1,500

 Pictures on my iPhone.

 Most all of them look like this.

It adds to the frustration of posting these days.

Started This Little Project

About 4 months ago.

Restoring old bookshelves from our family's farm in Iowa.

Cannot wait to tuck them into our house where we finally have a place to put them, columns and all.

Helps to now live in a place where a February afternoon outside turns out to be the perfect day.

Gatorpalooza

At the school last Saturday.

Right after the torrential rain.

It was cold and wet.

They were extatic.

More Wildlife

 This time saved by daddy at the side of the road.

He made his escape shortly after this photo.

Brownies

Help

I did tell her to clean the mirror.

How Romantic

 120 signed Valentines

12 cupcakes

2 vegetable trays

20 drink boxes

pink and red outfits for the girls

teacher cards

2 shoe boxes decorated

Romance will wait for another day.

Today, Happy Valentine's Day to the crew.

Saving for a goal

They picked the toy.

They plan to pool their money.

They are earning a small allowance.

They have a goal.

They are obsessed.

And then when they set the table without being asked, they said they required money.

I'm afraid my lecture on being a good citizen of this house, and how there are responsibilities and there are opportunities to go above and beyond sounded a bit like Charlie Brown's teacher.

Elaine

Turns out, I didn't need to cut their hair different lengths to tell them apart.

We know Elaine by the high barrette count these days. 

Seven or more is Elaine.

Grounded

from the DS.

"...for wo...  NO, TWO weeks."

Because when your mother says give me the DS in a stern voice, you probably shouldn't toss it down the stairs at her.  I could see it in his face as he made the decision to do it, and I also saw the instant regret the moment it slipped out of his hands as he tried to take it back mid-air. The slow motion fall of that little red box will hopefully live in his mind for a long, long time. 

Too bad Nicholas.  Gravity will get you every time.

Now I can play Super Mario Bros. all I want to.

Whoop-itty-do.

Math

They don't quite see its usefulness.

One Week

 From this,

 to this,

 and that.

 And with their great, great grandmother's furniture in place,

We had girls sleeping in their own rooms. 

Say Goodbye Butterfly!

 My weekend.



Changing that, into this.

Primed.

I had the paint can open to start the trim just about the time that Ben and Alida were discovered trapped in the closet in the unholy mess.

So the full reveal is postponed, as are many things in my life.

Tie Day

 Not even sure why they needed to wear these to school, but they woke up and insisted. 

Sure enough it was on the calendar.

Not too bad from not tying a tie since childhood and making my dad teach me for some unknown reason.  Little did we know what my future held.

Take That Kindergarten

 Hard to stay angry at impromptu apology letters from your sweet boy. 

I didn't even correct that he was "sorry" and not "soy".

And Alida, you're ahead of the game lady.

When I asked if that was a picture of her, she said no, it was me.

The Offense:  climbing eight tubs of carefully arranged, sorted, and folded hand-me-downs, causing them to collapse and trap he and his sister in the closet in an unholy mess of tubs and clothes.