Bowlin Beige

This past weekend we made the trip to Skip and Reva's mountain home in North Carolina. This was Parker's first trip to the in-law's house, and he also go to meet his Uncle Scott, Aunt Kelli, and three cousins! The views are always beautiful, and we even got to enjoy watching a thunderstorm roll up the mountain on Friday.  The dads took some of the kids to the creek to play on the rocks and splash in the water, while the moms stayed at home and relaxed. On Saturday Reva watched the younger kids - Carolina (4), Ainsley (3), and Parker (5 months), so the rest of us could go tubing down the Green River. Skip, Scott, Kelli, Eric and I, plus Maddie (13) and Caleb (10) enjoyed a leisurly 3-mile float down the river, with a few "rapids" thrown in to keep it exciting! That afternoon we gathered ALL the kids and took the whole family back to the creek for some playtime. The kids jumped on rocks, searched for crawfish, threw sticks, played in the mud, and had a...

I feel like I spend so much time talking about the funny things that Ainsley is doing that I forget to mention our newest little guy. I just can't get over what a happy baby Parker is. He almost never cries - so little, in fact, that when he does cry it usually means something is wrong. Last weekend we discovered he had an ear infection, simply because he was crying and we knew that was not normal. Parker is the easiest baby and has been such a wonderful addition to our family.  He always has a smile ready for anyone who looks at him, and he especially loves to coo and flirt with any nearby females. He's going to be a heart-breaker when he gets older! Parker greets me each morning with an excited smile to start the day. It's probably because I'm his food source, but I like to think he's also anxious to spend time with me. He smiles at Ainsley whenever she is making silly faces at him, or when she holds toys for him to grab, or covers him with her blanket. She is q...

Last week we spent an amazing five days in Kiawah Island, SC with some of our best friends and their children. This has become an annual trip for us, but this year was a little more crazy than usual. Ten adults and eight kids (four toddlers, four infants) and somehow we still managed to have a great time! Ainsley loved playing at the beach and swimming in the pool with her friends Whitney and Timmy. Parker enjoyed... well, he slept a lot, as usual. But he did have fun watching all the other kids and liked chillin' in the pool with Mommy. Ainsley found some sea shells and a starfish (which she excitedly showed to all her friends at home). Luckily she inherited her Nana's skin - she tans easily and never burns! She is getting more comfortable with her swimming skills and enjoyed swim races in the pool with Timmy and Whitney.  Her favorite game was getting on the raft and escaping the "alligators" (dads in the pool).  A favorite memory is watching the naked kids sitti...

A few weeks ago we jointly celebrated Mothers and Fathers Days by going out to dinner with some friends. Not just any dinner, but dinner at the Inn at Little Washington. This resturant (and the chef/ower) have consistently been named among the top 10 restaurants and chefs in the world. Eric and I have been a few times before but it was the first visit for our friends Jon and Brandi. The six-course meal is easily one of the best meals I've ever had. Each course better than the previous one. Just for fun I wanted to share what we ate - many of these dishes may not sound like something you would normally choose from a menu, but I can promise they were delicious!  They brought out a sampling of hors d'oeuvres from the kitchen - some new dishes they were trying. I don't remember what they all were, except that they were delicious! For our second course we had this amazing chilled peach soup with a touch of reisling. My dinner (see if you can find a theme here...) Third course ...

This morning I was getting dressed upstairs. I had just put Parker down for his morning nap. I hear clanging dishes in the kitchen, and then the freezer door slam shut. I start tip-toeing down the stairs and I hear the crinkling of a plastic bag. I know what she's doing - she has gotten a pancake out of the freezer. I sneak into the dining room, where she can't see me but I can see her. She is going through the bag of pancakes looking for the perfect one. The cabinet is open and she has a plate on the floor for her frozen pancake. She still doesn't know I'm watching her as she heads toward the microwave... At this point she runs over to the kitchen table and starts sliding a chair over to the counter. I come out of the dining room and she stops. Ainsley smiles at me with those angelic eyes and says "Mommy, can I have a pancake?"

Over the past few months I've tried to take a mental note of the wonderful experiences I've had during my maternity leave. Now that I'm back at work it makes me appreciate these moments even more. I am happy to be back in the office with my co-workers, but I do miss spending the day with my little chunky monkey and my snuggle bug. Ainsley is at the age where she learns new words every day and is constantly saying funny things. Here are a few of my favorite Ainsley quotes from the past few months. [In the first few weeks after Parker's arrival]: "Parker, go away!" "Mommy, put Parker down!" "Stop holding Parker" "Mommy, I want you to put Parker back in your belly." Thankfully that phase only lasted a little while. Now she sings lullabies to him when he cries in the car and says "Don't cry, Parker, we'll be home soon." If he cries at home she says "Mommy, my baby brother is hungry! You got to feed ...

Before we decided to have a second child I knew it would be extra work. But I never really believed those people who say that having a second child isn't double the work - it is quadruple the work. I consider myself a fairly efficient person. I would win medals if multi-tasking was an Olympic sport. But alas, all of my skills are useless in this new world of dual-child parenting. Since I will be working part time for the next few months, and will have both kids home with me two days a week, I finally broke down and bought a double stroller. Although Ainsley is mostly past the age of stroller-riding, it is an excellent way to confine her for a short period of time, especially when I am by myself. However, much like parenting two children, the double stroller weighs four times as much as a single stroller. I'm not sure how the mechanics of this formula work out, but I have added it to my list of unexplained parenting questions. The list also includes such pondering que...