sidewalks and familiar faces and quaint green street signs. it’s friendly. and friendly is a great place for a kid to grow up.

(ahhh…our little linus and her beloved blank)

…enjoying the that’s-all-for-now things. ~k

and then there are days like this one.
where goodness is commenced with an early morning text from neighbors:

bacon and eggs. come on down.

and we do…in comfy sweats and pillow-flattened hair.
we push our jammied girl (with cowboy boots, mind you) on her tricycle down the block to meet her brothers from their sleepover.
and their house smells like bacon. …and happiness.
and we drink coffee and breathe fresh air from open doors while kids run amuck.
and suddenly our dogs are there too, so there’s just this giant mess of beautiful chaos while we eat eggs. and argentinian sausage. and good, well-done bacon. and heavenly biscuits straight from the oven with butter and honey.
and it was so unplanned…so spontaneous….so come-as-you-are…
…so delightful.
thank you, dave & charlotte. mwahh.

but as delight usually goes…there was more in store.

like sunshine that rained its love right into our yard this afternoon and begged for us to just be.

so we did. with a garden hose and ribbons of cold water that kept her happy for hours.

and i’m a deep person and all…
but, seriously… i couldn’t not drink it in.
couldn’t not just sit there and think that this was a positively beautiful moment. the way she smiled with all trillion of her spaced-out little teeth. the way those sweet little yellow straps kept slipping down her willowy shoulders.

the saggy butt of her bikini bottoms that were pleasantly garnished with loads of mud and grass. squelching and squirching our toes into muddy puddles. watching her attempt to tote a heavy bucket of water just a few steps…and happily wincing when the water splashed her face. hose drinking. sun basking. and just…being.

and when it’s all said and done…i want to dissect it. label it with all the words and feelings i can muster so that it has more relevance in my memories than just a day. it was a special day.
they all are, really…but there are some that just stand out a little more precious than the rest.

…and then, i even had the blessing of taking pictures of a beautiful family…on a perfect sunset evening downtown.

another sweet nugget of a weekend.
amidst a little house painting, some much-needed deep cleaning (fyi: mopsticks make great karaoke mikes), a saturday night wedding, and some sweet time with brett’s mom…i realized…

…that i forgot how much i love tracy chapman.
…that i really want an exact replica of lainey’s yellow bikini in my size.
…that i love my camera so much, i’d make out with it if i could.

…that i’m thankful for a beautiful girl…a beautiful family…and a beautiful life.

~ enjoying the just-enough-sap things. ~k

another beautiful chubs.
i love the chubbers ones.

and i love that this little pint made me work for these pictures. her mama and i chased her, blew bubbles, threw balls, threw sticks, threw grass, made all sorts of embarrassing childish noises, requested the help of the dog, the grown-up kids…and in the end, i’m so happy with our sweet little results. they’re in focus…and that puts a smile on my face after all that movement! sixteen months=sweet exploration.

little bridgit. a precious little tot who loves to move!

…and a little bit of park love from today. an hour before we left for our park playdate, i had a talk with myself. told myself that today was the day we’d have it all together. we’d bring bagels for the moms. we’d have snacks when someone asked for one. we’d neatly tote our sand-digging toys in a cool bag hung on a clean stroller. we’d remember our sunglasses, look nice and arrive completely put-together. with sunscreen and wipes tucked into appropriate easy-access pockets in our park bag.

thing is i don’t have a park bag. so we used a bag we found buried under cracker crumbs in the trunk. and i had to call my friend on my way and ask her to bring juice because i forgot ours and it was hot. and lainey was crying. and i caved and gave her a munchkin from dunkin donuts. or five. and i forgot wipes to clean the powdered sugar on her face after. and i balanced my coffee on the top of the stroller canopy…and it kinda tipped over and spilled. and the sand toys we did bring got spread around the digging grounds so we came home with less than what we started with. and the sack dress i wore that i thought looked cool? later proved to be a strethced out piece of crap.

…but i still brought bagels for the moms. and that’s kinda cool.

and finally, i don’t know that i’ve ever posted a youtube here, but this one is sensational.
this video sums my thoughts on today’s education system beautifully.
seems a proper time being that florida schools are undergoing the fcat right now.
this man sums up profoundly what i feel so passionately about.
ah, creativity.
it’s twenty minutes long but is so worth it. grab a cup of coffee…and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

(sorry…i am embed-edly challenged)

love. lots. ~k