Captain Obvious
It is my great joy to report that Lilli went to sleep WITH her blanket last night. Of course, she'd been up all day for our Christgiving celebration, and was really tired, but I'm choosing to believe she'd learned her lesson and was being exceptionally obedient. Color me exceptionally positive. Earlier, I was holding her and she was chatting with me, facing me, and chatting about every little thing that crossed her mind. Suddenly, she looked at my neck and said... You're not wearing a necklace, girlfriend! I just dissolved into laughter. It was hilarious. It had been right in front of her, all day, and suddenly she was Captain Obvious. I feel like we all do this. There are so many,...
On Defiance and Blankets
Things were pretty peaceful around here up until about 8:00pm. Brody had just gone down without incident (he pretty much does everything, at this point, without incident), and we'd tucked Lilli in shortly thereafter. That's when it all fell apart. Girlfriend wasn't happy about going to bed when the world was still turning right outside her door. A few minutes later, I saw the top of her curly mop go past the kitchen counter as she tried to tip toe across to the living room without being noticed. Then, I turned to grab some olive oil and she had stealthily crept in and sat quietly on the floor behind me. Each time we went back to bed with more kisses and more warnings, and yet, she...
First Light
There is nothing quite like the early hours, especially at this time of year. The pink glow that just starts to cast across the remains of the leaves on the trees, the dark quiet of the house, save for the beautiful twinkle of the Christmas tree, the ticking of our wall clock. It's all a precious calm to me, a centering place before the crazy of the day begins. Today's quiet is really something to be captured because in just a few minutes, there will be squeals, and little feet slapping their way across concrete floors. There are lots of hearts beating under my roof and my joy knows no end. And there it is. "Mimmie?! Can you come play wiff me?" Why, yes. Yes, I can. Take a few...
When the Lights Dim
It was quite the flurry of activity over here yesterday. With all the prep for our Christgiving celebration, and pulling out toys and baby gear for the littles, we were all busy both inside and out. The Christmas music was playing, and I was whipping together a pecan pie, when Kevin got a call from Maddie. He stopped what he was doing, threw on his coat and ran out the door. We live on a ranch, and there are often times when she needs an extra set of hands with a horse, so I didn't think much of it. About an hour later, he came back in and told me that she'd trailered Bud, our great big paint horse, into the vet (yes, we actually have an equine emergency medical facility, close by,...
Beyond the Turkey
Most all of you are hurriedly preparing for a day with family and food. Maybe you're baking pies, or stuffing a bird right this second, to get it in the oven for it's long, hot stay until dinner time. We, however, are not. Well, technically we are, but it's all in preparation for a meal that will happen on Sunday, and tiny guests and their parents who arrive tomorrow night. You see, since the kids were coming in for a week, to celebrate an early Christmas, and they were arriving the day after Thanksgiving, we decided to postpone the Thanksgiving meal until Sunday, so everyone could see them. But our Thanksgiving meal will be eaten on Christmas-decorated tables, surrounded by...