Several weeks ago Liam and Matt met up with Pop at Touch A Truck Day in Decatur. Here are some pictures from the day:
Pow-wow with Pop:
The Red Balloon:
“How big is that wheel, Liam?”
I’m pretty sure there’s a metaphor in here…something about sitting in a Dekalb County truck with a City of Decatur balloon floating by, just out of reach…or maybe it’s just a little boy enjoying his turn in a big truck.
Daddy’s daydream:
By next year we’ll be able to take Paige!
These are pictures that PJ caught yesterday:
We’re getting closer to that mythical shot:
They WERE all looking at PJ!
Paige goes for pigtail, Sylvie goes for grass:
No words necessary.
Two cameras are always better than one!
After a very scary night on Wednesday the weather today was absolutely gorgeous. The temperature was perfect, the humidity was low, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We had already planned to go to the Gardens with PJ and Sylvie and felt very lucky to have the chance to take advantage of such meteorological luck. We had a bit of a rocky start (Paige has a nasty runny nose and as such ate half the solids that she usually eats and absolutely refused a bottle) but after we got going we had a lovely time. There were no meltdowns (despite traveling with two girls who missed their morning naps) and we got some fabulous pictures. We didn’t even make it to half of the gardens (including the children’s garden — oops!) but I think that just means we’ll have to do it again very soon!
Liam spent a lot of time running ahead so he could wait on us:
Tour guide:
Enjoying the ride:
Chasing PJ to the fountain (about two seconds before he bit it on the concrete):
Fountain gazing:
The Three Musketeers:
I don’t know if PJ was taking pictures as they were all looking at her, but I certainly hope so…
Impromptu dance party:
Impromptu nap:
“Whatchoo lookin’ at, Mama?”
“What, Mama? I can’t seem to hear you. Perhaps I have something in my ear.”
Two peas in a BoB:
Chasing birds (and no, this isn’t a metaphor):
Demonstrating how tired he is and why, as a result, the only logical next step is for me to carry him.
It’s amazing how quickly the threat of time-out can cure a toddler of malaise.
Flowers don’t hurt, either.
Showing me his treasures:
Testing limits:
Making a wise decision:
Checking on Sylvie:
Buckle your seatbelts. There is unbearable cuteness ahead.
I warned you, didn’t I?
I could have stayed here all day and taken pictures of these two.
Paige doesn’t yet understand that just because you want something doesn’t mean you grab it…
Sylvie checks out the grass:
All models have wind machines, don’t they?
I look at this and I can hear the noise she’s making with that scrunched up nose:
But that we could have lighting like this all the time…
Oh to be entertained by handfuls of grass…
Oh. My.
Goodness. Gracious.
This was the only time I could (voluntarily) get Liam to sit down (except when he was busy throwing fits and when I bribed him with a snack…). It was worth it.
Liam may spend his days trying to figure out how to get under my (and Matt’s) skin, but despite (a ton) of evidence to the contrary, deep down he’s still a sweetheart. Never is this more evident than when he’s with his sister. Mostly.
I mean, wow. Just, wow.
Sweet babies:
Bubble Time!
Paige takes it all in:
Babies and bubbles:
Eyes on the prize:
W.O.W.
So many bubbles, so little time.
The Three Musketeers reunite:
Love. Love. Love.
More love.
Just a little bit more love.
Mama and baby:
Superbaby!
The cuteness level here is off the charts:
Mama love:
I can’t wait to go back soon and explore the children’s garden!
On Easter we (finally!) made it over to introduce Pitts and Paige. It’s absolutely inexcusable that I haven’t made it over there since Paige was born but as it turns out, there isn’t a whole lot of free time for anything when you’ve got two kids. Who knew? It was the end of a long day and Liam was less than cooperative but Paige and Pitts made fast friends and that was all that mattered.
Speaking in tongues:
L.O.V.E.
Liam takes a (very) short break from bouncing off the walls to say hi to Pitts:
Little girls in smocked dresses are unbelievably cute.
This little girl in a smocked dress is almost more than I can handle.
I mean, honestly.
Matt took one for the team and rolled around in the floor with Liam.
Literally.
Liam tests out the karaoke mic:
Making eyes (or a tongue, as the case may be) at Pitts:
I think I’m gonna need more frames…
Bonk.
Gran and her Grandmonkeys:
I’m not sure that enough frames exist…
…to keep up with the demand that’s been created here.
Liam was absolutely losing his mind at this point. At least Pitts knows how to play along…
I wish it didn’t take an hour round-trip and four adults to make this happen, because I’d love to do it more often!
Easter was a whirlwind. We began the day with the obligatory Easter Bunny spoils, followed by an Easter Egg Hunt at Oglethorpe, then church, then off to Decatur for Easter lunch, then another Easter Egg Hunt at Gran & Granddaddy’s, and then a visit with Pitts. There were many smiles, tons of candy, wonderful food, and more than a few yawns. We took a ton of pictures so without further ado, here they are.
Eager anticipation:
Checking out the goods:
“I’m exhausted and this egg is MINE!”
