Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

Dear Logan,

Well, I've been told that all kids will do it at some point, but I dunno, I kind of didn't expect it from you. You, who used to go into screaming fits of rage any time anyone looked sideways at you while holding a pair of scissors in hand. You, whom I once had to take into a kiddie barber shop bathroom to "cry it out" before I could let the nice hairdresser lay a hand on you. Well, let's just say that you have overcome your fear - so much so, that you decided to blindly scissor away at your very own hair.

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I don't even know what to call this look. I suppose you could say it's machete chic?

Nice stripe...

I don't suppose we could convince anyone that this is your natural part?

Oh, Logan. Some days you are such a mess. Good thing I love you so much.

Love,
Mama

March of Dimes - March for Babies

Claire,

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This weekend you and I participated in the March of Dimes Marching for Babies fundraiser held in Forest Park. We had to get up very early in order to make it to the starting gate on time! Right from the start, it was clear that we both have the same attitude about early morning exercise...

Once we got in the mix with all the people it helped distract you...

For about 2 minutes.

Then it was on.


The crowd was pretty big, despite the ominous sky and chance for rain.



I started looking around for things to occupy our wait time. Oh look - balloons!

We walked with some of our favorite people - the Mitchells!
Maya, Lisa and Lorne

Waiting.....

and waiting....



This year I made our own shirts. My design stands for your and Logan's birth weeks. I had Logan at 36 weeks, and you were born at 34 weeks. (I had to make a last minute substitution for your shirt after a somewhat tragic misinterpretation of the t-shirt transfer directions. Ooops.)

After awhile I spied this homeless looking Elmo and thought you might get a kick out of him.



I think this is the worst picture I have ever taken, and normally I would never allow such hideousness to exist, but there is something about the combination of this ridiculous looking Elmo, me and the bewildered look on your face that I find hilarious.

Here is the team that we walked with. We walked in honor of Madeline Spohr, a little girl who was born prematurely, had a long stay in NICU and finally made it home with her family, only to die unexpectedly at 16 months of age from complications with her lungs. We didn't know her personally, but got to know the family through reading her mother's blog. When I think about Maddie Spohr, I am reminded of how fortunate I am to have two healthy children, and I thank God that your pre-term births didn't have long-term consequences. We are so very blessed.

At last! It was time to line up at the starting gate!



And.........we're off!



Oooo! Flowers! (You know me.)

We walked all around Forest Park - 3.1 miles!

Maya even scored a balloon, which you were sooooooo jealous of!

Wetlands!

Sadly, most of my pictures of our walk didn't turn out. I couldn't exactly stop for photos, with literally thousands of people behind us, all walking along about a 5 foot wide path!

A little taste of the crowd. It was hard to get a good picture of everyone since the path was so windy and it was hard to see through all the people. But trust me, there were many of us!

Finish line!!!

Next year it will probably be Logan's turn to come and your turn to stay home with Dad. Especially since you almost climbed out of your backpack at one point, and you already know how to break free from your stroller. Sneaky girl.

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I love you.

Mama

Rainbow

Yesterday on her way out of town, Grammy called to let me know that there was this amazing rainbow in the sky -

This is the view from our front door. I haven't seen a rainbow this good in years!
The kids were very excited to run out and see it, too.

Claire was jumping up and down and Logan was giving it a round of applause!

What a great surprise!

Backyard Inspection

Dear Claire,

This morning you woke up in a good mood, somewhere around 9:00 (thank you for that). After a little waffle and some milk, we went outside to enjoy the beautiful morning together.

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(tangent: note the scraped knees and elbows, expected to heal sometime around frost.)

All my plants are starting to wake up and bud out. We went looking for new "green stuff." You looked very hard.




We found lilacs! All my life I have wanted lilac bushes. This year I finally got one that bloomed! (We won't mention the five year old lilac bush in the corner, that is still only a foot tall. Or the fact that for the first three years after I planted it your father couldn't stop himself from mowing over it. Or the fact that it has not, nor will it probably ever, bloom(ed).

I showed you how delightful lilacs are to sniff...




Then you pranced around to the viburnum to check it out.

It's gotten bigger and prettier this year. Yay!


Love you too much, little nature girl.

Mama

April Flashback: Cherry Trees in Bloom

The other day I was outside taking pictures of my sweet little weeping cherry, and right as I snapped the first picture, this little mockingbird came down and posed for me!

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I love my cherry tree - I get so excited when it blooms every year!

It made me think of Skip's and my visit out to Washington, DC for the cherry blossom festival in April 2005. It was Logan's first plane trip, and we flew out to see my grandma out in Linden, VA. Up to that point I had only been to DC in the heart of the summer - quite possibly the worst time to visit! The heat is miserable, the tourists completely pack the place, and the traffic is a nightmare. This was such a more pleasant experience!

My little cherry tree has nothing on these guys!

The scenery was so beautiful - anyone who loves springtime needs to put this on their list of things to do before they die!

Here are Skip and I at Linden winery in Linden, VA. It's my favorite winery out there.