The kids and I enjoyed another really nice day. We got up, ate breakfast, sent Caleb off to school and then got busy. Camille needed some summer dresses and I had some material and a pattern so we set to work sewing dresses. We now have three dresses and two pairs of capris partway finished. Go me! I'd have liked to have done more but the weather was so nice today. The sun was shining, and even though it was in the high 80s we had a nice breeze. Camille and I worked while Chloe slept in the morning (that is I sewed while Camille watched Sesame Street, ate a banana and some pretzels and played a little bit). We started a project packing away Camille's winter clothes. I gave her the task of separating clothes into piles - long sleeved shirts, short sleeved shirts, shorts, pants, sweaters - while I took a shower. When I finished, I found her in the middle of this process. She doesn't have THAT many clothes but she was taking her time, making sure to refold everything before she put it in the pile! Her folding skills are pretty good, particularly if you don't mind if she folds it the short way first.
We ate our lunch outside and then walked to the Piggly Wiggly for some ice cream. Yesterday I had this great idea that we should have ice cream sundaes for dinner but Rob just didn't think that was a good idea. Boo. So I figured since he was working tonight this was my chance. The girls and I filled the cooler with ice packs and then took the stroller down to the Pig. Camille picked out Blue Bunny's Birthday Party ice cream. Typically we're Breyer's Natural Vanilla people, but since that was more than $5 for the box, we settled for what was on sale - guar gum and all. We ran into several nice old men in the store (which is to say that we saw them not that we literally ran into them) who admired the cute little girls in the double jogger. People always make me laugh when they see two kids in a stroller. I remember when Caleb and Camille were younger and we used to go literally everywhere in the stroller - Caleb was probably four and Camille two - people used to stop us in the Piggly Wiggly all the time to admire them and then ask if they were twins. Huh? No, he's four and she's two. There was a pretty noticeable size difference in the two. But I guess sometimes people just see two kids and assume. Especially at the Pig where it's so easy to get distracted among the chicken feet, pig brains and other assorted animal parts. So anyway, this one old man was behind us in the check out lane and asked me, "What aisle did you find those in?" It took me a second to figure out he was talking about the kids. "Sorry, sir. I think I got the last ones!" was my reply which proved amusing to the people behind me in line. I explained the joke to Camille on the way home, although she has yet to figure out why the guy thought I got her at the Piggly Wiggly.
At home we got a call from this girl at church about a playgroup trip to the strawberry patch. It's strawberry picking season! Hooray! I think maybe we'll sweet talk Daddy into coming with us all tomorrow for some fresh berries. Yum!
Let's see...we spent some time outside playing after Caleb got home from school. (He brought home two smiley faces today, an especially happy thing after two sad days.) I brought the camera out with us to take some pictures. (Duh. What else would I do with the camera?) I got these cute ones of Chloe walking. She isn't walking on her own yet, but she likes to push things around and walk behind them. At home it's the little table and chairs and this afternoon it was my sewing machine. But this afternoon she amused herself pushing around this little wagon. She's so cute to watch. I love little pudgy babies on the move!
So while I'm outside snapping pictures (the girls were quite accommodating, Caleb less so) I was being dopey, trying to get Caleb to hold still for a picture. I pointed the camera at him and announced that I was taking a picture of his elbow. click. I'm taking a picture of your knee. click. (All the while pointing the camera at his face, hoping for a smile.) All I know is I tell him I'm going to take a picture of his belly button when he pipes up: "Mom! Take a picture of my pee pee!" I look down and he has totally whipped himself out of his pants! (I DID NOT TAKE A PICTURE.) I would have been less mortified and shocked if our ten year old neighbor girl hadn't been standing at the fence watching the proceedings!
But if that's not bad enough, Camille got in on the action. "Mom! Mom!" she called. "Take a picture of my bottom!" Sure enough when I turn around she has her skort and underpants pulled down and is bent over sticking her bare bottom out at the world. That just about marked the end of the picture taking.
Here are some pictures that are safe to share. No one is flashing or mooning the camera in any of these.
After playing outside, we came in for an early dinner of ice cream. I did put bananas in the bowls too, so it was a healthy meal. Here the kids are enjoying it!
Caleb is trying to smile while not showing any ice cream inside his mouth or get the dreaded "brain freeze" (although he did volunteer that the best way to deal with brain freeze is to suck your thumb until it goes away. It works, according to some girls in his kindergarten class).
Camille is genuinely happy about Mom's choice of dinner.
Even Chloe got in on the ice cream action (though hers was only a little bit, led by a banana and followed by mixed vegetables.
After dinner (and Chloe's bath - necessary because she smeared banana and ice cream all in it), we all watched a movie (The Game Plan, which was actually pretty cute) and then went to bed to read until it got dark. The kids love it. They get to stay up a little later and read books and I love it because they keep themselves occupied and Ian start whatever nighttime projects I am starting. All in all, it was a really fun day!
