Amelia Magic

Where Did It Go???

Summer flew by.  I really don't usually say things like that.  When a parent comments on how quickly the kids are growing up or how the school year just evaporated, I am not there with them.  I am thinking, "really?  It felt like a snail's pace".  BUT.  This summer FLEW by.  Summer was fun.  I think it is because I am really enjoying motherhood, finally.  Does that sound awful?  I have more.  I really don't think I was cut out for the early stages of motherhood.  The baby stages.  The baby hanging off your boob stages.  The every waking minute and I don't even know what you really want NOW stages.  You get the picture.  I love my girls--duh--we have had wonderful moments together from day one.  But now, now we have fun.  We laugh at each other's jokes, we talk about stuff, we have lunch together, we sit at a coffee shop and just sit there and do stuff.  We go shopping together and they pick out their own stuff.  They look at grown-up clothes and say things like, "oh mom, look, this is sooooo cute".  Really. 

My point is summer came and went and I did everything I said in my last post except blog, that didn't happen.  So, I decided to share snippets of the past three months now, randomly, over the next few days.  Here goes.

Summer activity # 1) Lazy moments spent inside with the air conditioner and a set of markers, drawing sea creatures and little girls hiking in the woods:

Hey Piper, give me a smile........

...huh?

Go away mom.......

........okay, fine, one smile....

...now look at my drawing......

....do you like it???

Peeking Out

How cute is she????  Little Miss 6 year old on her summer break sneaking into the picture.  I was trying to get a shot of her friend--the one in the background there--but of course Little Miss Sneaky snuck in.  She is really into the Little Miss t-shirts and books right now so everything around here is Little Miss this and Little Miss that--as in Little Miss Sassy better stop sassing her mom and get her sassafras *ss in gear and clean up her room!!!  Yeah there, like that.  (Really, I don't know where that came from!)

Anyhoo, really looking forward to a fun and frolicky summer, and it is, indeed, just starting to peek out.  June gloom is pretty much over and we are entering phase two where things start to heat up here.  It will get toasty hot.  Which means beach and air conditioned libraries and friends' pools and ice coffee and catching up on blogging--reading all of my favorites, I have missed them, and posting here, a lot.  Today I am turning my head around the corner and saying hello.  You will see more of me soon...........

Stay cool.

Usually when I sit down to do a post I have an idea of what it will be and I almost always have the title worked out.  Today I just have a picture.  It has been such nice weather around here, an early spring, that we have been moving our business outside.  We have a lot of nice little places to sit and read or draw or crochet.  There is a courtyard with a "track" that the girls can run around or ride their scooters, but for some reason, the girls love to set up camp here, in the hallway just off of our back door.  I don't know what it is about this spot that they like, maybe just the fact that they picked it and I think it's weird.  I usually hang out on the steps just below this spot and read or I do my dishes which is a whole four feet away--I can hear their chatter so this feels safe to me.

I just love these two monkeys so much, I love their intelligence and independence and sweetness-to name a few-I know that is so obvious, a mother loving her kids, but I can't seem to feel it enough or to share it enough. 

So there.  I'm sharing.

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh........

What a beautiful Monday.  Piper and Damion have left, Piper has gone back to school and D back to work.  The baby (I still call her that, poor thing, I probably always will) is still sleeping.  Me?  I am chillaxin' with a capital CH.  In my cozies, my new Uggs (thanks mom) and a hot cup of....holy caffeine...the "baby" just woke up and crying none-the-less............ok, she has been slippered, sweatered, moatmealed and juiced and is happily entranced by Max and Ruby.  I love TV.  However, my morning has just changed drastically and I will make this a quick one.

The final Sunday was a nice wrap up to the Holiday break.  The church ladies had a wonderful surprise tea for my mom's birthday, they did such a lovely job and it was so sweet and old-fashioned, I had to share a few pics. 

They even set-up a small table just for Audrey and Piper.........



..........scones and marmalade and low afternoon sun coming through the window.....



..............the "gentlemen" where asked to step out to the back for ham sandwiches and potato chips (how old fashioned is that?!), Damion cracks me up...............



.........so the "ladies" could enjoy their strawberries and custard (that's Cheyenne the cousin joining the girls)...........



..........Audrey matched the pretty in pink tablecloths................



.........it was really so much fun and my mom was really truly surprised, which is no small feat with our family of blabber-mouths.

Happy Birthday mom.

PS Next post will be something arty--per my resolution.

Nothing Special

Nothing spectacular going on here.  Damion painting a shelf with the girls.  He and I were child free for the day and we spent it GETTING STUFF DONE.  Which was good.  We ran errands and bought new plants for the courtyard and grocery shopped and I cleaned up my art space and together we built a shelf and then, once the girls got home, they painted it, now that's called teamwork.  Love it. 

And, one more non-spectacular photo to share that I really really love.  It's from New year's eve, we went out for pizza.  It's not about the way either of us look, it's about the way we look with each other.  I don't know, maybe I am the only one who can see it, but it's there.  The mom and daughter thing and I think it is so super cool.



Nothing special, just life the way I like it.

You Leave Them Alone For A Second

Isn't this sweet?  Piper wanted to do the face (leg, arm, hand) painting herself.
 

There's that intensity again.

She's pretty good.  Nice butterfly.

Now, how about a little on the face........

......okay girls, that's enough.  I'll be right back.

Uh.  Pretty?

Pretty scary.

** Yes, I am distracting you from the fact that I haven't finished the painting and I haven't finished cleaning up my art table.  It's all gonna happen.  Really.

Who's In Charge Here?

Me:  Audrey, let's GO!
Audrey:  I am!



Me:  There you are, hurry up honey, we have to go.
Audrey:  Hold on, I have to put my glasses on.



Me:  Audrey, what is that?
Audrey:  It's my book, mom.



Audrey:  See.  My butterfly book.



Me:  That's my butterfly book.
Audrey:  I want it.



Audrey:  Hurry up mom, let's go.



Me:  Yeah, right, let's go.


**based on a true story**

 

More Audrey

I have more pics of Audrey, as promised.  I know I have some family members who only visit because of the pictures of the girls, so I feel I should oblige.

Audrey is in the pre-school program that Piper was in until very recently when she moved on to real-life school--kindergarten.  Whoo hoo!  Audrey took over Piper's space in the class and subsequently Piper's cubby.  Audrey endured the first couple of weeks with Piper's name on her cubby until finally (I heard this second hand so don't quote me) she stomped up to the school director, put her hands on her hips (I wonder who she gets that from?) and DEMANDED that she have her OWN cubby with her OWN name, with an unspoken NOW! thrown in there.  Oh dear, where are those manners we have been working on? 

This is what happened the next day:




 
Audrey says, "Thank you."




Danette says, "Thanks for being here."

A New Schedule

School started almost two weeks ago.  We have been trying to find our rhythm.  I think today is the first day that things will begin to fall into place.  Don't get me wrong, I am not so delusional that I think life won't switch things up again, I just have to say that today feels right.

So.  Piper's first day.

This was a few seconds after she extracted herself from my leg.

Now, let's go explore a little bit.

At school there are colorful pencils,

my own cubby,

fun new teachers,

recess and new friends,

Ok, mom, this is not so bad.

Maybe I will stay awhile.

Determination

If I can borrow even half of the determination this little intensity junkie displays on a daily basis, I will continue to stay focused and work hard on my craft, and motherhood and wifehood and friendhood (huh?) and be a positive and productive member of my neighborHOOD!

I have listed these prints on etsy.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Thanks for being here.