Sixth Anniversary. Tootling around Asheville.
Floyd: "Have you ever been to Biltmore?"
Evelyn: "Uh, yeah. With you once, on our first anniversary."

a couple more reno pix!

Happy Father's Day, Pops.

Daddio:
Sorry this is late, but Happy, Happy Father's Day to you. We miss you! But we are glad that you and 'Oma' are tootling around Europe and having your own adventures. You've worked hard for a long time to enjoy this now.
Hopefully when you come home, two more little granddaughters will be here to greet you, healthy & safe and ready to soil their diapers in your lap.
I don't have any epiphany to share with the blogosphere - but one thing had come to mind this week several times as I've thought of you and Will and reflected on Father's Day without either of you around. Mom told me at one point growing up -- and I think she repeated it a time or two -- something very important. She said, "we're not perfect, but we're the best parents for you." Nothing could be more right. I'm grateful that neither of you have ever pretended to have the world all figured out. You were honest that 'Life's not fair' sometimes. But God truly knew you are the best dad for me.

Happy Father's Day

Dearest Floyd,

I started writing this little blurb Sunday. I'm going to blame my posting delay on several little excuses. Like being a single mommy for ten days whilst you've been away. Or my insane desire to 'get stuff done' because i'm pregnant, not living in my own house, and still needing to 'nest' you know. None of this matters.

Happy Belated Father's Day. You are not even in the same country now, but know that we are thinking of you often, missing you a lot, and eager to have you return by morning. When RM arrived in our world, I thought I knew you so well. But I definitely didn't know just how much your capacity to love, to work hard, to enjoy life, to feel pain, to know joy could grow and change because of this new role and relationship. Here are things that I want our children to know about their dad that I know this Father's Day. So RM, baby girl, and whomever else we're blessed with, here's a few little ditties about your dad:
1. He has a smile reserved only for you. It's a smile I never saw before RM was born, and it is fantastic.
2. You give him great peace. Life is crazy, work is busy, and we will toil and labor all of our lives on this earth. But know that when your dad wants to be calm, he relishes all it is to be "Da'yee".
3. He is still able to make me laugh like he did when we were dating. And he makes it seem so easy to be hilarious. When I am taking life too seriously, get your dad to make me see things in perspective.
4. He is the best friend you ever needed, or hoped for, or couldn't imagine on your own. God knows how much I need his friendship. Hopefully you will know this well as you grow up.
5. We might seem frazzled as we try to figure out how to care for you who have been entrusted to us, and we definitely won't get it all right, but your dad is the absolute best, and you are getting an incredible jump on life by getting to be his children. I believe that with all of my heart.

Floyd's current view... Toronto!

a little nap interuption

so, 'Mahmeee' left the sippy cup full of homemade smoothie in the room a little bit too close to the pack-n-play. 20 minutes into naptime, the car noises and chatter turned into a terrifying cry. Enter scene below, the disaster zone.

fortunately at Oma's house there is an extra pack-n-play, so we just switched out the matress and he's back at it. Current scene below.

Now I have a little more cleaning to do than I'd hoped for today. Sigh.

random moments: "Watch!"

Current RM obsessions: umbrellas, and his umbrella stroller, ironically enough. he doesn't know it's called an 'umbrella' stroller... but i'm sure that would be either very confusing or just fuel his passion for pushing it around everywhere. And while pushing it, he commands us all to "Watch! Watch!" his feats of strength.

Also, preforming a 'dead fall' into a pile of pillows at Oma & Pops house has become quite the fun game. He says, "Watch, watch!" and points to the pile of pillows. Then his eyes get VERY wide and he just falls straight into them without blinking.

This morning I had to bring a big golf umbrella with us in the car to return to a coworker (who kindly lent it to me for yesterday's MONSOON after work). The sight of such an INCREDIBLY LARGE umbrella was really enough to cause toddler hyperventilation. And naturally, a fit was about to ensue if he couldn't touch it and open it and play with it THAT MOMENT. In a strike of mothering genius, I convinced the 20 month old that he needed to "WATCH!" the Umbrella for me in the backseat while i drove.

This resulted in one very happy boy pointing and yelling "WATCH!" at his umbrella for the first 10 minutes of our 20 minute ride, and telling me how "FUNNY!" this little job was to him.

sunday evening bathtime

thought y'all might like to see a few images of the HAM soakin' in Oma & Pops' tub this evening. He loves splashing around in their big "BATH!"

Happy 2nd Birthday Georgia!!

Georgia's mom and dad REALLY threw an awesome party on Saturday. A bouncy castle, slip-n-slide, kiddie pools, balls, and lots of fun friends!! Thanks for letting us join in the fun. And Happy Birthday sweet girl. You are such a sweet niece.

weekly renovation updates!

silly cousins

these three were enjoying a pre-dinner cracker snack, and decided it would be really fun to sit on the steps together and stomp their feet while they munched on their munchies -- eliciting lots of giggles. Cutest moments.

pretty cool!

