one of these kids is not like the other

back to my purse...

So you know, after that last post, my purse didn't get cleaned out. I mean, REALLY, who has the time for that? But it should have. Because it was the source of embarassment yesterday.

I had the opportunity to tour a new facility opening, on behalf of the Senator. Apparently, they have to 'search' to make sure that their top secret distribution technology and product is not compromised during these events when the public is welcomed inside.

Security officer: "Ma'am, I'm gonna need to look inside your purse."

Me: "Hmm, okay, great."

Security officer: "Well, you do have some interesting items in there."

(Laughter errupts from the Good-Old-Boy-Network behind me.)

Me: "Well, i like to be prepared. You never know when a GoGo Magic School Bus is going to create a bond with a new business contact."

tiny town tour

Floyd and I have a fondness for what we call a 'tiny town tour' date. All to rarely we find a town, and hit it up for a date. Some popular spots have been Tryon, NC; Landrum, SC; Hendersonville, NC; Dalonega, GA; Highlands, NC; etc. Saturday we drove over to Brevard, NC for a lovely TTT date. The munchkins were with their Granddad & KK.

We rode through the blue ridge mountains into Brevard, and enjoyed piddling in and out of the Antique Mall, O.P. Taylor's, art galleries and nick-knack shops. We knew that The Co-ed Theatre had a showing at 7 o'clock, so we grabbed an early dinner at the Jordan's Street Cafe. The food and atmosphere were perfect. We sat on the back patio, and sipped wine, enjoyed brie, and devoured our amazing entrees.

After the movie - the co-ed theatre is so charming - I convinced Floyd to enjoy a Coke Float with me. Hard to believe he'd NEVER had a float. We sat in the car during the thunderstorm and enjoyed our treat and listened to the music of Josh Ritter's latest album, "So Runs the World Away" which has an ethereal quality that absolutely perfected our moment.

I love dates with him. I love new experiences and making memories. I am grateful that we still have such a ball together after many years together.

Red Marshall, in a picturesque conversation with Granddad while watching wildlife on the back porch: "Kaye Kaye is gonna pop that squirrel with the gun!!"

juggling thoughts

sometimes when i look in my purse and see the varied contents mixed together, i think, "Hey, my brain must look like this too." this morning when i looked in my purse for sunglasses, they were naturally missing. but what did i find? let me enlighten you:

playmobil sailor
hardware to my recalled safety gate
canon camera
wind-up school bus
one black sock, size 12-24 months
business cards (both mine, and other random sorts)
packet of sugar
chapstick
three-week-old grocery list
pacifier clip (note, none of my children use pacifiers)
bib clip: device designed to convert restaurant napkin to bib
coupons
gift-card to stax grill that i won
five dollar bill


**missing? Wallet. Sunglasses. Car Keys. Notice a pattern?**

You may be asking, how is this like your brain? Ah, I'm glad you asked. Ah-hem:

Thoughts, GO:

i fed my son chocolate chip banana bread this morning because he was going to the School of the Little People, and what do i care if he has a sugar high there? the justification was whole wheat flour. not to mention the fact that his working mother made said breakfast from scratch.

our local airport just landed a huge low-cost carrier, which is huge economic news for the state. when most of our leakage to other airports is going out of state (ATL, CLT), our ability to retain flyers out of GSP because of price competition from Southwest Airlines is going to dramatically change the process by which other investment comes our way, and the way we sell our state. our community leadership is over the moon!

buggle is on antibiotics. P-T-L. i had a doctor (our parents' age) tell me that whenever one of his kids would get sick (20-25 years ago) he would just line them up, tell them to open wide, and eye-dropper amoxicillen in their mouths like baby birds. i realize that might be a bit liberal, but sometimes, i just wish we could do that. she's feeling much better already.

we're going to get to see Aunt Billie and Uncle Al this weekend with Grandad and KK. They have never met Junie, so it will be really fun to visit.

i met with a ukranian scientist today, judged senior projects for a local high school yesterday, get to attend the Pro-Am charity event later this week, and am about to get on a conference call to discuss the Supreme Court approval of properly designed release-time programs for public schools in the state with a religious freedoms group. If that's not bouncing around a lot, i don't know what is.

