For anyone who was in Toys R Us today...

...yes, that was my child that was screaming and kicking and hitting his mother, as he was being carried out of the store. That was my child that screamed "No! No! Don't take me away from Lightening McQueen! He's my friend!! No, no no!" as though he were in intense pain. That was me who slammed the car door in anger and had to cool down when my child refused to stay in the car seat. That was me who, having cooled down, had to force my child's arms into the carseat. And that was my precious baby who watched the whole thing quietly and smiled at me as I went to strap her in. Thank you Annie, for brightening my day. Thank you, Charlie, for reminding me that I've still got a long way to go on this mothering thing. Thank you, blogosphere, for allowing me to vent.

If only...

Quote of the day: "Mommy, can I ride my bike (tricycle) to Philadelphia, please?"

A Very Sad Day

Early this morning, we said goodbye to Carlton, Linley, Robert and Connor as they move from their precious house, just a short walk from our house, all the way to Philadelphia....light years away, it seems to me. Though I am comforted in remembering that there are no goodbyes in the kingdom, there are not words to describe how sad and lonely I feel to be left behind for the present. I am sad for our precious little boys, but they don't seem to really get it. It's Linley and I that grieve for the boys...and probably, in truth, for ourselves. Linley and Robert were such an integral part to my experience of learning to be a mother: learning about boys, surviving the sometimes lonely lifestyle of a stay-at-home mom, laughing together about the hard days, and celebrating the very small triumphs together. It's hard for me to even think about what activity we will do today without feeling a deep emptiness that the Wynnes will not be here to play. I'm so thankful for God's gift to our family in the precious Wynnes! We will miss them terribly. I doubt I will ever think on the first two years of Charlie's life without thinking on and thanking God for the Wynnes.

Rocky Mountain High

Well, we had a great week in Colorado! Charlie may have had the best time of all! We didn't get many pictures of his face (mostly because every time we took out the camera he yelled, "No mommy, no picture!" Lovely. Obviously I haven't been taking enough pictures of him recently. For an energetic two year old it's pretty hard to stop and look at the camera....he was too busy climbing....



Or hiking (running)


Or riding on a hayride and taking in the scenery with cousin Eloise....
Or wading in a river....

Or riding a horse with Eloise.....



Or hugging....


Or eating a marshmallow...oh wait! There's his face! The food has distracted him and he decided to sit still for an entire minute!
Everybody stopped for a minute when the marshmallows finished roasting...yum!
Food has a way of making everyone stop and smile! (nothing like a little brownie batter!)

Annie had a good time too. She and Cordelia (they are only 5 days apart!) spent a lot of quality time together. Cordelia showed off her impressive crawling and cruising skills, and Annie happily watched, with no interest in joining in.


Annie got a little tired of the paparazzi too....

Annie rode around in the baby bjorn a lot....



And had lots of good bonding time traveling with Charlie....so sweet!!!