Dean's Third!

Dean turned three on July 6!  We celebrated with deep chocolate cake frosted with chocolate sour cream scrumptiousness, a welcome thunderstorm, cousins, grandparents, and most exciting of all, a great-grandma!

Despite colds and ear infections Dean and Maddux both pulled it together when it came time for cake.

Maddux and Great-grandma Craig.

Dean was so excited to blow his candles out!

Stubbs.  Ever present, especially when food is around.

Chocolatey little boy kisses.  The best kind!

Absolutely a great party.  It was laid back (a must with sick kids), packed with family, dessert was before dinner, and everyone was happy.  The only thing missing was Luke.  He had to be away across the country at lacrosse camps.  He was missed so much!  I think we'll have to have another party when we are reunited.

Dean amazes me every day with his brilliance, his sweetness (Maddux and I both get impromptu kisses throughout the day), his kindness, and his deviousness and absolute will to problem solve and get what he wants.  He is delightful and I wish two could have lasted longer, yes, even the tantrums.  But I'm excited for three and so very proud of our boy.

Dirt and a Little Boy

One little boy's dream--dirt.  Lots of it.

The construction site of Luke's parents' lake house is toddler boy heaven.  Dean is voting to forgo the landscape plans.

Cycles of naptime, waketime, snacks, meals, and bedtime--punctuated by lions, tigers, and bears, lots of scraped knees, scaling the Everest of counter-tops and Kilimanjaro of stools.  So much of life is defined by small everyday routines.  I really love all of this--even when it feels like all I've done in a day is feed, change diapers, chase down a toddler, calm a baby, put shoes on, take shoes off.  It's amazing the amount of satisfaction and bliss it brings. 

Into May

April 2011

cookies in the sun,

 growing pounds and inches (literally one of each a week),

chasing rabbits in the garden,

exploring,

and doesn't this lettuce look amazing?