Lifelines

Let me first just say that I can’t believe that William is three.
And I can’t believe it because that means that Creux is just six weeks behind him in this momentous event!

It seems like just yesterday Jenny called me to tell me she was pregnant.
I knew she’d been trying.
And then I called her with MY news only a short month-ish later.
She knew I hadn’t been :)

It was such fun to share a pregnancy so close together.
And now, we watch these boys move from toddlers to preschoolers!
(Look out, CO-OP! Actually, look out everyone!)

William had his party on Sunday and MAN, was it hot.
Jenny threw a super fun bash for him but regrettably, I didn’t see much at all.
Though the original plan was for Charlie to come with us, he had to work which really stunk.
I knew I’d probably have to stick around inside the house (where the party wasn’t) with Luxe due to the heat so I’d been hoping that he could come and man the others.
Normally I feel really comfortable with my kids around Jenny’s pool but with 18 kids in attendance, I was a nervous wreck.

Just this past May, I watched one of Jenny’s kids’ giant pool floats slip right over the top of Greer, who was swimming, vested, in the pool.
She wasn’t underwater at the time–she was just near the float and it had no problem riding right on top of her and pushing her down.

It was truly a miracle that I happened to look over at that exact moment–not only was I in the middle of a conversation (distracted) but I typically focus more on Creux in the water.
It all happened in the blink of an eye but I looked, it went over her, the three kids on top had no idea, and much to my horror, I could see her struggling underneath.

To tell the truth, it’s amazing that I didn’t go into labor right then and there.
But I didn’t, I bolted out of my chair and stood screaming like a lunatic, “GET OFF, GET OFF, GET OFFFFFFF!!!!”

Having experienced that heart-stopper, I had a hard time being indoors and trying to peer out windows while my kids were swimming with everyone else’s kids.
(Though I know other adults were watching out for mine, it’s still not the same comfort as having their dad there, keeping track of those damn (but fun) pool floaties.)

I did come out here and there during the party and managed to capture snippets of the good times!
A snow cone maker, a face painting center, a jump house, some water play stuff…and LOTS of “Thomas the Train” decor (I’m sure I forgot something?)…I think William had the time of his life and I know my kids did, too!
(Though I really must add that this is only just a smidge better than “normal days” over at the James household. It surprised me none to see pics on her blog of the jump house blown up inside THEIR house before it was moved to the backyard. These people are just fun, I tell you.)

My pictures aren’t all that great since I missed so much but I tried to capture what I could in a couple of five minute backyard cruises with my camera.

Happy 3rd Birthday, William!
I hope you got everything you wanted (I know you did), I hope you had the best time ever (I know you did) and I hope you know just how much you are loved (I know you do, at least by Greer!)

Look at these cheeks!

Whenever my children wandered into the house, I snapped a photo.
I wanted to get to them before the pool did!

Here I am lamenting over William and Creux turning three and just LOOK at these guys! Teens! ACK!

Water balloon tossing:

How I spent my time, when I wasn’t peering out windows:

Emma and Greer:

Rhyse:

And you-know-who:

(Not pictured: Chas, who was busy gabbing in the deep end, far away from my zoom lens.)

These photos were taken last Sunday after our visit to The Wilds with the James family.
We went back to their place for pizza and swimming and since I’m currently too tired to find my camera to show you what we’ve been up to since yesterday, I’m digging in my archives.

Our backyard is filled with fallen leaves.
ALREADY.
I can’t believe that summer is over.
I said this the other day to Charlie, “Where did the summer go?”
“It’s right there in your arms,” was his reply.

And it feels that way.
It sort of feels like we missed summer somehow.
Hmmm.
Well, I think I feel that way but I might be alone in that sentiment.
Lots of people stepped in to help make sure that my kids had some summertime fun and didn’t just sit around the house while Mama nested with baby.
Thanks, People Who Summer-Funned My Kids.
You know who you are :)

Anyway, there won’t be many more wet and wild posts–at least for awhile!

It went fast but what I DO remember was a ton of fun and I am very, very sorry to see it go.
(Except for the heat. That heat was horrible and it can just scoot right on down the road and not come back ever again. I thought we were being barbequed alive.)

