One Misty Moisty Morning

Rhianwen stream of conciousness: "One day we can go to heaven, and we won't come home. It's getting very late, let's play a game and take a bath."

Phone conversation with Grandaddy-
Grandaddy: We're excited about your coming to the beach with us
Rhianwen: Oh, you guys don't have a beach!
(we refer to Myrtle Beach as the beach at Nanny Kim's, and Rhianwen's never been to any other beach! We find it hard to explain it all upcoming events chronologically to her. She ends up saying things like..."oh, after naps we will go to Nanny Kim's?" or "Tomorrow Grandmama will come?" etc and we'll have to go through the entire calendar all over again. We've discussed giving her a calendar that she can cross the days off until the next big event.)

Daddy: This spaghetti's going to be a little different than you're used to.
Rhianwen: I like different!

And that's just it. I feel like Rhianwen is unique bordering on very strange. I guess she gets it from her 2 weirdo parents.

It runs in the family. The people who took this picture were random hikers; we returned the favor. I overheard them talking about a park in Pittsburgh but said nothing. The next day we ran into them again, but this time at church. It makes me think of that verse about redeeming the time or making the most of every opportunity. Chance encounters are never really by chance.

A nice spot for reflection...(Yeah, you can roll your eyes.)

Alden has proven his knack for adventure. In the past 2 days, he's managed to nearly escape undetected from that strangely quiet place called a library, he's rolled down a bank and dropped 6 feet into our creek without a scratch, and he's dropped to the floor via the back of our ladderback chair. All this after multiple people have told me they are praying for my kids' safety. I'm not sure if I should be comforted or worried. Does this mean the prayers are or are not working?

Alden is determined to do everything Rhianwen does. When he's successfully resisted the temptation of crayon chewing or throwing, he's already coloring with them. (Notice the necklace).

Painting the aquadoodle.

He's even started playing on his own. The IKEA truck from Grandmama and Grandaddy is a big hit. He's even started playing in his room alone. However, now that he is such a ninja, I don't think I trust leaving him in a room by himself for more than 0.00001 seconds. Left unattended, he'd probably manage to scale his bookcase, unscrew the vent covers and explore our ventilation system, or hack into the DOD. As grandmama said about Averett, I will now say about Alden: It will be a miracle if he reaches his 2nd birthday. In all actuality, it might be even more of a miracle if I survive to see his 2nd birthday. I didn't know my job description as mommy included stunts, daring rescues, and constant sleep deprivation.

I also naively thought that it was in my job description to choose my own title. Somehow, I've gained the title of Mama without any consultation. I'm not sure if it's b/c of all the books we read with Mama in them, if it's a result of having a GRITS, or if it's plain hereditary. I've decided not to fight it. It's actually growing on me.

My babstas.