Meanwhile....back at the ranch

Who Goes There?

Okay so, all of a sudden, Riley cares which episode of Backyardigans we watch. Seriously? His obsession for the past 8 days has been the episode titled, "Who Goes There." We have to watch it every day. I know it was recorded on 4/4--it didn't take me long to learn that shortcut. Some days he even wants to watch it "Gin (again), Mama." That is where I draw the line. Once daily is bad enough, but we're not doing this in succession. No way.

So...f.f. (fast forward) to bedtime last night. The routine went as usual: bath, pajamas, books, bed. After about 20 minutes of silence (but for the bedtime music coming through the monitor) we hear Riley say, "Who goes there?"

Russ and I looked at each other and busted out laughing. We weren't sure if he was dreaming or what....

Mother's Day

Mother's Day started early for me this year. Thursday Russ walked in with a huge box for me to open. This:

He did so good-- a surprise AND something I've been wanting for a while. Thanks, Babe--I love it! It perfectly matches the sign we already have:

The next day, Friday afternoon, I picked up Riley from school--business as usual. I knock on the door, Julie opens it and heads back to get Riley. Riley comes around the corner, running. It looked like this:

No, I don't always stand at the door waiting with camera in hand, ready to snap, silly. I made Julie take him back, ran to get my camera, and these pics are from take 2....with tears in my eyes. What a special, sweet surprise this was. Riley was so proud. (p.s. Those weren't Mommy's flowers like you may think, they were "mine.")

Sunday, My Babes gave me a card each (more tears) and my favorite bottle of wine. I'm so blessed to have them in my life and to be loved by them. It was a Happy Mother's Day!

Mom

A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary."

Dorothy Canfield Fisher

Mother's Day Brunch

Last year we had our mothers and grandmothers over for brunch Mother’s Day Weekend. We did it again this year, so now it’s an annual event! I tried out some new recipes: Vanilla Almond Breakfast Ring and Brie-Sausage Casserole. Both were a hit (whew!).

Nana, Grandmom and Grandda, Mom, and Gary all showed up this morning at 10:00. We missed Thomas and Karol—they were at the ranch.

Riley sure did have fun showing off for his grandparents and great-grandparents. He took Grandda outside to show him how to water the plants (he had no idea!), insisted on sitting between Grandmom and G to eat (and ate off of their plate, not his), and finish his meal in Mimi’s lap.

We had a great time!

birthmark

Your birth marked me as a mother.

Marked my sweet husband as a father.

Marked us as a family of 3.

Marked me as a "worry wart."

Marked me as a sucker....sometimes.

Marked me smitten for life.

Your tiny birthmark is on your 2nd toe, but your "mark" goes so much deeper.

Brown

*the color of earth
*coffee
*my maiden name
*the color I wish my legs were
*chocolate
*wood
*the color of my bedroom walls

When I was a child, brown was always the yuckiest color. Now it's my absolute favorite. Look at all the wonderful things that are brown.

Quotes from a Two Year Old

"Are you Mama?" = "Where are you Mama?" (He says this in the mornings while he's waking up, when he's ready for me to take him out of his bed.)


"That Mine's" = "That's mine." (And yes, it's driving me crazy that he doesn't put the possessive on the right word, but it makes me proud that at least one of them does. We're working on it!)


"Mell it, Mama." = "Can I smell it Mama?" (He wants to smell the coffee beans when I grind them.)


"My hoo hoo!" = "Be quiet--I want to sing this part!" (He sings the theme song to Two and a Half Men.)


"I gon gitchu Dada!" = "I'm gonna get you Dada!" (Playing with Dada)


"No home--Robbye's house" = "I don't want to go home, let's go to Robbye's house." (He's been saying this since our last visit to Robbye and Mike's--usually says it when I pick him up from school and we're getting in the car.)


"No, this way." (We have a backseat driver now.)


"A-yar-gins, please."= "Can we watch (or listen to) Backyardigans, please?"


"Hi Doaky Boy!" (He says this when it's been a while since he's seen Doak.)


"No Mama, no sing, my sing." = "Mama, you can't sing, I want to sing."


"I uh you Dada!" = "I love you Dada!" (Usually screaming this downstairs to Dada while Riley and I are reading books at bedtime.)

"Whoa, Dude" (This is usually in the car when we go over a big bump.)

"More tractors" (Please drive around and let me look for tractors until my tractor appetite is satisfied.)

"Eat time!" (When he's hungry or hears a kitchen timer go off!)

Shoes

I love shoes, it's no secret. I prefer the non-fancy kind. Here are a few of my current faves:






Here are my faves from Russ's side of the closet:








And let's not forget the little guy:

Aaaah!

Coffee tastes better on Saturday mornings. It doesn't have to go in a "to go" cup, it goes in my Starbucks mug (a gift from my class this year) or my Zephyr mug (the camp Russ worked at as a child). I grind whole beans on the weekend, not Folgers Columbian ground. I sit on the couch or on our porch and drink it, not in my car. I have it with my family by my side instead of in the car solo or surrounded by 21 7-year old's. When I run out, I can have more--not a cup from the office that's too strong. Blech.

I haven't been a coffee drinker that long....only since Riley was born. I think I'll have a tough time next pregnancy not drinking it as often as I'd like.