Eddy Overload

Our Edward is destined for greatness.  Look out Jimmer (and all those other BYU basketball legends my dad and brother and Collin talk about and will be embarrassed I don't know their names)!  He loves to run, and I love to watch him.  Those arms that he tries so hard to pump.  Nothing cuter.

Edward loves hats--anything baseball hat-ish.  I was chuckling as I looked at the recent group of photos and saw a different hat in half of them.  Eddy also adores his pockets.  Already I'm having to remember to search pockets before I stick clothes in the laundry (don't really have to for Davy, so something new). 

Sweet moment with his doll, Johnny.  Edward loves taking care of his doll.  He rocks him and sings to him, puts blankets on him for a nap, puts him in the stroller for rides--all on his own, without prompting.  Love it!

Oh man, my little baby is not so little anymore.  He's in nursery at church now and generally running with the big boys.  He's tall and lean and independent of spirit.  He has personality and is just perfectly wonderful.  But not a baby.  Anyway, what an adorable boy.

Found the point and shoot

The first video is from a while ago, but I'd lost the point and shoot camera battery after it disappeared from the charger months ago.  Actually, I was sure that Edward had put the battery in the garbage since he'd gone through a trash phase.  But when I was moving around furniture the other day--like, really crazy furniture that I normally wouldn't even dream of moving but I was possessed by some idea that didn't end up working and had to put everything back where it was--I found it!  Tada, more movies!

I don't feel I have a lot of commentary for today.  Just random shots for the week, as usual.  No hilarious stories that I can remember.  Plenty of laughs and loves, but nothing that works on paper, at least with my writing abilities.

I'm always amazed that anything continues to grow after I bring it home from the store.  Our strawberry plant has yielded one berry so far, though I think Davy got a little too excited and picked it a bit prematurely.  Still a good moment for the back yard planter garden experiment.

And we might get some tomatoes.  From an old laundry detergent container.  Classy.

Some ladies from the ward and I went to the chocolate buffet at the Langham hotel in Boston.  Soooo fun!!  While I spent two hours with chocolate and friends, Collin took the boys to a plaza with a water feature.  They (Davy and Eddy) eventually got stripped down to their (almost) nothings and had an awesome time.

I can't for the life of me get this photo to upload in its rotated state, so you'll have to turn your head to see that cutey-pie smile.

P.S. Talking with our family just now reminded me of a super Davy moment.  We were eating a snack and he had hoarded a pile of chips.  He's usually quite possessive of his food (it's genetic--just ask my mom, and me for that matter.  We both have stories.).  This time, though, he got to his last chip and saw that I didn't have any left.  He looked at the chip, then handed it to me, "here, Mom, this is for you."  My heart melted and I said, "Oh, thank you Davy, but I want you to eat it."  He took the chip back and looked at it for a minute longer, then broke it in half and handed me a part (and not even the smaller part!) and said, "I'll share with you, Mommy."  What an incredible, perfect solution, my darling!

Anything So Beautiful

I was fiddling around with some recent pictures and I found myself lost in these boys' eyes.  How did I get so lucky to be their mom?  I marvel that two such beautiful children came from my body.  What honesty I see reflected in their eyes!  I pause to ask myself if I am worthy of that love and trust, and how I can be all that they think I am.

I consider that when I first became a mother I thought that I would more deeply understand God's love for us because I was now a little more like him, a parent.  And the love did come rushing in, a flood of love for my newborn.  The more I see and feel the true and unconditional love my children have for me, though, the more I think I understand God's love for all of us.  His love is so constant and apparent, in the same way a child exhibits love.  A parent's love is deep and strong, but sometimes (at least in my case) overwhelmed by frustration or disappointment.  It takes me longer to get back to the love when another emotion has intruded.  My children have no such problem.  Their love is instantaneous and trifold after a momentary upset.

Their love is so sensitive and yet so passionate.
Their love is smiles and tears.
Their love is contagious and enveloping.
Their love is inclusive and personal.
Their love is warm and safe and whole.
When I hold them, I absolutely comprehend God's love:  God's love for me, for them, and our love for God himself.

Norwalk, CT

Collin was unassigned from a client this week and took advantage of the scheduling to take a Friday off.  We found a groupon deal for a hotel night package in Connecticut that was in our budget and took a much needed family overnight trip.  We drove down Friday morning, stopping for a moment (in true Lambourne fashion) in Bristol, CT, at the ESPN broadcasting headquarters.  Really a random place for a big broadcasting sight, but whatever.  Couldn't get a tour, but got a "we were there" snapshot anyway.  Then we continued on to Sherwood Island beach (recommended to us by a friend who grew up in that neck of the woods).  It was such perfect beach day, if not a swimming day.  We collected shells--a remarkable amount of them--threw glittery rocks into the ocean, and all got just the right amount of sunburnt.

Hamming it up and encouraging the children to eat before playing.  Not so successful, as the beach was beckoning.

Don't know what I'm concentrating so hard on.  Or maybe that's just my default expression . . . hope not!

The rest of our trip was documented in unreadable picture files, apparently.  (To be honest, nothing absolutely necessary that I would cry over missing.  Still, have to figure that one out before we take more pictures and our next blog post is due!)  Anyway, there was one picture of the kiddos inhaling ginormous cookies in the hotel room that came as part of our hotel "package deal."  We went swimming in the hotel pool, went out to eat with a restaurant gift certificate, watched a family movie, put the kids to bed and watched Sherlock Holmes.  The next morning took a lazy morning and had a delicious buffet breakfast.  The next pictures were of the boys at the aquarium where we saw sharks, sea lions, a very handsome seahorse, jelly fish, and touched stingrays, star fish, and a horseshoe crab.  Both children sat very rapt through an IMAX movie about baby elephants and baby orangutans.  A very fun and very relaxed weekend.  Ahhh.  I feel ready to take on the next week.

