the first hot day of the year

It was HOT!

Yes, James is in stocking feet. Just look away from his feet. That's the only option.


We were definitely way too warm, but I thought our tolerance was just low because of the prolonged winter and endless, muddy, cold spring.

But it was actually like 90 degrees out.

He wants to love her, and I'm trying to prevent excessive tummy squish.

Smile, honey!

Oh, there. We sat her up better so he could kiss her properly. That's just right.

On the patio I changed his diaper, and took off his undershirt and regular shirt to get some air on his little body. He ran away naked and didn't want to come back. Finally we got a diaper on him and his overall shorts again--much cooler.

But eventually he just got irritable and cross. Everything ticked him off, the doors he wanted to go through, but may not--mostly for his own safety.


No babies in the front yard, and none in Tim's room we're working on. No babies in the stairway--which didn't stop him from bitching mightily at the baby gate. We wanted him to leave the fan alone, and the dog dishes.

Spit out that rock. Give me that pointy stick, please. Poor guy.

We kept offering him food and his drink bottle, which he slapped away in frustration.


It's hell to be sweaty and annoyed.

And this little overheated peanut--she was down to her underwear too.


Now storms are moving in, and I smell butter melting. Jay's making an omelet, and Tim's in the bathtub. The evening is growing quiet.

Summer, summer, how I love you. love, Val

a weekend in may

The dock went in.







Shrimp was eaten.

The puppy was played with.









Sidney went about teaching her the valuable lesson that no other dogs may ever touch The Sidney.

Sam doesn't mind though.

We ate hot dogs, and smores.



Here's a painted turtle doing what they do. They cross the road and lay the eggs on the other side. Seems needlessly complicated and dangerous, but whatever.


And then we came home again.

Little Jay called and asked how things were at the cabin. Well, same. It doesn't change much, including this stupid conversation.

Tim's saving money for a new Nintendo DS--a new DS. His old one is held together by tape, and you know that gets old.

So they asked, "What's a NUDE DS? And what would you want with that?"

"Not NUDE DS. NEW! Can't you hear?"


Oh yeah.

And after a huge attack of gnats, and a swamp full of frogs making so much noise we had to shout to hear each other out by the fire, James came inside slapping at his own head, irritably twitching, and announced, "I hate nature. Nature makes me itchy and angry."

I don't know why I find that so amusing, but I do. Probably because who hasn't felt like that after a big gnat attack? And picking ticks off all day long too? Yeah, gotta love that nature.

Okay, time for bed. love, Val

not really a dog person

Just so you know. love, Val

my mamas

Yeah, my mom, her mother, my dad's mother, and my mother-in-law, the women who taught me how to be a mom--thank goodness for them.

This is my dad's mom beside me, happy on our wedding day.

This is a picture of my mother-in-law, and HER mother, reading stories to the grandkids. Some crackers had spilled in the couch, and they're cleaning up with the hokey. (John loved that device. He's the one controlling the handle.)


See, and this is the thing both my grandma and mother-in-law have in common. Unexcitable. They were the perfect women to raise boys because their main strategy was such a smart one: JUST LOOK AWAY. Trust me, it's best not to even look.

The stories about my dad and his brothers are pretty darn hilarious. Dad's brother was doing something with a little gunpowder and it did a little bang, something got in his eye, so she gave them money to go to town and see the doctor.

By the time they got to town, his eye felt fine, so they played pool with the money and came back home again.

See, as a mom, do you want to know this? I really don't.

Jay tells stories of spending the days running through fields of undeveloped real estate, future housing projects, creeks and woods, and throwing rocks at trains, hiding a bb gun in the weeds, stuff that kind of freaks me out. She didn't ask. They didn't tell.

This is a picture from a few years ago, taken at the lake. It's John with l.c. on his lap, me holding t.c., my grandma and my own mom.


Those are the two who were with me in the adventure the most, providing support and encouragement and laughing when I wasn't sure I found any of it funny at all.

On Saturday I stopped by to see my grandma, and she didn't know I was coming. As soon as she saw me though, her smile burst with that same surge of happiness I feel when MY grandkids are at the door. "Valarie!" Apparently, years don't change that.

It's a good thing to know.

Tonight was a party at Dan and Alicia's, gorgeous meal, sunny evening, lots of kids running around and babies to hug.

Kirsten's new puppy, Payton




Happy Sunday, and Happy Mother's Day to all the moms. love, Val

man on the move

About 75% of the pictures we take of him are blurry. He's a fast moving guy.


Yeah, see? Like this.

There he goes.


"Look here, Honey! Smile." umm hmm.

This one can't get away yet. She's been talking to her aunts this week, pretty funny.

"Grandma? Seriously! I'm trying to sleep here!"

Anyway, happy Thursday. Time to make lunch. love, Val

i'm sorry, sooo sorry

This afternoon, Tim came racing through the room and asked me how to spell sorry. Then a few minutes later he was back with a pen and piece of paper for me to write it on. Okay, fine.

But a few hours later, in the car, I was thinking about that and asked him who he'd been writing a sorry note to, and what for?

"Well, for Lydia."

"Okay, why?"

"Well, I kinda put pop in her Barbie toilet."

Lydia: "Yes, I found it like that! It was dis-GUST-ing!"

Julia, waving a hand in front of her nose: "It looked like some kind of nasty poop water."

The remorse would be more believable without the laughing, Tim.

I said, "And messy! How was that going to get cleaned up?"

"Easy. Just suck it with a straw."

Lyddie said, "You see what I'm dealing with? Why I get cranky?"



I definitely see why you get cranky. It's terrible. I love you, Honey. love, Mom

girls in a good mood

In fact we're both happy. We slept til 11. The week is starting out fine. love, Val