It was an amazing summer for my Littles, with BOTH really taking off in the water. Looking back at our trip in early May where we could hardly even get Greer off the pool stairs, she just blossomed over the past three months. She’s not a strong enough swimmer to be out in the deep end un-vested but she’s well on her way.

Creux definitely takes his cues from Greer, too. If she’s willing to do something then he’s all in. If she’s not, he thinks whatever it is a bad idea. (And trust me, it takes a LOT to convince Creux that something is a bad idea.) He can swim un-vested in the pool too–but only if we’re right there in the water. He has a high tolerance for half-drowning himself–meaning, he does fine but swallows most of the pool in the process and sets my nerves on the highest setting allowed.

I’m not sure what she’s so worried about in this photo but I just like it for some reason.

(Maybe she’s realizing that her care-free summer days are ending? That’s the look I’ve been wearing for days now. I saw a squirrel racing through my yard yesterday with a huge nut in his mouth and I dropped my head to the table in defeat. It will be snowing before I know it.)

Sweet Emma and sweet Luxe, enjoying the end of the night together.

Jenny & Gang, thanks for all the fun this summer–we’ve had a blast with you guys!

Cute shots from Jen’s the other day…

(PS…click  for her Etsy site. She has other stuff, super cute knit hats with the flowers but I bought all her inventory so they’re not pictured here.)

And yes, this adorable thing is now mine. Baby AND accessory:)

Jen, ready whenever you are for a park day.
And I LOVE the wrap–thanks so much for letting me borrow for a bit!
Hope you’re having luck with the baby name books!
XO

We met up with Jenny and Holly and their farm lovin’ kids today for what was supposed to be a park day for our co-op.
Where WAS everybody???
(Gee, probably home, doing schoolwork like we shoulda been?)

The kids had fun, petted the horses,were harassed by angry farmer, smelled the pigs (I’m telling you, they were GAGTASTIC), shucked the corn, fed the sheep, were harassed by angry farmer.
(Actually I think it was just maybe two of my boys–bet you’d NEVER guess which ones–who were fussed at both times. Those Martins, you can’t take them anywere…)

The highlight of MY day came when I noticed a giant bug on Jenny’s shoulder while she was talking to me.
Jenny has a horrific(ly funny) fear of creepy crawlies.
And so I said, very quietly so as not to freak her out, “Don’t panic but…”
That’s all I got out before she went WILD right there before my eyes, yipping and screaming and waving her arms all over the place.
“WHAT?? HOW BIG??? WHERE IS IT???” she screamed at me.

All I could do was laugh.
I couldn’t help it!
I’m still laughing just returning to that moment in my mind so I could write it here with accuracy.
(I saw it go right down the front of her shirt and I was torn between not telling her (good friend) and telling her (bad friend)–bad because I was certain she’s rip her top off right there in the middle of everything, with all our kids happily playing in the corn barrels three feet away!)

Good times…

My Thursdays just got a little better!

Greer and I walked into her first jazz class tonight to find a) a parking place b) our old room with viewing window and c) my old friend from middle school–MINDY!

Mindy, I’m super excited to spend a whole year reconnecting and to watch our girls develop a friendship–Greer is already asking for a playdate with Natalee!

Looking forward to our jazz nights together!
XO

Today we stopped by my friend Jen’s place to visit a bit, swap some baby stuff (name books for her, a Moby-like wrap for me) and so that I could peek at her gorgeous baby headbands.
I did WAY more than peek, I damn near bought everything she was selling because it was all so beautiful and I couldn’t resist.

While we were there, Jen asked if Luxe would model a few pieces that she might use on the etsy website where she sells her hair accessories and naturally, I handed my baby right over.

I snapped this shot which I just love to pieces for some reason.

Love. To. Pieces.

God, what is WITH the whole animal/fly thing?
It’s like the nastiest thing ever.

Like “Oh, look at the cute horse! What, you can’t see the cute horse? You can’t see that cutiepie because of the SEVENTEEN THOUSAND FLIES COVERING IT???”

Yeah, me neither.

Here’s the camel:

These animals were making me CRAZY standing in the road like this.
They literally would not move, until the bus bumped up against them.
I wasn’t sure if they were just stupid or suicidal.
(But I mean, THESE horses have it good. They could be standing around in the bazillion temperature heat, hitched up to a pole, giving sweaty, screaming toddlers a ride at the zoo all day long. Maybe they need to know this, just in case they ARE suicidal.)

