This One is for Grannie

Brian's Grannie Smyly got this T-shirt for Henry when he was born, and I have been waiting to put it on Svea since she was born.

Grannie got to hold Henry and love on him a little as a newborn, but passed away when he was a few months old.

I think she smiled with me today watching Svea play.

My Newest Faves For the Moment

I just got these two photos from my mom from the baptism...I think they are my favorites so far.

Johnnie

My dad sent me this picture this morning, asking if I thought Henry resembled his Uncle Johnnie. I think the hair definitely. And maybe the cheeks? The desire to be up in a tree - EXACTLY like Henry.



Meredith sent me these from the Easter weekend. I think they are working on the same facial expression here:



What a good monkey's uncle in this one:

Sweet Camellia

When Henry was born, my parents planted a tree in their front yard in his honor.

When Svea was born, they planted a camellia bush by their front door in celebration. Here is Svea meeting her camellia bush:

Nesting

I am totally getting old since I notice bird's nests now and avoid them when trimming the bushes. I wasn't mean to birds when I was young, but now I delight in a mama bird's eggs and I can't wait to see the babies with their open mouths waiting on breakfast.

Here's the view from my kitchen window:

In the Morning...

(this is Henry Easter morning between sips of juice and lap 592 around the house)

Henry wakes up so happy in the morning. He also wakes up running, but he is also very very happy.

The routine is that he wakes up and climbs into bed with us, we snuggle and then Brian brings him downstairs so I can snooze until Svea wakes. What a good hubby. So Brian and Henry let the dog out, bring in the paper, feed the dog, start the coffee, and watch Bob the Builder while Henry drinks diluted orange juice through a straw (that's an important detail) and eats dry cereal.


Lately, we have been letting him stay up a little later. After his bath, he gets to come back downstairs for about 30 minutes and hang out before it's time for the Big Boy Bed. The last 3 nights, when he comes downstairs after his bath, he runs around a little (of course) and then wants orange juice and cereal and "Bob dee Beeeelder???"

We initally thought it was just the DNA he shares with his Pops that he would want cereal before bed.
But then I started thinking, maybe it's more than that.

He wakes up so happy, maybe he is trying to re-visit what he remembers as a happy time in his day...when all is beginning and the light is long across the hard-wood floors and the juice is cold, the cereal, crisp, and Daddy and Mama's coffee, so hot. Everything is fresh and new.

And then I realized that I still have college textbooks that are now outdated and haven't been opened in 7 years.
I have clothes that I bought during particularly happy times in life.
I am watching Saturday Night Live on a Monday night.

Do Brian and I teach him to do this? or does everyone try to re-enact happy days past, happy moments past, happy anything?

Whatever it is, I'll make him all kinds of cereal and let him watch TV at night as I try to understand him. And maybe he'll start liking American Idol as much as he likes Bob dee Beeelder.

Bee-ball

Henry is officially obsessed with baseball.
But only until he sees the Alabama football pre-game-get-yourself-pumped-up video his father keeps out year-round.
Or until he sees a golf clip on CNN Headline news.
Or sees his soccerball getting rained on in the backyard.

But when we are at the baseball or softball field he is ALL ABOUT IT. Especially when sitting with his handsome Daddy who agrees to keep chasing him up and down the stairs and ramps so Mama can sit still with Svea for the first time all day.



Svea likes the games too, but she pretty much is proving to like everything. Even her brother when he pegs her in the head with sharp objects.



There was a softball double-header today which means that the gods were shining down on Brian and me to give us an afternoon activity for 4 straight hours.

Bike Race was also today which is the University of Evansville's small-scale version of the big Bike Race up in Indy that I grew up knowing about from the 1979 movie Breaking Away. So we went and clapped for the "bikey-cycles" then proceeded to the softball field for the rest of the Activity Portion of the afternoon.

Svea wore a little purple dress that our sweet friend Eilidh lent us and played with her chew toy in the stroller the whole time. I had to squeeze her arm and leg rolls about every half a second while she wore that dress. In this picture she is saying "ooo ooo" to the ducks on her shoes. Precious smart child.

Those deltiods and biceps are so developed too. If she flexed, she might really be able to take her brother down.

the number FIVE

I've been tagged by letajoy!

I join Leta in her giddiness with her first blog tag.

THE NUMBER FIVE.
The adult version of number of the day from Sesame Street.

1. Five minutes to yourself: how would you spend them, ideally?
On the computer without having Henry hanging from my foot asking "ride horsey?" 3,872 times or having to say, "No, it's Mama's turn on the computer" an equal number of times.

2. Five bucks to spend right now: how would you spend it?
Fresh flowers from the farmer's market tomorrow morning. Then maybe some coffee. I would probably buy fewer flowers to get a cheap cup of joe.

3. Five items in your house you could part with, right now, that you hadn't thought of already?
all toys that require batteries (even the Leapfrog numbers that claim to make my children smarter); one of our 4 strollers; the XXL black, one-piece maternity bathing suit with a skirt that I found in a box today; the dog; throw pillows - all of them.

4. Five items you absolutely, positively could never part with in your house?
I am assuming this doesn't mean people? So I'll say photo albums; iMac; the Lics choco-cremes in the freezer; coffee pot, my camera.

