This and that

We have certainly missed having Daddy and Marc home this week, but we have also had fun bonding and playing together.  My little boys have really stepped up their game- they learned to do dishes and the trash (things Marky usually helps with).  And Julia has been such a helper with Anastasia. 

 

 

 

My happy little sprite- eyebrows up!

 

We went to BB's on Friday and had a great day.  We went to several museums-

Tucker brought his clip board and drew so many things that we saw-

 

 

 

We think Anastasia may be left handed (like Julia and BB).  She eats almost exclusively with her left hand. 

After the museums and lunch we came to BB's house and put Anastasia down for a nap.  Then the children played games and road bikes. 

Annie had wet her clothes during nap time, so all I had to put her in after she woke up was a diaper and white cardigan.  :)  She is sitting in my old baby chair on top of BB's baby blanket. 

We did eventually find some jammies and she loved playing with this door jam. 

Julia spent the night at BB's so she could go to rodeo camp Saturday morning.  She practiced her left-handed roping. 

She tied up a goat for the first time this weekend!  She is turning into a real rodeo girl. 

I got to see a college friend that I hadn't seen in 20 years!  She was in town taking care of her mother in the hospital.  Her father also needs her care so we sat in the hallway outside of his hotel room and had a nice catch up.  

Overheard, et al

I was reading William Butler Yeats' poem "Lake Isle of Innisfree" to Tucker. 

Tucker:  I think I will call him William Butter Yeast.  :)

As we went on I was asking why he thought Yeats could hear the lake lapping in his "heart's core" even when he's on pavement or in the town? 

Tucker:  I have no idea.

Mommy:  Well, sometimes you just love something so much that it is a part of you.  Even when you are away from it you can hear the sounds, smell the smells, feel the emotion of it.  Your love for it keeps it close to you always. 

Tucker:  Oh, I understand now!  That is exactly what happened to me at Space Camp with Annie.  I love her so much she is a part of me everywhere I go.  When I was gone I could still smell her little face, hear her babble, and picture her with me.  It felt like she was with me. 

------

Walking in a parking lot. 

Tucker:  We have an old fashioned bouncy antenna on our car.  All these new cars have one like a short dorsal fin.  :)

------

He is big into Geography and Flags again.  He has been making "flag continents" from memory-

North America-

South America-

Asia-

Antarctica-

Here is the sweetest, happiest baby girl.  She is SUCH A GOOD BABY.  Julia just put her down for her morning nap wide awake.  I am watching on the monitor.  She just sat there for a bit, played with her bunnies, and then laid down and went to sleep.   Sweet angel girl!

(Now we do rock her and sing to her to wind her down.  I am BIG on rocking babies and signing lullabies.  She just smiles at me over her pacifier with those sweet eyes.)

They didn't have these little packets when Charlie was little (or at least I didn't use them).  I am amazed at Annie being able to feed herself baby food!

I call this a "Study in Lavender"- :)

We have learned Charlie LOVES silver dollar pancakes.  I mean LOVES- he had 12 for breakfast!  You would not believe this boy's appetite. 

Ireland, this and that

Well this weekend I put the Marcs on a bus and watched them drive off on their way to Ireland!  They are there with the Birmingham Boys Choir tour and I have gotten pictures and see that it is BEAUTIFUL and AMAZING.

Rehearsing in the airport-

They stopped by this Cathedral on the ride to Galway- they sang and it was acoustically amazing.

Here is their hotel in Galway-

Clonmacnoise, a monastic ruin.  It was founded in 544 A.D. by St. Ciaran.  

Connemara-

Kylemore Abbey- founded in 1920 by Benedictine nuns fleeing Belgium in World War I.

Neo-Gothic church on the grounds- a "Cathedral in Miniature"- the boys had a concert here.

 BB came and stayed two nights to help with Anniebug- she saw Annie's new trick- dancing!

Yesterday was the feast of the Annuciation, when Gabriel came to Mary and announced that she was to bear the Christ child.  It's always March 25th- 9 months before December 25th.  We have a lovely image of this event in our home that I love.  

We read the story from A Book of Angels by Marigold Hunt (everyone of her books is a gem).  

 We decorated sugar cookies to celebrate-

Gabriel and Mary-

The Holy Spirit-

A few pictures from this week- soccer boys!

Here is my living Holly Hobby doll-

Julia went on an AMAZING trail ride for five hours on Saturday.  She rode a mule on a long, slow ride.  Then she got on a Tennessee walker horse and flew all over the place.  She and her friends climbed the mountain, splashed through the creeks, and had a ball.  

She spent the night with BB and Poppy Friday so they could take her.  They took her to dinner at the marina where they keep the boat-

Then they tried some evening fishing-

I don't have pictures from the trail ride, but here she is on Monday learning barrel racing-