WayfaringStrangers

In case anyone thinks my life with 2 little boys is some kind of stay-at-home mom fairytale, I thought I'd better debunk that myth right now. Right here. It's easy to put our best foot (photo) forward on blogs and facebook. Lots of pics of kids smiling, sharing, hugging. Cute anecdotes and toddler sayings. But the real life, it's messy and tiring and frustrating. Let me illustrate. It's gorgeous today, so I thought I'd be a cool, fun, outdoorsy mom and take the kids outside for a picnic lunch. I hyped it up for Graham ("We get to eat our food outside ! Isn't that awesome??) and made his lunch:  strawberries, cheese, crackers with peanut butter, and apple juice. Basic stuff that Graham usually eats. I took a blanket out and set up. Once we were all outside, I gave Patrick a cracker to gum. He made a huge mess of it. That's ok, he's a baby. Wish I had remembered napkins though. Graham took one bite of cheese, ate a cracker and sneered at the rest, i...

Graham's prayer tonight: "Fank (Thank) You...(mutter, mutter)...food...(mutter)...food ...Dennis...golfball...Mr. Wilson...butt...bad guy...(mutter)...Nana...Stephen...(mutter)...Amen. The parts about Dennis, Mr. Wilson, butt, and bad guy are from his current favorite movie "Dennis the Menace."

The past 2 weekends we've been away on some family/friend trips. To me, travelling is so refreshing. I love to be somewhere different, see fresh people, and mix it up. I was a big traveler before I got married. I saw London (2x), Scotland, Mexico, Bahamas, Bermuda, Spain, and lots of the U.S. (gulf coast post-Katrina, Midwest, Georgia, San Diego, and lots of other places). When Behn and I got married, we made it to Ukraine and also took some fun little weekend trips. Those days seem so far behind us now. Now it's a big adventure to ride up to Delaware or to Greensboro for the weekend. I hope we get to travel more again someday, but getting away for the weekend is good enough for now. Two weekends ago, we landed ourselves in Baltimore to spend time with Luke, Jess, and Lily. While we were there, Emily had her baby girl, Rosalie! Of course, she was in NC, but it was fun for Jess and I to be obsessed with her labor all day long. Graham and Patrick had fun playing with cousin Li...

We've had a very busy past few weekends traveling. It's been lots of fun seeing family and meeting our newest little niece (and the boys' cousin), Rosalie. Just wanted to stop in real quick to document that right now, I love where we're at with the boys. Graham is 2 years, 4 months old and Patrick is 7 months old and we're in a good place. Graham's behaviors have decreased a lot lately- less screaming and disobedience- and more talking and hugging. It really feels like he turned a corner. He's chatty and funny and becoming more affectionate. He's never  been one to cuddle or hug or kiss, but today he actually  asked  Behn for a kiss. And he's been putting his little arms around my neck and giving me real hugs without being asked. He's also taking more interest in his little brother. The other day when Patrick woke up, Graham said, "It's Patrick! He's cute." Graham has been talking to Patrick and smiling with him more (as well ...

"Graham, what does a baby chicken say?" "Peep, peep, peep." Graham enjoyed seeing some cute baby chicks last week. A friend from church raises chickens and had a new batch of babies in, so she invited us to come and meet them. So sweet! We had a nice, chill Easter. Behn and I decided to skip the Easter baskets this year. They're in storage and Graham doesn't need any candy or new toys anyway.  Maybe we would have done an egg hunt, but it was rainy. We did go to church and then had a lovely dinner at my grandparents' house. So grateful for a family that loves the Lord and can truly celebrate the resurrection together. All plaided out We are starving for some warmer weather! Yesterday was gorgeous, and then a cold front blew in. A few more days of cold, and then spring should finally  be here. I started seeds for a garden, so I'm hoping to have our own home to plant them. Inspection is Thursday! Praying all goes well. My si...