Bowlin Beige

I'm going on a trip! To sunny, warm Tucson! For work! ALL BY MYSELF! Now, don't get me wrong - I'd love my DH to join me. But this is a 'work' trip. And honestly sometimes it's just great to have a few days alone to recharge the mommy/wife batteries. Who knew I could fit my belongings for a four day trip in a suitcase only slightly larger than my purse? And I even changed purses! After removing the diapers, baby wipes, baby food, snacks, lollipops, spoons, bibs and disposable placemats, I found that the only things left were my wallet, chap stick and sunglasses. I had tons of space now for sudoku and half-read books that I've been trying to finish for the past two years. After stocking up on trashy magazines and a bag of M & Ms (shhhh!) I boarded my flight and prepared for 4 hours of sitting quietly, uninterrupted by kids, pets, to-do lists or iPhones. Upon arrival at the conference resort I was greeted by this baby owl. He apparently was just lear...

In addition to writing poetry (see previous post), Ainsley has also become very creative with her drawing. In this one, she is wearing her pink princess pajama dress. The box on the left is her bed, and she is dancing under the starry sky. I think this one came from an Octonauts viewing earlier in the day. She is in a submarine in the ocean. And then above the water she is being shot out of a cannon (like the woman at the circus that she can't stop talking about). Maybe the Williams' artist genes rubbed off on her!

Ainsley was very excited to get some new pencils in a goodie bag from a friend's birthday party last weekend. Usually when she gets pencils I just hide them away in our desk - I don't think we even own a pencil sharpener anymore. But she was particularly excited about these because they have Lalaloopsy on them. So being the good mother that I am, I hauled the pencils into work and used our automatic pencil sharpener. When I brought them home to her, you'd have thought I brought home a new pony. She was beyond thrilled. Pencils?  Really? Must be her English-teacher grandmother rubbing off on her. I was thinking that exact thought when she pulled out a notebook and started writing. "Are you drawing a picture with your new pencils?" I ask her. "No, Mama. I'm writing a polem" [that's pronounced 'pole-emm' for those of you not well versed in Ainsley-speak]. Then she continues: "Please be quiet so I can concentrate. I have to write my pole...

My DH is traveling for work this week so I've been entertaining the kids solo for the past few days. Last night I was cleaning up in the kitchen and heard Parker babbling in the living room. Not just his usual squealing and shrieking. He was babbling and "talking" nonstop. Who was he talking to? Ainsley was in the kitchen with me so I assumed he was having a conversation with the dog or the little toy alligator that he pushes around. So I walk into the room and see him holding a play phone on top of his head. He stops and looks at me. "Parker, are you talking on the phone?" I ask. He puts the phone back on top of his head and starts having a "conversation" in gibberish again. "Parker, who are you talking to?"  He answers loud and clear with a smile on his face "Dada!"

Ainsley has been learning a lot about our public safety officers this year. Whenever we hear a siren or see a truck or car with flashing lights, Ainsley immediately asks what it is. Is there a fire? Is someone hurt? Is it a police car? Between school visits and increased awareness of her surroundings, it seems that they come up in conversation at least once a day. Firefighters We pass a fire station on the way to the sitter's house each day. Ainsley: Daddy, when I grow up we can both be firefighters! We can ride on the fire truck! Daddy: Yes, you can be a firefighter when you grow up. But Ainsley, you know that firefighters actually have to help put out fires. They have to wear special clothes and helmets to protect them from the fire. It gets very hot and they have to be careful not to get burned. Ainsley: Oh. I don't like fire. (Pause) Daddy, you can be a firefighter by yourself. Ambulances Again, she's in the car with Daddy when an ambulance drives by. Ainsley:...

Ainsley is taking swim lessons at the local YMCA. Due to the timing of the lessons, we go straight from Robin's house after work. Parker was too young to be in the pool much last summer, but this year he is quite fascinated - he seems to think it's a big bathtub. While Ainsley has her lesson, he and I spend time playing in the pool and in the water play area. He has decided that this is the best place to practice his walking! Here he is showing off his new skills (and his beer belly).

Unfortunately Parker is a stereotypical second child. We have dozens of videos of Ainsley as a baby - smiling, crawling, eating, walking, pulling on Duke, - just about anything and everything. Poor Parker has very few mementos (aside from this blog) to document his various accomplishments of babyhood. But every once in a while I manage to grab my (lifesaving) iPhone and snap a video of him doing something memorable, before Ainsley tries to steal the spotlight again. Here he is, Captain Adorable, playing peekaboo with his shirt at dinnertime. 

Last weekend we made the trip down to Skip and Reva's mountain home in North Carolina. It's been a while since we had visited, and Ainsley was very excited to spend Easter with Grandma and Grandaddy! The weekend was filled with lots of fun activities - icing and decorating a bunny cake, dyeing Easter eggs, and learning some new songs on Grandaddy's guitar. Easter morning both kids had a great time finding all of the eggs and treats that the Easter bunny had left for them. Parker mostly enjoyed chewing on the eggs and shaking them, while Ainsley enjoyed the treats inside them. That sneaky Easter bunny had some very difficult hiding places! He also left them some great baskets with fun toys and snacks (and as usual, each kid wanted what was in the other kid's basket). I'm thankful now more than ever that I was an only child and didn't have to share - thanks, Mom and Dad! :-) If you read my previous post then you know how much Ainsley adores her Easter dress. The...

Ainsley has been obsessing over her Easter dress for weeks, ever since I brought it home from Costco (hey, don't judge - they have really cute kid's clothes). She routinely wears it around the house, and shows it off to anyone who walks in our front door. So she was particularly thrilled that she got to wear it to school on Good Friday for the Easter Parade and Egg Hunt. When I first arrived at her school for the egg hunt, she ran up to me with a very worried look on her face and said "Mama! Jesus DIED!!!!" They had been learning about the Easter story all week at school and apparently Friday morning was when they finally got to the part about how Jesus was crucified on the cross. She was very upset about it, talking about the mean men and how they poked holes in Jesus' hands and feet and put a thorny crown on his head. But then her little face lit up when she talked about how Jesus woke up and got to go live in the blue sky. "And then God made EASTER EGGS!...