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Maisy is obsessed with cameras right now.

She wants to take pictures of everything.
If she sees a camera or phone she needs it, and will fuss and sign please until she gets it.
So, a few mornings ago, I left the camera sitting on the kitchen counter. I heard some noise at 6:30 AM and came downstairs to find Maisy sitting on the floor with the camera.
She had pushed the stool over to the counter, turned the camera on, snapped a few shots, and then moved to the floor with it to take a few more.
Thankfully she is gentle. Now I put the camera in the bag, up on a shelf every night. I would be lost with out it, or her.

Photo Aversion

While most of my kids love the camera, Maisy hates having her picture taken. She loves looking at pictures of herself and she loves touching the camera, but when the camera is in front of her and out of reach, she usually crawls away as fast as she can. So unless she is distracted:

I end up with this:
Or this:
Or I sneak a picture when she doesn't know:
Or is busy, which results in blurry photos:
I can try holding her hands, which makes her laugh:

But then, once in great while, I get something like this:

And that is a great moment. So that is why, try as I may, most of the pictures I have are of my other kids. Not this little one who pulls just as many silly faces, makes just as many messes, and is just as loved.

I turn my back for two seconds...

and look what happens.

Airpanes

We took the kids to the air show this weekend, mostly for this little man, who can spot an airplane when its just a speck in the sky.  We were instantly rewarded for fighting the traffic with squeals of "Airpane, Mommy, airpane." 

This was a favorite shot of the Japanese tourists, I'm not sure why but they were lining up giggling and taking pictures of our three in the wagon.
Ella wanted to go home and would tell me over and over, but every time I turned the camera on her she was all smiles.
Maisy was more interested in the catalog than the actual planes.
This was about the only plane that the kids went into and they didn't quite make it all the way through, the place was packed.
But the planes were bigger...
and the show was impressive...
the jets were loud...
and the smiles were all worth it.

The book and it's cover

There was a time in my life when I thought that things would be a certain way. Sometimes I see the mom with the picture perfect child, the car that is oh-so-clean, the house that sparkles, and I sigh.  There was a time when I aspired for different things, DVDs in their cases, clothes freshly pressed, clean faces, brushed hair, scuff-free shoes. That has changed. We aren't Oscar the Grouch, we don't live in a trash can, but we lack the shine of simpler days. Our DVDs are good if they are on the shelf without scratches. I am happy if clothes are on their bodies.  Hair never appears to be brushed even when it was, so sometimes that goes by the wayside. And shoes do not survive when a four-year-old crawls. 

Nearly everything we own has teeth marks.  Tiny little teeth, happy little teeth, teeth that are no longer afraid of everything.  Teeth that sent a little one into respiratory distress. Teeth that are just now starting to enjoy food.
Maisy's clothes also show the signs of change. (At least she keeps them on.)  Drool and biting are daily reminders that things aren't normal. But what is normal, is there such a thing? It somehow seems wrong to care much about a car or a movie, a couch or clothes, when you have fought so hard for the person who is ruining them.  So, I guess things aren't like I imagined, but what a story they tell. Would they really hold much if it wasn't for the little people I share them with.
And quite frankly, I'm happy to have all of it. It could be worse. So, welcome to my world, don't pass judgement too quickly.

Cary Pider

We have this plastic spider, it is larger than most and has long, skinny legs. Jack is terrified of the thing. He does not like anything spiky, but especially not plastic spiders. They are the worst combination of spiky plastic, horrifying, and spiders, more horrifying! So, everyone thinks it is the funniest thing to hide the spider where he will find it unexpectedly.

Today, I was taking his picture when he caught sight of the spider. First he looked at it, then he ran from it and then he screamed, "Pider mommy, smash it." (I love those little legs.)

He bravely backs away. (see it in the bottom right.)

Then he screams and cries. So away the spider goes and I hide it where no teasing girls (or dad) will find it, until they do and put it where Jack will discover it later. (At the edge of the rug.) Poor guy.

Well, I do say.

When you walk into a store
and they have a linen suit for a two-year-old on sale,

seriously, I need to know how you pass that up.

Life is better with a doll!

I have been trying to tie up lose ends and finish long overdue projects. The catch up process is taking me longer than I expected, especially with all the other day-to-day needs of four busy kids.

Today I was able to present two little girls with the belated dolls for birthdays back in February and March. These two peas in a pod needed dolls as similar as they are, so I needed it to be just like Ella's.
I know this new doll will be loved, because her mom was overheard saying, "Life is better with a doll." Now I know she has quite a few other dolls at home.

This sweet, little, curly-haired doll was given the name Somer, after an aunt who loves her niece. To look like her little owner, I felt curls and barrettes were more fitting.

So now I am on to pillows,

Legwarmers,

Alphabet cards,

And some needing to be finished banners.

It's a fun but never-ending process. Next I really want to make one of these.

Wocket Chips

Jack is now officially obsessed with Rockets. Everything we see is a "wocket chip"; the steeple on a church, the pipe waiting to be put into the ground by the new highway, the PVC pipe that belongs to my laundry sorter (little stinker.) And he has become quite good at building rockets.
I'm so glad my dad made us these beautiful blocks. But it seems my dad knows a thing or two about little boy fascination, just ask his sisters.

Between taking apart his grandma's sewing machine and the autopsy on his little sister's doll to see how they worked, he made plenty of girls mad.

So far, this little man mostly makes me smile, and just occasionally get mad.

On a side note, his new favorite thing to say is, "Don pank me," as loud as he can anywhere and everywhere. The worst part is I have only swatted his diaper a couple of times when he climbed up on Evan's ladder. Like I said, stinker.

A Tricky Situation

Its all fun and games until you try to get out.

Wook at me

Do you remember when you were little and the promise of the park was the best part of the day? When even cold days felt warm because they were so much warmer than they had been and the sun was shining and you could finally play outside?

When shoes were long forgotten in the hurry to get outside before mom decides it actually is too cold?

Well, I do. So we bundled up and went to the park anyway.

Food always tastes better outside, wind is never as cold if you are on a bike, and a little sun can go a long way for spring fever.

I think a bike ride to have a picnic at the park was just the cure. I'm just sorry Sadie and Ella had to go to school.