Talking Scents

Alexa makes up a new word almost every day. Nothing beats her humor.

And her smarticles.

"Mmmm! Smellegant!"

Front Seat

This little buddy is trying to grow up a little too quickly for my taste. Since I won't let him take driving lessons yet, our compromise is that I let him play in the car while I bring the shopping bags, (as well as the the snack wrappers, errant shoes, forgotten toys, sippy cups and miscellaneous discarded clothing items) into the house. This guarantees him a few minutes of pretend-driving freedom pretty frequently. 

Unfortunately the agreement also requires that he cry like a banshee every time I take him out of the car and into the house.

Let the good times roll.

On the Passing of a Loved One

I lied. 

It's not fake winter here at all. Just everywhere else in the country.

Craig is going to Missouri early tomorrow morning for his grandfather's funeral. It's winter there. (Real, real winter.)

{Oct. 2010}

Grandpa Charles was a kind, wonderful, hard-working man who will surely be missed. His unexpected death at 82 years young reminds me what a precious gift life is, how important it is to leave a legacy of love and service after our time here on earth, and how 90% of the things that I worry and stress about are not really very important at all. 

"The death of someone we know always reminds us that we are still alive--perhaps for some purpose which we ought to re-examine."

-Mignon McLaughlin

#1

Ever the giving child, Savanna took it upon herself to surprise us by making our bed yesterday. (That's right, you heard me. I'm a grown-up and I don't make my bed. Now you know. Just don't tell my mom.) This girl never ceases to amaze me with her willingness to give of herself to serve and make others happy. And boy, does she make me happy.

Julia told me the other day that the number 1 reminds her of Savanna because Savanna always lets other people go first. I love it. I love her. She is such a gentle blessing in our family.

(It's not hard to see why I love her so.)

Scarlet Neighborhood Part 2

Last year on a blustery November day after school the girls and I did an impromptu photo shoot on the "Hesper Knoll" sign that marks the entrance to our neighborhood. (See, you see tell how cold it was in the pictures to the left because the girls are wearing long-sleeves with their shorts. Must've been less than 75 degrees that day.) (And yes, most days I still think of Hester Prynne when I see the sign.)

I wanted to take some pictures there again this year to mark that infernal passage of time once again. Some days I am overwhelmed with how fast they are growing. Some days I am overwhelmed with how much I love them. And some days I am just plain overwhelmed. 

Savanna has traded her jack-o-lantern smile for adult teeth. Julia is looking less and less like a little girl every day, and Alexa has pretty much lost her baby face. 

Some other pictures of note from our little shoot:

It's sad that they are getting big so fast. But they are growing up to be really wonderful, caring, funny little individuals, and that makes me indescribably glad. 

P.S. They all pretty much chose their own poses and definitely chose their own accessories. (Enter the sombrero.)