London Calling

Delicate little eater

I've never been one to shy away from a meal, but our darling Violet takes eating very seriously as you can see from the photo above.  This was from today's breakfast.  London & Blu were still asleep and Violet was well into her third course.  "More gogurt mama!"  

When she's done with her meal, she usually finishes off whatever London has left, which is usually quite a bit.  He, on the other hand, picks at his meals and finds at least a thousand other things he wants to do.  To him, eating is so very boring.  That's been the way with both of them since they were born.  (And yes, Violet takes after her mama.  I imagine I've looked exactly the same at a dinner or two.)

Sleeping Violet

I'm still on the road and missed the opportunity to video chat with the kids.  Violet has been sick and it sounds like London may have caught whatever she has.  Sounds like Blu has his hands full and the kids need extra love right now.  Wish a virtual hug would do it, but they want the real thing.  I'll be home tomorrow.

 

A Weeping Violet

A little video of our daring Violet and an example of her mamma love ... and mama's many chins (just before Xmas.)  Now, I'm on a trip that takes me away from my family for only four days, but sometimes four days feels like a lifetime. This week Violet has a cold and is home with her daddy.  I wish I could be there to make her feel a little bit better.  I'm sure that daddy is doing a great job, but he might be a little jealous of my time in New Orleans.  If I were in his place?  Yeah.  I'd feel the same way.  

   

Grandpa Sundays

Grandpa Sundays have become kind of a tradition over the past year and a half. It's not every Sunday, but most of them.  Most often, Grandpa heads our way because it's much easier for him to travel.  (He can easily take a nap on the couch, while daring Violet escapes from pack n- plays like she's a Green Beret.) 

We usually don't have a plan.  This Sunday was the Super Bowl and Blu was headed to the city to watch the game with friends.  So, we just hung out and ate a bunch of guacamole and made pizza and made forts out of couch cushions.  It was a nice laid back afternoon after a morning of church and a Chuck E Cheese birthday party.  (Remind me to make sure that Blu gets the next round of Chuck E's.  It was a mad house and way too much ... too much noise, too many kids, too much everything.)

Sometimes we have a planned adventure and that's fun too.  We might take a trip to the park or go bowling or go swimming.  But it's nice to just hang out without a plan some days. 

 

Papa don't preach

 

The other night, London was walking around singing "Papa Don't Preach" and throwing paper in the air like confetti.  I promise that he learned the song lyrics from Shrek, not me.  But earlier that night I had a little revelation:  I listen to a lot of potty mouth music. 

I was making dinner -- or at least starting it -- before the kids came home from school and was rocking out a little while I was chopping the vegetables.  The music was on shuffle and happened upon a few favorites.  Just as the kids walked through the door, a song started with an intro that included a few f bombs.  So I skipped it and a Jane's Addiction song launched with another f bomb in the lyrics.  I got the message and switched to the Children's genre. 

Guess I'll have to start downloading the radio edits now that the kids actually talk and remember lyrics.  I want to skip a parent conference where the teacher says, "Why does London sing 'the water is so f-ing hot' in class?"

I really love my snow pants

 

Violet really loves her snow pants.  So much in fact that she wears them all of the time -- inside AND outside.  She says that they're "cozy."  The good news is that we always know where she's going because we can hear the "swoosh swoosh" of her pants.  The bad news is that she's still potty training and those snow pants are getting a lot of washes.  Hope they hold up through at least the end of the month. 

Pancakes!

 

The kids love making pancakes.  They measure and stir and feel like little chefs.  London has been doing a great job teaching Violet how to help which is fantastic to watch.  (Within minutes he could be hitting her or stealing a toy too.  Guess that's life.) 

They're very different kids.  London MUST have chocolate chip pancakes and he actually takes the time to eat only bites with chocolate.  Violet won't eat any chocolate, so we make half a batch of plain and then let a little Maple Syrup -- or Butter Pecan this week -- soak into the pancakes so that she's less sticky. 

Emily the dog always gets a few pancakes somehow too which makes her a very happy dog. 

 

It was a snow day!

Yesterday was a blast.  The snow was piled high and everyone was stuck at home.  There was no pressure to work since we were all in the same situation.  The kids & I made pancakes and stayed in our PJs way longer than we should have.  London & I shoveled and played with Emily in the yard.  We were bundled up and the sun was out.  It was so unusual to see people cross country skiing and snow mobiling down the street. 

Back to school and work today.  The temperature has dropped and the outdoors doesn't seem as inviting as it did yesterday.