The Good Wife's Guide

My new mission statement (borrowed from my sister Rivka's blog):

Found in:I love that it says, "She has the courge to be happy..." Reminds me of what my dad said all the time growing up: that nobody makes you mad or happy, only more or less inclined to be the way you've already decided to be. The Good Wife's Guide in its entirety you will find on Rivka's blog. It's a great read and I second everything my sister says!

I love to sleep with my baby. I love to feel her little twitchies and hear her soft baby snore and to smell her flowery milky scent. And I love how she curls up into my side and twists and twines her gummy fingers and toes around my pjs. This morning however, I woke up feeling especially warm and moist and sticky and ooie, like I had spent the night snuggling a giant sucked on jelly bean. I laughed as the thought struck me because it's such a precise description!

The Jungle V.I.P.

Isaac has requested to be known henceforth as Old King Louie.
Speaking of, we were at the park for a picnic lunch on Saturday. Nearby a bunch of Hispanic boys were playing a game of basketball. After a particularly poor shot I heard one of them yell, "Geez, Luis!" The kid's name really was Luis. I laughed.

You Do Beat All, Ann(i)e

Marilla, again. I came across this picture of me Halloween 2003. I was a "mother of three." I wonder what my mom's "mother of 10" costume would look like. Yikes.

Oh, Stuff and Nonsense!

I just watched Anne of Green Gables with the kiddos, hence the title of this post. I love how Marilla says that every other line. I'm going to start saying this to my kids.

Jacob's latest Pinewood Derby Car. It barely missed first place in the "freestyle" race to the ambulance, fittingly enough (which weighed about as much as the kid who made it).

As I tidied the books I turned around to find myself surrounded by reverent knights. I made the mistake of asking if they were young squires. Jake rolled his eyes, "Mom! Does it look like we're wearing tights? Really!"

Later I found battle pictures on my camera. There are about 20 of these pictures with varied weaponry, so I picked one for you.It was so much fun the others wanted to join in. They couldn't find a belt small enough to fit Jimmy's girth, so he got masking tape. Clara, of course, used it as an excuse to make a fashion statement.

I'm sure I'm related to these people somehow. I hope so anyway. Until we know for sure we'll just call them Uncle Buck and affectionate Aunt Trixie. (Mystery solved by my ever reliable father. Look in the comments for the lo-down.) An old one I found at the bottom of the diaper bag: Our little three-person family shortly after arriving in Iowa for dental school. Do you remember these, Carrie? Your mom was so sweet to take them! I love Michael's smile--the smile of the innocent about to enter the realm of hell. Like the baby cooing to the nice nurse before she brutally administers the shots; like the 4-H lamb gleefully parading around the ring at fair time as people call out how much they'd like to pay per pound of his flesh; like Istefan the turkey given a trail of grain to lure him to the chopping block where a dull knife awaits.... Ahem, time to move on."Excuse me, do I have something on my face?" He really had just asked me that. Isaac dressed James this morning to be helpful. I couldn't tell if he was a'comin or a'goin. And because I promised you, Rivka. Here's a video of Baby James (as he will ever be known to me) and Baby Audrey. I had just changed their diapers and they were lingering to chat with one another. If that girl had a fan club James would be prez! I'm not sure why my voice sounds like I've just inhaled a large balloon's worth of helium. Ignore it.