Bowlin Beige

Last weekend we made the trip up to the lake for the church's annual Chicken BBQ fundraiser. Dad and Eric left at 5am to head to the fire pits and start cooking. The group of men from church cooked 750 chicken halves in 26 degree weather for 5 hours! Mom worked at the fire hall to put together all the lunches with the other ladies, while I watched the kids. After lunch and naps for everyone, we enjoyed seeing family friends at the VFW. Parker and Ainsley entertained the whole bar with their antics! Lucky for us, we got to bring several chickens home to freeze and enjoy for the next few months. Parker has been cruising (walking while holding onto furniture) since Thanksgiving. We figured he would be walking by New Years, however he is much more cautious than his sister was. After 4 months of practicing, he finally started walking on his own at the cabin. He takes about 8 - 10 steps before falling over, but he is very proud of himself and we make a big deal with lots of clapping...

I remember as a child sleeping in the back seat of my parent's Jeep Cherokee. Long trips back and forth to Pennsylvania - before the speed limit was 65, and Rt. 4 in Calvert County was still 2 lanes. Bags (or the dog) piled in the seat next to me. Playing car games by myself because I couldn't read (motion sickness) and mom's injured back kept her from turning around in the seat constantly. I remember sleeping quite comfortably in the back seat of that Jeep. I don't know how. But now I realize that children can sleep anywhere. It doesn't matter how uncomfortable they appear - their little bodies just conform to the space and they sleep soundly. I present the following exhibits as proof: Practicing her conformity at an early age. Today's nap position. I guess I should just be thankful that she sleeps at all, because a rested child is a happy child. Or something like that. Editor's Note: After I posted this e...

I started this blog as a way to keep family and friends informed and entertained about what goes on in our (beige) lives. It has become a great way for me to record and remember the small and silly things that happen along the way while raising these two crazy kids. I hope in ten years I can show this to Ainsley and she'll roll her eyes me for putting this all in writing. Last night I was struck by just how silly she is, and what makes her laugh. She's in that preschool phase of calling everything "poop."  And she laughs hysterically about it. And it's not just calling her brother "Baby Parker Poopy Head." A typical conversation goes something like this: Me:  "Ainsley, I love you!" Her: "I love you too, Mommy Poopy Goofy Shoe Hair Poopy Mud!" (then she erupts in laughter) She's not even trying to be mean when she says it - she just thinks it's hysterical to use the word "poopy" to describe everything sh...

Part One: The Party On Saturday we held our 7th annual Wash Away the Winter Blues party. We've had this celebration every year since moving to Richmond, with the exception of last year because Parker had just been born. This is always a great opportunity for us to catch up with friends and have some fun. It's also an opportunity for us to pretend that we're still in our early twenties. Eight years ago (before we all had kids) it was typical for us to stay up until 3 or 4am, with friends sleeping all over the house. We would slowly wake up around 10am and take a few hours to eat breakfast, lay around the house talking, and eventually get cleaned up and everyone would go home. Now that kids have entered our world, the party is a little different. It started at 6pm, because when you're old you can't wait until 9pm to start eating and drinking. We also hired a babysitter to watch our kids and the O'Neill kids, who were spending the night. A smaller crowd than in ye...

Last Friday Parker had a quick outpatient surgery to have tubes put in his ears. After suffering from 8 ear infections over the past year, we decided it was finally time to get them done. Ainsley had them put in when she was 14 months old, and it made such a huge difference in her health and quality of life. We saw firsthand how quickly it impacted her life, and greatly reduced our trips to the doctors office.  We got up early Friday morning to drop off Ainsley and get Parker to the surgery center for preparation. Although he couldn't eat anything, he was still his happy self and enjoyed watching Mickey Mouse and crawling around his prep room. He didn't even cry when the doctor came to take him to the operating room and we had to leave him. What a brave boy! 15 minutes later and the surgery was finished. He was a little confused and out-of-sorts coming out of the anesthesia but settled quickly with his bottle. A long nap at home and a quick dose of Tylenol, and he was back...

I can't believe my little guy is a year old already! This year has flown by so quickly, and I think it happens even quicker with the second child. It seems like just a few months ago that we dropped Ainsley off at Robin's house that Thursday morning while I was in labor. 5 hours later little Parker had joined our family. He is such a joy in our lives and now I can't even remember the simple life with just one child! He loves his big sister so much, and everyday she amazes me - she is such a good big sister! Whether she is sharing her Cheerios with him, or giving him toys in the car, or racing him up the stairs, or tickling him (a little too rough, I always think - but he just laughs and enjoys every bit of attention from her). Of course there are the usual sibling moments when they are fighting over toys, he grabs her hair, she doesn't want him in her room, or they both want my attention at the same time, but the majority of the time they are just happy to be together. ...