Happy Wednesday!

two and a half

being two and a half is SO much different than two. everyone warned me how fast the development stages would happen, but until I stop and think about it, the changes are difficult to quantify. looking at this shot reminded me just how much he's changing. Oma caught this image of him 'praying' on Sunday. This morning he was reading. "I'm gonna read the Bible. H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P, The End," he read. Then situated the ribbon page marker, shut the book, and tucked it under his arm.


don't you just love how bright his hair is getting? i get at least one comment a week from someone about how much more intense the color looks now. and the personality matches, for sure. :)

firsts for the second

so, in true second-child-syndrome fashion, I have neglected to record the fact that the Bug has reached several 'firsts' in recent weeks. it's pretty exciting when i stop and think about it.

1. Crawling! She finally took off before we went to the beach. It brings her great joy to be mobile. We enjoy watching her maneuver around. Her tiny little frame looks very strange.

2. Pulling up. She almost simultaneously learned to pull up on her knees. Not to her feet yet, but she pulls up to her knees almost everywhere. The iron spindles above the stairs, the stool in the bathroom, the toy shelves in RM's room. So much to investigate!

3. "Bye, Bye!" We're waving and saying our first word! I can't believe it, and honestly thought it was a fluke, but she's really consistent No credit being taken on the parenting front here. They taught her at the School of the Little People. I love them.

4. Food. We're making end roads there. She went from a strict bottle only and cheerios diet to penne pasta with marinara, sweet potato fries, freeze dried fruit, and rice cakes. I've discovered that the rule for the Bug is that texture has the most surpreme importance to her. If it's slimy, forget it.

5. Fever. Sadly, this first is NOT fun. Wednesday night she spiked to 102.5. According to the pediatrician, they've seen dozens of fever virus cases this week, and Clementine has it too. Hopefully she'll be feeling better soon. The fever hasn't been as high, but she's definitely not herself still.

similar, but not identical

We finally found a picture circa 1982 to compare a baby picture of Evelyn with the Junebug. Here's the side-by-side. This picture of her was taken after she was baptized on Sunday.

Sand Bug

what is surprising about this picture is not the discoveries being made in the tidal pool, but rather the very, VERY, happy baby in the sand. she really wowed us all with her contentedness from the first moment on the beach.


See what a big girl she is? Toes in the sand, fingers feeling sea shells, loving every minute of her little discoveries, and not worried about a thing.


Sure, I'll sit in my KK's chair for a minute, so you can get a good look at my ruffled suit. But then you better believe I want to get that sand all over me again.


Totally posing. Hi baby, we are so proud of you.


Tired buggle. She really wore herself out and was quite ready for a nap!

Kite Flying

A few more shots from the evening of day one - our kite flying adventure. The beach at Palm Coast is like a little boy's dream. Coquina rock formations along the surf make for an incredible maze of climbing adventures. He was in heaven, and ran, splashed, climbed to his heart's content.


Our brave Kite Master. Honestly, he made it look easy. And it was almost as if the weight of 'normal daily life' was let out on the string for us. You might know how it takes a while to 'get in vacation mode' - so this activity was sublime.



Telling me all about the adventure. And how he'd really like to pee pee in one of the sink holes in the rocks. Of course, son.



Assessing the construction. Difficulty scale? EASY. Yay!



RM's favorite partner for all beach related activities? KK. She's the best at digging, scraping, shoveling, splashing, running, and discovering Creation with her buddy. Taught him about sea urchins, mollusks, snails, barnacles, shells, etc!



The girls checking out the kite. Sweet little bean is very serious about it.



This was a funny game. All. Week. Long. Grandad: "Let me see that (insert object of RM's affection)." RM: "No! You can't have it." Over & Over. Hah!

oh, tie me to the end of a kite...

More beach coverage to follow soon, but just this one for now. We had an absolutely euphoric time. Anyway, this day in particular makes me think of one of my favorite songs by Rosie Thomas, simply titled, "Kite Song" which you can listen to on her site. My favorite bit is the end:

Oh tie me ever tightly by your side
So I may go with you wherever you reside

I just want to go away with you

mental captures of domestic life today

4:30am - vaguely remember something about Floyd rushing around to get out the door.