5. Five words you love?
foccacia, seriously, esperanza, sweetpea, gracious

My turn to tag and I choose Carroll Lane.

Rambling

We had a really busy weekend.

We had, like, 487 family members in town for Svea's baptism Easter morning. Everyone got here by Saturday afternoon and the weather was so nice we played Cornhole in the backyard forever and I don't even have one picture of it to show you. But it was fun.

Here's a picture of the whole fam at the service Sunday morning:



And one of our little family:



And my sweet brother as my diaper-bag caddy:



Henry finally slowed down Monday morning and played gently with Svea so I moved at warp speed to grab the camera and capture the moment:



Then Svea took a nap and came outside to join Henry, our friend Danny, Aunt Beth and me. She kept looking at me and grinning this grinny face so I made this picture my desktop wallpaper and every time Henry sees it he says, "Svea cry?" Her smile does border a grimace, but it's a really cute grimace is it not?



So Svea played in the pool with the pit balls, and Danny ran around some, and Henry practiced "throwing" the ball with the dog. He's loving his newest phrase, "drop it, Mollie, DROP IT!"
For those of you who didn't know, or forgot, the dog and I share the same name. I wish I could forget it.



We're loving having Aunt Beth here and I just might cry when she leaves. The other night, I went upstairs and came back down and she had loaded the dishwasher and wiped the counters. Without being asked. Did I mention that I would cry when she left? Not to mention how fun she is at playdates with other moms or at library storytime or just hanging around at night. Plus, she has yet to beat me at Cornhole.

HAPPY EASTER!!

No Air, Just Two Teeth

Our air conditioning is not working. I know a/c is a luxury, but I'm still pretty grumpy about it as I sit in my tank top and boxers SWEATING at 10pm. I kept stripping the kids down until they were less whiney and Svea kept making this face:



I kept cracking up at her, so Henry goes over and LAYS on her, trapping her foot underneath his sweaty torso, and she still makes the face. So cute. And obviously proud of those two teeth.

Egg Hunting

We had an Easter Egg Play Date in the backyard yesterday, complete with sprinkler, balls, swing, slide, basketball goal and tractor. What else do you need in life, really.



Andrea brought this intertube-like sprinkler that all the kids loved and got soaked running through it. Before everyone got there, Warren and Henry jumped all around it and Henry even tried to drink from it. Lovely.



We finally threw all the eggs in the yard and most of them got the idea that you were supposed to collect them and put them in your basket. Henry really loves to step on the eggs and watch them crack.



Lindsey and Arwyn may have been the best collectors...though Danny had some good help from Mommy.



Svea stayed in the pack-n-play with the other 8-month-old, Aubrey. At first I felt bad about caging her up, but it was really for her own protection. Since the tractor was out and all. Then she kept me up until four this morning, so now I really don't feel bad. I think she'll have 5 new teeth by Saturday.

Sharing

Today I helped throw a baby shower for a friend, so Brian has been taking care of Henry for about 39 hours. Luckily there was a double header down the street and Henry can say with great gusto, "GO ACES!"
Svea cooperatively slept through the shower, waking up at the tail end to grin at all the ladies gathered in her play space.

Karl and Rafe were at the game too and since Henry had crackers, Rafe sat with us. Rafe will do anything, any time of day, for a snack. Henry did his best to share, so I tried to capture the moment he willingly gave over a veggie cracker.

Chubby

Here's my chubby-legged girl in shorts concerned while watching her brother sit in a Time Out. Sweet of her to be concerned since he's in that position for hitting HER with part of the rubber protection stuff we have around the coffee table which Henry thinks it is funny to rip off a piece and use it as a bat and Svea's head as a ball.

I think I'll never be able to leave them in a room together alone.

Corn Holin'

Last Saturday we went to Lexington for the day.

Before leaving Evansville, though, we stopped by Jennie, Menachem and Lilah's new house for a little housewarming gathering that involved doughnuts. I'm not sure how many doughnuts Henry actually had because he was coming to me and Brian for "bites" and Brian and I were not always in the same room. So when we got in the car, there was a major sugar crash (if you look closely you can see sugar all over his face):



Svea followed suit with her regular morning nap and Brian and I had a full conversation without being interrupted.



When we got to Lexington, Henry discovered Mardi Gras beads are fun to wear, even when it's April Fool's Day. So he took all the necklaces save one from little 3-year-old Gus who was doing his best to share with Henry.







While Henry was putting on and taking off the beads, Brian and I discovered corn holing, which you too can discover here.
That game is so fun that I went right out to Rural King this week an dbought me some corn and Brian looked up the plans to build the ramps. He and I only played one round and I was so sore the next day I could barely lift Svea's car seat.
When we have it all set up in the back yard, all of you are invited to come and get wooped at corn holin'.

We made it back safely that night, concluding our first successful day trip in the midwest with young children in the car.

I think Cincinnati is next...

Precious Girl in a Sesame Street Coma

"Baa Baa Black Sheep Happy Wool"

The audiopost below are some of Henry's new tunes. Yesterday he was really into singing...today, it's dancing.