So, if you can tell from this picture message, the gentleman in the photo is holding open a copy of William F. Gibbs' debut album, "My Fellow Sophisticates" for ya. It just so happens that this gentleman is Gary Jules. Probably best known for his involvement in The Hotel Cafe scene, which spawned folks like Joshua Radin, William Fitzsmmons, and Ingrid Michaelson; his arrangement of "Mad World" for the film Donnie Darko introduced him to millions of fans. You can listen to the song and see a video here. Oh yeah, and Floyd's cover of it is pretty awesome too. Suffice it to say, we're pretty impressed he's gotten his hands on WFG's material. Since he lives in western NC now, maybe they can meet soon.

girlie things

so, i am loving thinking about a few fun girlie things for this baby.

the funny thing is I am imagining she'll attach to the same things that RM has... but i do realize that could be entirely off. I guess it's entirely possible she might not suck her thumb. And i do suppose it's possible she'd be born with more hair than her almost two year old brother has. it could happen.

So i'm choosing a curved pillow similar to the one RM has. his is the giraffe. i'm thinking pink monkey, pink elephant, or yellow duck for her. votes?

and probably a little silky like her brother has too.

and i'm excited about cuddling her up in some adorably vibrant shirt that takes on the smell of newborn. mmm.

this crazy guy from NY

Carter's in town! Yahoo! RM loves him.

Ahhhh, that's better.

Obviously, the old picture looks a little more "welcome home" with ol' Jim Hargate, III and the flourishing plants and the clean stone... I'll do my sprucin' when the project is all said and done - I just wanted to go ahead and post the new door that we're so excited about. It actually FUNCTIONS and LOCKS and SEALS when it CLOSES. Fancy.

beginning demolition pictures

anyone who has been in our basement knows how gross it is - seriously, i resent it very much in its current condition. but the demolition started this week. these photos might not mean much to anyone else, but we just want to chronicle the progress as it moves along. here is the first of many posts on this project.

let the games begin...

So, before RM arrived, i picked out all this nursery fabric, and my lovely mother-in-law had someone make beautiful bedding for me and drapes... we painted the room, installed a new fan, recovered a rocking chair, painted dressers and an iron daybed... i mean, i was full on focused in "getting ready for baby mode".

Fortunately for me now, it was highly desirable that this room be gender neutral and i was much more focused on creating a calm, peaceful place to spend hours of my life as a mom. So i still love it! and it sure ain't getting spruced up too terribly much for baby girl. But one thing will change. RM most definitely is NOT ready to move out of his crib. So my sweet friend E is loaning us a crib for baby girl! It'll get a fresh coat of heirloom white paint to match the daybed and dressers! and don't worry - my nesting instincts will require the rug to be steam cleaned and the rocker to get a good uphostery bath too.

But i picked up her crib today. Thanks A & E for getting it to us!!!

Floyd's Garden

lets be honest. i can't take one tineentsy bit of credit for this one. Floyd has done it all. we've had some triumphs and some defeats, like any amateur, hobbyist gardeners I'm sure.

the highlights?
1. real, live, broccoli! So cool - I didn't know it would grow in SC.
2. lettuce has survived - it hasn't flourished like crazy, but it's still green.
4. big ol' banana pepper and some other peppers ripening up
5. the tomato harvest is going to be bonkers.
6. fresh herbs. mmm.

the lowlights?
1. bird or chipmunk destroying said broccoli plants. Broccoli floret blooming before we cut it, thereby ruining our opportunity to consume it.
2. friend-to-remain-nameless STEALING big ol' banana pepper and unripe chili pepper.
3. rocky clay soil... probably hampering our real "Eden" opportunities, but we're okay with that.

Kudos Floyd!

today

do you ever get overwhelming glimpses of the grace in your life? i think i need to record more of them. so that i can meditate on God's goodness when i start to panic and consider my circumstances to be a product of chance and happenstance rather than divinely ordained gifts. Albeit sometimes not exactly packaged the way i'd like them to arrive, but refining me nonetheless.

today i went home for lunch, and stopped off at the park to meet Floyd and RM who were finishing up an adventure down there. i arrived to a water-logged lab, happily sloshing around in the sandy creek; a very dirty little boy gleefully poking a stick in a mud puddle and eating fruit snacks with more delight than i can explain; and an unruffled, calm husband - despite his rough morning in a house under construction with rainy weather and a baby that really wanted to be "O'side!"

we got back to the house and made a sunbutter & jam sandwich for the boy, and a frozen pizza with rasberry lemonade for us. the dirty boy scarfed down his lunch and then got a quick bath in the kitchen sink. he ran around dancing to a crazy kids music cd. We ate our tasty pizza and gulped lemonade. And then it was time for me to go back to the office, and the boy to nap. Jim Hargate, III lazed in the front moss outside.

i love simple joys.

take me out to the ball game

Yesterday afternoon we had the pleasure of taking in a game at Flour Field between the Greenville Drive and the Charleston Riverdogs. It was a hot day --89 degrees-- and we were very grateful for our shady seats!

We had a great view of the field from behind home plate, where RM could imitate the pitcher's "Swish!" with his arm and watch the ball go "CRACK!"

Daddy had seen Smoltz pitch as a kid, and now RM has experienced the same thing! He was extremely attentive during the game.

The stadium at Flour Field had a record attendance come out to see this future hall of famer pitch!

Things were going swimmingly until we realized an allergic reaction was starting.

It's all fun and games until someone gets peanut dust in their eye.

Don't worry - he's back to his full Mr. Personality self today.

while momma was in DC last week...

so, i might not have a picture of myself parading down the mall with 20,000 or so kids on their end-of-the-year trip to Washington, DC -- although documenting my 8 month pregnant self in heels in front of the monuments would have been lovely -- i can provide some evidence that RM and his daddy had a lovely couple of days exploring in the mountains.