easter bonnet parade

Meg's preschool class had an Easter bonnet parade this morning ("parade"-ing through the other classes) - it was so sweet. Her hat was a little small so she walked VERY SLOWLY to keep it balanced on her head.

my helper

I have an amazing 6th grader neighbor who comes over two afternoons a week for an hour and watches Meg while I do something else. This is a lifesaver in so many ways this girl could not yet comprehend: she comes at Meg's WORST time of day (before dinner...is any child good before dinner?); she takes Meg outside to play and gets her nice and tired OR if it's raining does crafty things inside that I fail to do; and she is just a generally great person for being a 6th grader.

Yesterday she took Meg on a walk and they came home with fistfuls of beautiful flowers- it made my day.

the fauxhawk

Katie has a distinctive extreme curl on the top of her head. I love it, and it is getting more extreme as her hair gets longer. I suppose I could wet it and try to comb it down, but I want to enjoy it while it lasts.

And her smile makes me laugh!

felt flower clip

I've never mastered the art of making hairbows, so I was happy to find a way to make a hair clip that didn't involve ribbon and hot glue. I got this idea from the purl bee.

reading material & the news

Meg has been deeply interested in one of my pregnancy books - the one with (ahem) somewhat graphic birth pictures but I like that it makes it easy to understand what's going on in there and how her new baby sister or brother is growing. I often find her quitely flipping through, poring over images of fetuses, women getting prenatal exams, and men massaging laboring women in various positions.

[And in case you haven't already heard or just figured it out, Webb Baby Three is on its way!!]

stuck again

What kind of mother laughs, runs and gets her camera to take a picture of her baby wedged in the crib before helping her out? (My kind, I guess.)

Katie is such a sweet baby...she just waits there silently and patiently, waving around her stuck little limbs outside the crib.

mute button

For the first time in my life, I have laryngitis. I am not just a little hoarse, but have a complete and total loss of my voice! I can't speak above a whisper, and I am now painfully aware of how often I speak to my children throughout the day. I need to use my voice to soothe the baby, distract the toddler, read books, sing songs, discipline, and praise. I am now resorting to overly expressive gestures (hand and face), shushing (when necessary), applauding, and tongue clicking (works to get a baby's attention). It is frustrating and hilarious all at the same time. I am open to any other suggestions!

Thankfully, my girls got to have speaking people around them last week when we visited family in South Carolina.