Cutest Kids Ever

I am the worst mother when it comes to taking pictures of my kids.  I never have a camera and never think to make an appointment for a studio.  I took Sam in at 3 months and 8 months and then gave up.  Luckily, my dad has taken a lot of great pictures of my kids.

When Sam was two, he and I went to Colorado to visit my mom and Doug.  My mom made a photo appointment and paid all the fees and we ended up with some darling pictures of my boy.  They were so cute, in fact, that we ended up completely losing our minds and ordering WAY too many different poses.

Last week the kids and I went to Colorado for Thanksgiving.  My mom didn’t even ask this time.  “They have a photo appointment Tuesday at 10.  I’m shopping for coordinated outfits,” her terse text informed me.  I was very happy and grateful and we agreed that this time we would be keeping our cool.  We’d get ONE pose of the two of them together and MAYBE one of Matilda on her own (as she doesn’t have school pictures).

Y’all know where this is going.  We were a mess.  We were already hysterical in the car driving TO the appointment.  Sam and Matilda sat calmly in the backseat as my mom and I dissolved into manic laughing fits.  While the photo shoot was happening we literally clutched at each other every time the camera flashed because we saw how cute the pictures were going to be. 

By the end of our order we wound up ordering seven poses and 108 Christmas cards.  But people, look at these pictures.  Can you blame us?!

Freeze Frame

I have so far been unsuccessful in capturing my daughter's pretty face in a photo.  To illustrate my point, these are the first three pictures of Matilda I found on my phone.

My dear girl views the world in her own way.

 

To be fair, this IS what she looks like 99% of the time.

See her hair?

 

These pictures are why I was SO delighted to open my email yesterday and find this picture from my dad:

Face.  Just her little face.  Skin like porcelain with her hair pushed back.  One thing I noticed right away is how much she looks like Miranda at that age!  I'll have to dig through old pictures and do a side-by-side to compare.  But for now I'm content to just stare at Matilda's pretty face.

Thanks, Dad.

Kindergarten Man

Sam started Kindergarten in September.  He absolutely loves it!  I did have a few surreal moments when I was walking behind him on the way to school where I thought I might cry.  Hood up, loose-fit jeans, backpack, hands shoved in his pockets…he is very much a little man.  Thankfully he is still more than happy to rush out of the school and into my arms when I pick him up in the afternoons. 

Mrs. Hince, his wonderful teacher, has repeatedly referred to Sam as “SO sweet.”  He is friends with everyone in his class.  Mrs. Hince said that several children who have trouble getting along with others have “attached themselves” to Sam as he is so patient and gentle.  She said she’s heard him more than once try to diffuse an argument by saying, “You guys, let’s find something we ALL want to play!”  Sam is kind to his core.  I think it’s my favorite thing about him. 

He’s doing well academically, too. By the end of the year, all Kindergarteners need to be able to read 80 sight words.  Sam knows them all now, as well as the sight words for first grade, and most of the sight words for second grade.  He’s a reading machine.  Mrs. Hince did suggest that we expand his library to include more non-fiction books, as they will help his vocabulary, so we are definitely going to work on that. 

We are so incredibly proud of our boy.

Daddy Hunting

The last few posts I wrote about Matilda before going AWOL mentioned her growing vocabulary.  It has been a year and there is really nothing she can't or (unfortunately) won't say.  I honestly don't know where she gets most of it.

This week Matilda and I were at the store.  A rather attractive man came down our aisle toward us.  Matilda looked up at him and said hopefully, "Mom?  Is that Daddy?"

The man chuckled and I laughed nervously.  "Matilda!  You know that isn't Dad."

I hustled Matilda out of the aisle as the man watched.  I can't let anything go, so I poked my head back around and said, "She has a father. I have not told her to say that to strange men."

Matilda appeared again by my knees. "Yeah," she added sadly. "My NEW daddy is at home."

The little stinker won again.  I had to slink away from the no-longer-amused stranger and continue my shopping in shame.

I Miss Your Blog. Will You Come Back?

I opened Facebook today and found that lovely comment posted on my wall. Simple and direct, it made my day.

 

 

I feel it deserves a simple and direct answer: yes. Yes, I will come back.

 

 

Thanks, Kristi. I desperately wish I had an old picture of us to scan to commemorate this occasion (Too Hot To Handle comes to mind) but I destroyed all of my old pictures in one of my post-Hoarders-marathon cleaning fits.

  

Have patience with me as I get back into the swing of things here.