Gluttony and etc.

Last week was Mother's Day, right?  So, mostly I concentrate on thinking of my own dear mother and mother-in-law, and all those amazing women who helped love and teach and guide me (from my Young Women's leaders to Girl Scout leaders to teachers).  This really cuts down on any expectation I may have for being showered with gifts and praise or guilt for being a less than perfect mom.  However, I do love a good cake so I made myself one and therefore felt like the best mom ever when I actually shared it.  It was from scratch deep dark chocolate cake with a raspberry filling and homemade buttercream frosting.  Pretty scrumptious if I do say so myself.  And I do.

Meet Sir Davy.  I feel quite safe during the day knowing that he is on the watch for dragons or mean knights who might destroy our house.  

Remember a few weeks ago the project Davy was helping me with?  Well, we finished it this week and love the results.  I'd found an old wood window box that had seen much better days down our street on trash day last fall and snagged and stored it because I just liked the line of it and thought it might do for a book holder.  Finally we got around to sanding it up a bit and putting on a fresh coat of paint.  Good as new and perfect for those big picture books that don't fit on a shelf well.  I love that the boys can flip through them so easily to find just the one they are looking for.  And clean up is way easy, too, which is always a plus.

Davy's newest play obsession is building a "bridge" by putting this box up on other boxes or furniture.  I admit this isn't my favorite game because I see all the could-go-terribly-wrong scenarios.  So far there have been a few tumbles due to hasty construction, but laughs have been the only casualty up to this point.

What a mug shot.  The ball was in a gift package for the boys from my sweet Grandmother.  They were so excited to open a box addressed to them!  The ball is awesome, too, because it is super bouncy but not in that unpredictable, ricochet way that little bouncy balls are (hence playing with it in the house).  Davy received a handsome hooded jacket that will be the perfect size for next fall.  We are so blessed with an incredible family. 

Weekly Round-up

We finally put Pinterest to test this week and had success, twice!  This was an activity I pinned a while ago and just never got the guts to try.  We had our moment this week when Eddy was occupied by food and Davy was ready for another activity besides eating (what?! These kids are always eating, it seems!).  I colored some vinegar, dumped a pile of baking soda in a pan and handed over the eyedropper power.  Davy had fun getting the dropper to work and mixing colors, but to be honest it did not last as long as I thought it might.  After 15 minutes or so we got tired of the little fizzes and went for the big ones by just pouring all the vinegar in at once.

I didn't get a picture of my other experiment.  I was making a dinner for a family in the ward and wanted to add something handmade and special since the rest was a Costco cop-out (orange chicken, egg rolls, oriental veggies and rice).  I found a recipe and instructions on Pinterest for homemade fortune cookies.  It took half the dough to get it right, but finally I got the system going and made enough cookies for the family, though not for us.  We'll try again because it was actually incredibly easy once I figured it out.

I also finally got some of my boys' art work hung on the wall.  Davy's is the top and Eddy's is the bottom.  Quite the talent, I believe.

We had more rain this week and got caught out in it twice when we tried to sneak out in between bursts.  This year it's been "April flowers bring May showers" but oh, my, we've loved the blooms and the sunshine and the warmish puddley rain to stomp in.  The perfect spring.

Davy's become quite the game organizer.  He and a friend got a great game of hide-and-seek going all by themselves at playgroup this week at our house.  And he gets major big brother points for this game here:

Our friends asked me to take some family pictures of them this week.  It was great practice in getting kids other than my own to pose in front of the camera on cue.  Here are the best of, just for fun.

Half eaten sandwich?  Oh well.

Such a boy.  And love the be-good bribe!

Oh my goodness, those eyes, right?  Just want to swoop in and snuggle that baby.  She is the most easy going baby I've ever met.  I think I've heard her whimper once.

Couldn't resist just a few more of my own kid.

Some Davy funnies this week.

I was cutting up a fresh pineapple (we've been indulging a lot recently) when he said, "slice it and dice it and make it delicious.  My favorite kind of words!"

He's been talking about how babies grow and come out of their moms recently.  (For some reason he keeps thinking a baby sister is growing inside me.  When I tell him not right now he says, "Just squishy?"  Drat that bulge.)  Anyway, after we visited our friends who have twin babies he said, "when she had her babies her shirt popped right open.  And then she sewed it back together."  If only it were so easy, Davy!

Then yesterday I had a real wake up call to my parenting (right before mother's day, naturally).  Collin was outside with the boys while I was painting or something and he reports that Eddy did something Davy didn't like so Davy told his little brother very seriously, "Eddy, I'm not going to spank you or use my angry voice.  So I think you just need a hug."  I was so humbled because I do not use Davy's type of correction nearly enough.  I am more prone to the the upset voice or unnecessary time outs.  (Note here that I do not spank our children on a regular basis.  I do occasionally spank (i.e. tap) their hands if they are using them repeatedly in a naughty way or about to do something worse like touching a hot stove and vocal warnings aren't working.  Full disclosure, I did actually spank Davy one time when he bit his uncle so hard he drew blood and was definitely old enough to know better.  He has always been a biter but had been so good for almost a year that a biting incident when he was three-year-old caught me by surprise.  Still feel guilty about that spanking, though, and won't be doing it again.  Hitting a child does not really work and certainly does not make you feel right.)  In any case, I think I'll try the hug solution more often.