But when all is said and done...

...Lulu has the last laugh.

Lulu's Competition

We are traveling to New York City next week. Most of you know this, but I'm sure it's news to some. Anyway, part of our preparation included buying a possible replacement for Lulu. Lulu is Sophia's best friend, and if she were to fall down unnoticed in some NY Subway, what would we do? I can tell you what we wouldn't do, and that's try to track her down again! So, in order to prevent such a disaster from ruining our chances of a good night's sleep, I purchased a replacement. SHA, a store in downtown Columbia that carries Blabla dolls, only had one in the right size. His given name was Buzz. The process to choose him was not simple, and Sophia still wouldn't commit to cuddling with him if we lost Lulu. I think that was too great a betrayal. When it came to giving him a new name, that process was challenging as well. We went through a series of names that Sophia would come up with. I would then ask if that was his name, to which she would reply, "Noooo," in the Silly Mommy tone. Finally, she said "Lilly!" I asked if his name was Lilly? Again, she responded no, Billy! Finally, he has a name. Billy.

Lulu looked on in disgust at the proceedings, in spite of my assurances that Billy is simply an insurance policy should something happen. This was her response. Dejection. Poor Lulu. She's not doing herself any favors with this pose, is she? Billy looks a lot more cuddly and like he'd be better company, but what do I know?

Birthday Celebration, Part II

Let's get back to the celebration of others, shall we? Last night we celebrated William's fourth birthday at his house with some of his friends. It was a great time in spite of the heat and oppressive Missouri humidity. William did great and had a lot of fun visiting with all of his friends. One of my favorite things about William, though, is his ability to take it easy by himself for a minute if necessary. He doesn't get energy from others like a lot of members of this family do (yours truly), so he energizes by himself in order to have fun with others. I love that he is already learning how to keep the balance!

Sophia, on the other hand, happens to be one that feeds off of the attention of others, and I'm hoping we have a few years before she realizes that. When I couldn't get her to look at the camera for the life of me (I guess she was tired of it by then), one "Hey, girl!" from our friend Chris was enough to brighten her face with this look. Obviously, there had been a cupcake involved moments earlier.

I have to admit, I love these birthday parties. They can be hectic and consuming, but when the kids have fun, they are a good time! I'm so glad that we get to be a part of them and keep all of these memories for years down the road. Oh, we're not thinking about that, though. Just look at this adorable kid!

It's my birthday

It was pointed out to me that in my earlier blog I said yesterday was my birthday. Nope. It's today. I will chalk that up to lack of sleep and a congested brain.

Your birthday is a chance to celebrate yourself and enjoy life for what it is in that moment. At least that's what I'm declaring it to be. However, like most people, celebrating me is much easier said than done. So I decided that the best way of doing that would be to write a list of some of the things I like best in this world. Most of these have never before been on my Top Five List. It feels like maybe I've done this before, but one of the things I have to celebrate about myself when I'm being honest is that I am a little scatterbrained and have a really bad memory. (See first paragraph above) That's why I tell the same "had to be there" stories to some people and forget to tell important things to others. It is just me, but that doesn't mean I don't try to do better. This time, however, it's my birthday so I'm just not even going to try. Of course, you don't actually have to READ the list, but it's here all the same.

Porch swings
Time by myself
Knowing what makes some people laugh (i.e. penguins or people falling down)
Saying the word "ass"
Old barns

Sarcasm
Voting
Corny, predictable romantic comedies
Off-the-wall Indy Films
Saved By the Bell (not the College Years, and DEFINITELY not the New Class)

Watching someone realize there's more to life
Creeks
Irony
Spotting PDA on the sly (i.e. a pat on the bottom by an old couple)
Laughing really hard
Refrigerator magnets

Crying
Knowing the truth
Being okay with questions
Music
Singing really loud to songs every knows
Variety
Tiger football (and Gary Pinkel)

My back
Background noise
Little girls' shoes
Coffee shops
Words and lists of words

Oh Look! That was 28 things! What a coincidence.

Why I need some coffee

We had a good weekend over all, in spite of the following.

I should have seen the foreshadowing when Sophia started wiping Baby Frank's nose.

It wasn't long before she looked liked this.

After three nights of Sophia's coughing and sneezing through the night, none of us feel very good any more. I think it must be these crazy allergies. The air is just full of stuff that shouldn't be there, and we're paying for it dearly. Sophia is currently laying on my bed watching TV saying, "Where's my Lulu?" and she's right next to her. Ugh. Should be a nice long day.

Birthday Celebration, Part I

This is a busy few days for our family and birthdays. My youngest nephew, Jeffrey, turns one today! Happy Birthday, Jeffrey! Next, William turns four tomorrow. Wow. Happy Birthday, William! Then, I have a birthday on Tuesday. I won't tell you how old I am because I like for people to think I'm older than I really am. Or else, I hear, Oh! I didn't know you were so young! I'm never sure how to take that. So, I won't tell you I'm 28 tomorrow.

Yesterday, we made the trip to Jeffrey's (and Seth, Angie and Jacob's) house to celebrate his and William's birthdays. My parents came up, too, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they brought me a cake, too! As an adult, you like to think birthdays are never a big deal any more - until someone makes a deal, then it's great!

Anyway, considering the house was filled to the brim with five kids between one and five, we had a fantastic visit. We always wish Seth and Angie lived closer, or that we had that private jet. Still, it makes our visits all the more special.

Here is Jeffrey enjoying the outdoors. The kid is already walking! No one else is ever as amazed as I am, but then again, Sophia didn't walk until after 14 months, so...

Here's William enjoying his frosting delicately, but with pure pleasure!

And here's Jeffrey doing the same...just not so delicately.

Then, after the sugar high...

It's celebration part one because tomorrow we celebrate William on Timbers Court, and you never know what craziness will ensue on Tuesday!

Bittersweet...Again

I suppose throughout these umpteen years of watching Sophia grow into a young woman, I will have thousands of little bittersweet moments. The other day, I had one while looking through my photos. See, this time it was a GOOD thing that I was looking through the camera lens. I definitely wouldn't have noticed this particular foreshadowing. Of course, I wouldn't have noticed it either if I had just gotten up to follow her. Sophia is a bit of a free spirit. She behaves and all that, but there is something else in her that tells me that she knows that she doesn't really need me. Honestly, that makes our relationship all the more special. At some level, I think Sophia already chooses to be with us. Sounds ridiculous, I know.

Anyway, when I looked back at this picture, I had the feeling that I'd be seeing a lot of this throughout the rest of my life. The back of a beautiful baby, carrying a little bag and her friend. Then the back of a girl as she goes to explore the world. Then the back of a lovely independent woman as she experiences life in all its ups and downs. It is going to be quite a ride. I can't wait!