Oh, So Exhausting!

It ain't easy being a princess. . .

Holiday

Today is just another reason to be a federal employee.

Thank you very much, Mr. Columbus.

Say Cheese!

After some serious bribery, J was agreeable to be my assistant. I have been dying to get outdoors and really try out my new camera and lenses, and I was finally able to do this last weekend.

I really put my little guy through a photography model workout, but he did awesome on our date. In fact, he's now pointing out photo opportunities to me. That a boy!

The good thing about digital photography is that I can take hundreds of pictures so I can really practice and learn. The bad thing about digital photography is that I have hundreds of pictures to sift through and review. I love, love, love the taking part, but I have to admit, the editing step becomes quite cumbersome.

Nonetheless, I am enjoying the camera and loving my model.

And without further ado, the fruits of my labor done completely with manual settings...

Potty Update

I'm happy to report that E is fully potty trained. She's even been wearing big girl panties overnight for over a week now. Of course, since I've made this public declaration and put fresh linens on her bed, she'll most certainly have a urine soaked bed in the morning.

At home, she insists on being completely independent with her bathroom duties with the exception of wiping. That's because I won't fully relinquish that responsibility to her yet...no matter how much she insists.

When we are away from our humble abode, she still requires a little assistance getting up on the toilet. I'm happy to oblige as public restrooms increase my anxiety slightly (ok...greatly). The mere sight of my baby cuddling up to a public toilet as if it's her favorite teddy bear nearly initiates a full blown panic attack. There is not enough hand sanitizer in the world to counteract what might be on a toilet seat in any given convenience store.

Anyway, recently we were visiting (A.K.A. overtaking) my parents' home for the weekend. Luckily, their bathrooms don't elicit a tachycardic reaction from me, so I would just set little E up on the toilet and leave the bathroom until she called for me.

On one occasion, she never summoned, but instead she met me in the hallway proudly saying, "I wiped my bottom!"

I peeked into the bathroom to see evidence to support my stance on supervising wiping detail...



That would have been lovely for the next bathroom user to stumble upon.

Malaria

Since we can never make it back to our hometown without at least one pit stop, we pulled over at a convenience store near the midway point during our most recent trip.

The boys went on inside while I was struggling to free E from her five-point restraints.

Upon entering the store, J turned to Steve and said, "Let's talk about this malaria thing. Why do mosquitoes carry malaria?"

Although Steve described the look on her face, I wish I could have witnessed the clerk's reaction myself.

A Science Lesson from a Four Year Old Boy

We had a puking incident at our house recently. Luckily, the illness was very short in duration. Plus, there was a silver lining. J got to watch TV for five straight hours while resting, and we were given the opportunity to buy a new shower curtain.

The next day, I asked him how he was feeling.

J: I feel great!

Me: Praise the Lord! God answered our prayers and made you feel better.

J: Yep, my white blood cells are working good. They ate up all the bacteria and other stuff that was making me sick, so I feel all better now.

A Spelling Lesson From a Two Year Old Girl