Spring!

I realize we still have a few weeks until spring officially begins, but I not letting that pesky detail get in the way of my newly improved mood. The Camellias started blooming last month, we now have six fully opened daffodils in our yard, with more opening daily, AND it has been almost 60 degrees the last two days. Yesterday, the boys and I walked for almost an hour around the neighborhood. With no stroller or baby carrying contraption involved! Needless to say we stopped a lot to examine everything and I wasn't exactly relaxed as I worked to teach D some street/sidewalk skills, but it was really fun to be out and about relatively unencumbered. The boys even got some sandbox time once we got home. It is astounding how much our household harmony improved when we get to go outside.

You heard it here first

It appears that the love of my life is no longer in vogue. Yes, people, it seems that cupcakes have, sadly, lost their trendy status and are being replaced by Macaroons or Macarons (if you are French or pretending to be) as the dessert du jour. Check it out. I say; more cupcakes for me! In fact, my love of cupcakes predates the trend that sprung up cupcake shops all over the country. Eleven years ago, on Valentine's Day, Dave popped the big question with some Sweet Tarts sitting prettily atop a cupcake that I had been coveting since um, January. Unfortunately for him, I was so hungover, I almost ate the sentiment without reading it, all in my haste to be polite and not question his judgement for presenting with such a sugary confection at 10 o clock in the morning. Later on in the day, after a lot of happy phone calls were made, I ate about three more cupcakes, thereby permanently instilling my love of that particular dessert. Not that I would turn down a macaroon or two. :)

Need vs. Want

A few days ago Mizz asked Dave why he has a daddy who always has to work. This makes me sad a little bit, but I also realize that even with Dave's traveling, there are many, many men out there that work way more hours than him. In any case, when Dave reminded him that people work to make money for things we need like food and toys, Mizz interrupted him and said. "No, no, no, we NEED food, but we don't NEED toys!" I'm kinda blown away by this assessment of need at the tender age of four and a half. I am well aware of my own tendencies to confuse want with need, and can't believe that Mizz can differentiate. Although, Mizz is definitely not the toy hound that some kids seem to be. He is way more interested in figuring out ordinary household objects, doing math, drawing, reading, and admittedly, if left to his own devices (hah!) playing on the computer or with any other electronic gadget.

My little hoover

D wants to eat all the time. The past two mornings he has asked for food again not twenty minutes after he finished breakfast. Any time we past any sort of eatery (cart, restaurant, vending machine, etc) he makes the sign for and says eat, eat, EAT! He is relentless in his pursuit of food, which I suppose supplies his relentless barbarianism. We have made some progress with his passion to upend all that is standing. At least, now, after he dumps something over, he usually says, "uh oh" or "mess" or in the case of the kitchen chairs "NO!". Crap! As I was typing this, D just dropped a chair on Mizz's head. (After tending to Mizz, who relishes being the victim...) I kid you not, D is a barbarian who will not be restrained, even while in a booster chair.

The Mizz reads!