Case in point: cute baby horse barnacled to its mama, FLIES, FLIES, FLIES
(This might have been more obvious to me because Creux was screaming, “Wha’s DAT? What ARE dose??” repeatedly and at top volume. I’m not sure he even saw horses; honestly, I think he only saw those stupid flies.)

I know you can only see like four in this photo.
I cropped the rest out because I only wanted the heads in the shot.
But trust me.
FLIES, FLIES, FLIES.

The kids were hilarious when there was something *special* to see out the window.
They were scrambling all over the place, the whole pack of them!

(I do not think we were an enjoyable group to travel with at all. Our families combined are a) huge b) really, really comforable with one another c) LOUD AS HELL and d) consist of two toddlers who missed naps and both had meltdowns over the course of the day)

I also don’t think these two chatter-boxes learned a THING on the tour.
Except maybe all of the entire contents of the others brain because they just talked and talked and talked for hours.
About what, we’ll never know but I seriously doubt it had to do with the declining populations of those flie-covered horses.

This little guy was super sweet though.
His nose was glued to that window non-stop, trying to spot far off rhinos and zebras.

Up next, we let this looney gang out of the bus.
One long trail leading to water.
All eight of them running full-speed ahead.
Two mamas shouting annoyingly over the distance, “Do you have them???”
(The “them” refers to our little guys. The “you” refers to anyone who might be able to save them should they fall in before we get there.”
And two dads who are laid-back and clearly not worried about children climbing over fences and drowning.
(These guys need to go on field trips alone with their kids. We’ll see how laid-back they are when they consider that if they don’t pay close attention, they’ll have to explain to their wives that they don’t know HOW their child/children were “accidentally” eaten by alligators that day.)

It’s been a long, wonderful, LONG day for us.
We met up with Jenny’s gang at The Wilds for the afternoon, followed by pizza and swimming at their place and all I can think about is crawling into my bed.

Well, that and posting just a few photos from the start of our trip :)

I’d push through my fatigue and post more but I SWEAR to you, the second that I sit down at my computer, Luxe wakes and calls for me.
She can’t see me, doesn’t even HEAR me but knows I’ve found some “free time” and if my time is free, I think she’s of the mind that I should be doing something extra with HER.

So these are just the human animal photos :)
The animal animal ones are behind these but Luxe ain’t gonna wait for those to be picked through, sorted, deleted, color-touched, and posted tonight.
Not. Gonna. Happen.

More tomorrow, if I can sneak away from my warden.
SHEESH!

Boarding the bus, ready for departure:

Posting this of her because it’s like the last you’ll see of her awake for about 346 photos.
She slept in the sling for almost the whole trip.
I just want proof that she existed :)

Gorgeous day, gorgeous view:

Told you:

The last time we were here, HE was the bitty baby!

My friend Stacie brought me lots of little goodies the other day.
She started with THIS:

Good friends are like that, you know.

And she brought me the most adorable little purse, big enough to cram in two diapers and some wipes, my check card and some lip gloss.

What else in the world does a girl need?
(Other than the “The Answer To World Hunger Is In HERE” sized bag sitting in the car next to my new adorable little purse.)

Inside that little purse were a trio of onesies, made to order for Luxe.

Stacie was even sweet enough to include a Onesies Legend, if you will–a card detailing what each symbol on the shirt meant.

Since Luxe is five weeks old right now, I thought it would be super appropriate to snap her photo in the onesie labled “5″.

Well, plus the fact that she IS baby number five.

Which was apparently news to her.

She thought she was number one ;)

After they swam (and splashed and squealed and sometimes tried to drown one another), we had dinner and then I herded my small pile of people plus one outside for some bike/trike/scooter play.

Chas was super sweet by offering to take them all for a ride in the big bike thingy and Rhyse suggested that they do it with popsicles!

What could I say other than, “YES!”

(And let me tell you, William was not waiting for me to figure out my camera settings.

Nor was he happy when I finally did.

He just wanted his popsicle.
IN PEACE.)

And so, Chas hauled the three of these guys around the neighborhood.
(Thank you, Chasie!)

They came back exhilarated.
And STICKY :)