5:47am - wake up to BUGGLE stirring. every freaking light in the house is on. Floyd is no where to be seen. Ah yes, he had to leave early this morning. Now I remember. Opt to feed her and change the diaper and see just how much more she'll sleep. Stumble around in sleepy fog to turn out lights and crawl back into bed.
====

8:01am - woops, definitely overslept the alarm. And that sweet two year old boy has been awake a while. Kick it into high gear.

9:02am - RM asked me to sing with him on the way to school. Really stinking cute. Drop off at the School of the Little People. On to office .38 miles away.
====

5:32pm - arrive at home, exchange essential information with sitter from the School of the Little People. Decide to keep up the general crazy-woman pace of life today and take kids to church supper.

5:41pm - woke RM up to discover sitter had put him in swim 'diaper' instead of pull-up for nap... yeah, that's bad. Still didn't seem to phase his 4 hour nap routine.

5:52pm - arrive at church supper. RM squeals with delight at sight of GA and O'man in parking lot. Oma scoops up Buggle and Pops worries Clementine. O'man explains that RM is his best friend.

7:35pm - after dinner, lots of toddler races, playground excursions, and the simple joy of sitting with Antsy for a few brief moments of the day, we both depart for home to handle bath-bed routines.

7:53pm - RM: "Junie, Chin up!" He makes this recommendation to his sister after he's dumped several small cups of water over her head. She doesn't seem to mind. Surprisingly.

8:37pm - Both have been down for 10 minutes. RM from downstairs in his bed: "Mommy! I need dat Big DA!" (The security blanket. Which is in the dryer still. For the 4th time in a week.)

I'm staying up too late. :)

easter 2010

hello, J'bug and RM... you two look cute as buttons in your matching linen... almost like lime sherbert.

a few stabs at the family photo, and every one under the tree had RM's spiderman undies sticking out of his shorts.

bonnet? why not! I am a total sucker for bonnets, lace socks, white patent leather shoes, and bloomers. GIRL!

the silly parents. see, Floyd is that funny.

i'm loving the carrot-turned-weapon here. Thanks KK and Grandad. J'bug has even taken a swing.

Ray Charles on the piano folks.

she wants to crawl so bad she can taste it. so far, backward scoot is all she has down pat.

a boy and his dog. and this dog puts up with A LOT. we love him.

a sampling of the 'air guitar' performance.

sleepy girl. this is her 'i want a nap' pose.

uncle thomas is the best.

oh the things that cause us to pause.

It is interesting how God created memory. I'm sure there are some people who *claim* to remember their own birth, but overall, longterm memory takes a while. I remember my brother's birth, and I was still 4. But it's vague and spotted memories at ages 4 and 5 where it starts for me. Now that I'm a parent, I'm believing that God did this, in part, as a grace to parents.
The last two Easter seasons have been relatively simple. RM was a seven month old chub-a-lub for the first one, and last year, it was pretty much about managing allergic reactions and keeping the pregnant mommas cool enough, but this year, it's different. Maybe it's because he's two and a half. Maybe it's because I realized, hey, I could read the Children's Bible to him and explain what Jesus did for us. And he asks questions. And requests the Bible stories over the other options. Which might have even had more impact on my own faith than the Tenebrae Service in preparation for Resurrection Sunday. No matter how it happens, i'm grateful for a renewed opportunity to reflect on the greatest moment in history.

From Oswald Chambers:

THE COLLISION OF GOD AND SIN



"Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." 1 Peter 2:24

The Cross of Jesus is the revelation of God's judgment on sin. Never tolerate the idea of martyrdom about the Cross of Jesus Christ. The Cross was a superb triumph in which the foundations of hell were shaken. There is nothing more certain in Time or Eternity than what Jesus Christ did on the Cross: He switched the whole of the human race back into a right relationship with God. He made Redemption the basis of human life, that is, He made a way for every son of man to get into communion with God.

The Cross did not happen to Jesus: He came on purpose for it. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The whole meaning of the Incarnation is the Cross. Beware of separating God manifest in the flesh from the Son becoming sin. The Incarnation was for the purpose of Redemption. God became incarnate for the purpose of putting away sin; not for the purpose of Self-realization. The Cross is the centre of Time and of Eternity, the answer to the enigmas of both.

