Contraband

That's the smirky face of a girl taunting me with her stolen candy. No remorse. And why would she feel bad? I rounded the corner and saw her with the goods and immediately grabbed my camera. Lucky for her I was feeling sentimental today. And her red sucker matched her outfit perfectly...so....

I love this little golden chicken. Been feeling a soft spot for her the last few days. I've been going through family videos from 2009 to crop things out, condense it down, add some music montages so that we'll actually watch them someday. The girls have been helping me put the dvd together and Abbey asked why Hayden was crying in every video. Every. Video.

"What's making her so sad?"

"Honey, Hayden cried all the time when she was a baby. She just cried."


She's making up for it now. Mostly sugar--which holds me over through the little bits of spice she throws out there to keep it interesting.

This morning she was yelling 'no' at me about something. I told her to start over with a nicer voice and under her breath, she quietly said, "No, meanie." What do you say to that? Not much cause you're trying too hard to stifle the laugh.

Why, oh, Why, oh, did I ever leave Ohio?

“You know that kid Liam who wears pajama pants to school and pays for things with hundred dollar bills? Two fun parents. Mark my words.” -Claire, Modern Family

J had a three day weekend, and that man can not stay home for three days straight. His initial plan was to head back to St Louis because the girls ask every day, "Can we go back to the Magic House?" Every day. But my kids only have one fun parent. And we do not live close to St Louis. So my compromise was the children's museum in Cincinnati. And I grumbled about it the next few days anyway.

As it turns out, J was right on the money. We had a great time--my kids are lucky to have him. And he forces me to be the kind of mom that I really would like to be but so often don't have the energy to pull off on my own initiative. I always laugh with my sister about how she and J are so alike--if those two were married, there would be no end to the last minute road trips and snow forts. I like to think he and I balance each other out. You know, I make sure there are car snacks and clean underwear involved. :) (Not that my sister would forget the clean underwear. She's just kind-of the whole package!)



Goldilock's idea of vacation activities mostly included cleaning and cooking in the play kitchen.