Kazoo! (AKA: What in the world was the Easter Bunny thinking?)
Say what you will, but that girl can clutch an egg:
“CHOCOLATE!!!”
“Nom, nom, nom.”
“Oh look! There’s more than just eggs!”
Indoor egg hunt:
“Oooooh!”
Egg hunt at OPC:
The little ones (3 and under) got to go first. Liam was a fan of this system.
This is what it looked like when the older kids got started:
Paige and I checked out the scene:
Me and my babies:
Round 2 on the playground:
Enjoying his spoils:
Paige makes a new friend:
Me and my boy:
Could that bonnet be any cuter?
No. No it couldn’t.
Off to hunt eggs:
Turning back for the one he missed:
Counting:
Going through his haul:
“Who needs a basket when I’ve got my shirt!”
I don’t know what it is I like about this shot, but like it I do:
Mo demonstrates that sticking out the tongue while concentrating is genetic:
It was a wonderful (albeit exhausting) day.
What can I say? I’ve given birth to an artistic and musical genius. Here is his first concerto/kazoo portrait combination:
The artist and his inspiration:
If girls with wealthy parents and no talent whatsoever can make a fortune on You Tube “singing” then who’s to say that my baby can’t pay his way through college composing his works of genius?
It’s amazing just how different Saturday mornings are for us now. Four years ago we would never have dreamed of being awake by 6:00, much less taking pictures by 7:30, but here we are…
This is either really motivational or really mean:
Super Baby!
I wish I had a copy to scan — but in my mind’s eye I can see a picture of my Mama as a baby with *exactly* this same expression…
This picture is fairly representative of life at the Connolly Ranch right now…First: Liam is (of course) a cowboy. Second: Paige is trying desperately to get closer to Liam. Third: Matt is furiously trying to protect Paige from Liam (in this case, particularly his shoes):
Case in point:
One of these days she’s just going to take flight:
Daddy & daughter:
Double-hatting Daddy:
“Oh Daddy!”
Caught in the (random) act (of kindness):
This is absolutely the essence of our girl these days:
They may be vastly different (and I definitely wouldn’t mind a break at some point…) but I still love Saturday mornings.
By the time Liam turns four I will have enough different variations on this theme to fill an entire wall with photos…
This past Thursday PJ & Sylvie came over for a do-over playdate. This time Sylvie napped and as a result was in much better spirits. Paige slept until we woke her up so she was rested as well. This did not mean that there were no meltdowns to be had. Let’s just say my quest for a good picture of both girls smiling at the camera at the same time continues…
Before we woke Paige, Sylvie got into the Easter spirit:
Toy swap:
“Ummm…hey, Paige? Hey. I think you have my toy.”
“Why yes Sylvie, I do. May I point out that you also have my toy?”
“Oh, I’m so embarrassed…”
“Oh hi, Mama!”
“Hey Sylvie? What’s so exciting?”
Things were going so well and then…
Paige decided that she wasn’t going to be left out this time:
“Oh, woe is me!” “Woe is me, as well!”
“Here Sylvie. Maybe this will make you feel better.”
Oh what a difference 5 minutes can make…
All Sylvie needed was an empty Easter egg and all Paige needed was Liam. I’m still trying to figure out what in the Sam Hill Liam needs these days…
Maybe just a kind word from Sylvie:
We’re planning a trip to the Gardens very soon. Fingers crossed that the weather cooperates — it’s time to take this circus on the road!
Over the course of one hour earlier this afternoon, the following things happened:
-Liam had 3 time-outs for unacceptable behavior.
-Paige pooped an unbelievable amount. Twice.
-Liam brought his woobie out of his room for what I decided would be the last time. He has a wall-shelf near his ceiling above his dresser mirror which is where we put special books and Pete the Cat when he’s in time-out. I put the woobie there. A little while later he brought it to me again. From off the shelf. Which he reached by climbing on top of his dresser and standing on his tip-toes.
-While I was attempting to feed Paige, Liam declared that he needed to use the bathroom. This is par for the course these days (and no, I don’t believe it’s coincidence that every time I need to do something for Paige Liam says he needs to poop…). Liam has had several incidents over the past week of attempting to wipe his own hiney (what this actually entails has nothing to do with cleanliness and everything to do with pulling out as many Cottonelle wet wipes as he can before we catch him — it’s beyond frustrating so I attempted to fix the situation by putting the wipes up in the wall cabinet above the toilet (before the woobie-on-the-shelf incident)) and as a result we have been making sure he knows, unequivocally, that he is not to get up from the toilet when he’s finished pooping, but should call us to come help. After he’d been in there a while I called to see what he was doing and when he didn’t answer I left Paige at the table to go investigate. I found him off the toilet with the toilet brush in his hands slinging toilet water, pee, and poop all over the bathroom.
-I screamed until my throat hurt.
-After attempting to disinfect the bathroom I unceremoniously sprayed Liam off with the shower sprayer and dumped him in his bed without woobie or books and instructions to follow the sleep rules if he valued his life.
-Paige pooped an unbelievable amount. Again.
-I lost what was left of my mind.