The Cross is not the cross of a man but the Cross of God, and the Cross of God can never be realized in human experience. The Cross is the exhibition of the nature of God, the gateway whereby any individual of the human race can enter into union with God. When we get to the Cross, we do not go through it; we abide in the life to which the Cross is the gateway.

The centre of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened - but the crash is on the heart of God.

let the boyhood rites of passage begin: tree climbing

Recess

What is a Congressional Recess? You may wonder. In DC terms, it means 'the boss is out of town' so things are a little more relaxed. No votes, tie loosened, a little less stress. In State terms, it means 'the boss is in town' so, well... you get it. I do suppose for some offices, where the boss puts his feet up during Recess, it doesn't really change things much. Not my experience.

During these recesses, it's great to seize the opportunity and have the boss in front of his constituents. To hear him tell the people of his state what he is fighting for in Washington. Why it matters. Some politicians recycle the same speech over, and over, and over again. With this guy, after a dozen years in the business of public policy, he still manages to retain his common sense, and his ability to connect with real business people. The ones who vote, and pay their taxes, and want to make the country a little better for the next generation. I don't know if this feeling of urgency is because I'm so closely associated with the pulse of Washington, or if it's really a sign of the times. But either way, people are honestly concerned that America is at great risk of loosing its 'exceptionalism' in a way.

Yesterday was a good example of a Recess day. Phone calls. Meetings with business associations who want the Senator to know that his message resonates with voters. Voters who want their message on specific issues to resonate with their Member. A tour of a plant to see what high-tech manufacturing jobs are being created in his 'backyard' and what legislation concerns their leadership. An hour on talk radio fielding questions from listeners live on the air. A keynote speech to grassroots activists. A slideshow with special tribute music. The gentlemen singing 'God Bless America' in a way only captured in small town America: denim shirts, suspenders: perfection.

I kind of expected to know what the speech would be. Afterall, I've worked for him for seven years, been through campaigns, and most immediately, had sat through the talk-radio show. I'd been behind-the-scenes for the Sunday News Show coverage the day before. The message is clear for me. And yet, his delivery is personal each time. He was struck by candidates working the room, and their spouses who go through the grueling process by default. He encouraged folks to stay above the fray, because primaries in such a red state are hard on families, and always get personal. He talked about the impact that individual activists in their own communities can and do have - sharing the greater story of George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. He was able to make the call for citizens not to grow weary of doing good without ever using the cliche phrases that can be so off putting of politicians. It was stated with the confidence of someone who has served on such local boards and commissions and raised a family and run a business: experience does matter.

I got home more than twelve hours after I left. Fell into bed early but it felt very late. It's hard on RM and J'bug and the friends who so graciously help us with them. Floyd endures an enormous amount of our shared household responsibilities for me to get to serve in such a capacity. But I am grateful for the opportunities and reminders of why I believe in what we are fighting for, and why I want to press on. And for me, it is a very short Recess, but a really wonderful life.

RM was talking on his *cell* today, on our way home from a post-church brunch. (Thx Buczkowskis!)

Conversation started like this:
"Hey witches. It's me."

???

lists

ummm, yeah. List of thoughts:

1. Head cold set in... just when I thought i'd made it through winter sick-free. Must be the Ides of March... Need to wiki that phrase. Not sure I really even understand it.

2. Work is crazy busy. Hence the neglect on the 'virtual homefront' here. But don't you worry. We're doing nebulizer treatments like six times a day on RM and giving Junie Bear wet washcloths to chew on and D#$@ if she didn't just cut those two blasted bottom teeth. Finally!

3. Hubby got a new truck. Well, new to us. I gotta be honest (and a little shallow) - i do LOVE my man in a truck. He's really getting to me.

4. My girl is gonna be 8 months old in a few days. Starting to talk more. "MAH, MAH, MAH!" She still won't take food off a spoon - gag reflux is pretty severe. She'll eat french fries and teething biscuits though. Shhh, don't tell on me.

I have a handicap. In the grocery store. Get home and realize it's struck again.
Floyd: "Salsa?"
Me: "Yep!"
Floyd: "No chips?"
Med: "Doh!"

Same with you?

Had a meeting today, guy had a freaking staple gun in my office. Panic Button?
On the up side, it's 70 degrees and Spring is hurtling towards Greenville.