recently

I haven't been journalling much lately.  I don't even have a good excuse.  We've been deep cleaning the house and working hard in the yard.  Now my house is even more of a beautiful, relaxing haven and my yard is well on its way to being an eden.  If I could just keep it that way...

But we do make time to play.

Husband and I went an a fantastic date night.  We met some friends for dinner and then played a few rounds of pool.  It was wonderful--fantastic company and doing something I haven't done in... well, ever really.  But playing pool sounds like something cool and sophisticated people do.  Mostly I hoped for beginners luck in my shots and enjoyed watching the Olympics on the big screen behind us. (by the way, my husband is amazing.)

We took the girls swimming to reward them after a particularly long yardwork day.  All three of them are little fish.  Ladybug's favorite part is the big waterslide.  Butterfly likes the playplace in the middle on the pool (complete with water pulleys and slides).  Lovely lives to hang out in her little float and be pushed around by her ever willing sister.  (who are also menacing sharks that chase and attack me every once in a while.)


We made a quick visit to see family.  The circumstances that took us there were unfortunate but it was great to see the Aunties (I LOVE these amazing ladies!) and Gram.  We apparently arrived just in time to see her turn the corner in the threatening illness that took her to the hospital and return to being her feisty, wonderful self.  Hopefully her recovery will be smooth and speedy.

The girls love going to the gym's daycare and each have a few favorite friends in particular.  Butterfly regularly declares that she's going to marry one of them and Ladybug especially likes playing in the drinking fountain.  The color me new pictures nearly every day and love playing with their friends.  But their favorite part is coming to the window to watch the "dancing" (group aerobics room) and trying to imitate the teacher.

We color A LOT of pictures.  Ladybug's coloring has recently made signicicfant progress.  Instead of long, sweeping scribble strokes, she's begun to identify different things in the picture and color/scribble them individually.  So it's still messy, but it's progress.  Butterfly's drawings amaze me.  She's prefers to draw her own pictures now, rather than use a coloring book.  Her drawings have impressive detail in them.  Like the day she drew a picture of us camping in our travel trailer.  We were each smiling and waving out the window.  The trailer was complete with tires and the ball hitch on the front.  Or the picture she drew of her and me wearing princess dresses (complete with puffy sleeves) practicing cartwheels (that's why we have crazy hair) in front of our tree house (complete with ladder down the side and even tree roots in the grass).

Lovely surprised us with an upset stomach which I will blame on green bell peppers.  It was her first time eating them and they certainly turned her stomach upside down (but thankfully no rash so not certain it's an actual allergy).  No other symptoms that would indicate a flu since she was her usual pleasant, sweet self (no fever, crankiness or apparent discomfort).  So we will avoid peppers for awhile but in the meantime, her and I spent most of the weekend cuddling at home while Daddy took the big girls to a friend's birthday party (swimming, pizza and watermelon cupcakes--which we helped make the day before.  we weren't sure what the requested "watermelon cake" was supposed to be so we used a pink strawberry cake mix, dotted it with chocolate chip "seeds" and decorated them with green frosting and sprinkles).

And then today was a very busy Sunday, starting early with a baby blessing, hanging out with friends after, church meetings and having friends join us for dinner/playdate this evening.  Ladybug, having had a very busy day and no nap, feel asleep in the middle of a wii game before seven o'clock.  Daddy and I argued who got to cuddle her but in the end he let me hold our sweet, impish little girl.  It was a rare and precious moment to cuddle our busy little girl who is growing too fast.  Butterfly, our self-appointed family social director, played hard until the very end and then was charming and sweet for Daddy for bedtime book and cuddles while I put a very eager Lovely to bed as well.  Sleep tight little family.  More adventures await.