Thursday, May 29, 2014

Just a Day Short of Two

Dear Taya,
You my dear, are my secret love affair.  My all the time obsession.  I think that you are so beautiful, that it surprises me when people on the street don't pause to look at you.  The other day I told your dad, "I find so much joy in being with Taya".  And it's absolutely true.  Every day there are a hundred and one snapshot moments that I wish I could store forever:  First thing in the morning when you see your brother, "hi Wiwo".  The sweetest squeezes any baby has ever given-both arms around the neck, holding tight.  Nothing could feel wrong with your sweet little arms wrapping me up. You shaking your curly bed head and saying, "crazy".  Your blue binky pushed to the far right side of your mouth and the way it jiggles when you laugh and talk, like an old man's cigar.  The hilarious way that you run to get lotion after lotion.  I've never known of a baby that loves back massages the way you do.  That giant toothy smile.  Those chubby baby cheeks.  Your beautiful skin.  The dark mocha of your eyes.  The way you sing "Let it Go" and "Honey Honey", whenever you hear any rhythm. Your squat walk/dance- That Shakira got you young. Even your stubborn fits, insistence on weird clothing and blue crocs, and absolute distaste for getting your hair done.  Your obsession with baskets and buckets.  That gravely voice.  How you whisper, "no monsters", whenever you're feeling scared.  Watching strangers light up when you say, "hi guy".  The fact that you tell people that your name is Cocoa.  The proud triumph that crosses your face when you make it through a tube slide.  Watching you run across the lawn to say hi to Dathan and Lucy.  Hearing you whisper the words to twinkle twinkle as I rock you and your 70 blankets to sleep. The feeling of contentment that you've brought to my life, and the ways that you've taught me to be a better person.  I can't believe it's been two years.  Two years together, and I hope 100 more to come.  You are my angel and I'm so grateful that God has allowed me to be your mother.  I love you my girl.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Redneck Weekend

The first warm weekend around here was so much fun.
We definitely hillbillied it up.
Started the day with some yard sales.
Then Milo got to try out Dathan's new lawn mower.  Milo thought it was better than Disneyland. Then he went to the other neighbor's house, and drove his backhoe.  Oh, what a happy boy!
After nap time we went to Burger Bar with my parents.  Burger Bar is this delicious side of the road hamburger shop.  There are no tables, so everyone improvises and eats out of the back of their tailgates.  The food is as American as you can get.  Single cheese burger up to quad, shakes, and home cut fries.  I LOVE it.  It's not Chris's favorite, but he was a good sport.  Milo sided with me and ate his entire meal.  He was delighted that he got to eat dinner in the back of papa's truck.  After dinner, we took the kids to the demolition derby.  Chris won tickets from a radio station.   We weren't sure if the kids were old enough to think that was cool, or if they would just be scared by the crashing cars and loud noises.  We decided to be brave and try (with grandma and grandpa's help). 
 I'm so glad we took the risk!  The stadium was packed and we had to sit sandwiched in the middle of so many sweaty people.  Milo usually freaks out in crowds, but I guess he got over it because he loved the water trucks, crashing cars, tow trucks, tractors, etc. . .
 He was so much fun.  I swear he barely blinked all night.  It was definitely his thing. 
When the first heat started, Taya clung to me.  You don't realize how noisy it is until you're thinking about your baby.  I thought that we would probably have to take turns outside of the stadium with her, but then she saw the "purple".  There were two purple cars that she was absolutely obsessed with. She would say "crash" every time that they hit someone.  By the end of the first round she was dancing and singing "Who Let the Dogs Out".  She didn't want to walk around and climb all over, she was just content to watch the show.  She also LOVED her snow cone.  We let the kids stay until 10, which is 2 hours passed their normal bedtime, but they were having so much fun we didn't want to leave. I really hope that this first warm weekend was an indicator of what the rest of the summer will be like, because it was absolutely awesome!