Amy

Thought I'd mark my 50th post with some thoughts and pictures of my beautiful, nearly 2 1/2 year-old little Amy.

These days she loves:

:: dresses
:: pink
:: winnie-the-pooh
:: listening to stories (the non-book, all-about-our-family, told over and over kind)
:: fabric
:: birthdays
:: when Daddy comes home from work
:: dressing up
:: taking care of her dolls and animals



These days she hates:

:: admitting that she's tired
:: slowing down
:: shoe shopping
:: the vacuum
:: cheeseburgers (pronounced "chub-a-googers")
:: going down the slide



She imagines, pretends, asks, describes, wonders, and can jump up and down really well.

Sometimes to me she looks so tiny; other times she looks ready for kindergarten.

She has more flair and drama and exuberance than I have, yet she is also quiet, focused, and contemplative.

She's endlessly patient in the car, in the store, in restaurants. She's maddeningly impatient when I'm in the bathroom, when I'm cooking, or when she wants us to come play with her.

She has so much energy that I am exhausted by the end of the day.



She amazes and delights me all the time, and reminds me that I'm the luckiest Mommy in the world.

We Did It!

We bought a new car today! This was our third annual spring "we need a new car" exercise, only this time we actually made a purchase. I'm glad it's taken this long; we both feel very confident with the car we chose, we financed a comfortable amount, and now we have two vehicles capable of transporting all of us at once - and the 13-year-old, 100k mile car is no longer our primary family car.

Details: We traded in Don's 2005 GMC Canyon (2-seater pickup) for a 2010 Subaru Forester, special edition. Don will take over the 1997 Explorer. Parting with the truck was the hardest part - it was our first big joint purchase, just before we got married. A good amount of newlywed, foot-loose and fancy-free memories involve that truck. And the sight of it has always been my "Yay, Donny's home!" association - whether it was watching him back into our parking spot at our little apartment in Cheshire or seeing him turn the corner onto our street here in Maryland.

So, here's to fond memories and to new wheels. And many new adventures and memories to come!

Tag Sale

I am quite happy to report a very successful tag sale this morning, hosted by yours truly. And made possible by my dear husband, who clothed, fed, and entertained Amy for the entire morning so I could focus on important things like placing little green 25 cent stickers on all our knick knacks.

Among the first customers to stop by shortly after opening at 7 am was a gentleman who happily purchased Tigger for $1. Within minutes Amy came outside and asked where Tigger was; I said he went off to visit Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood, and she suggested we go there to look for him. So I started out the day feeling pretty much like The Worst Mother Ever. But Tigger is quite large, and our house is rather small, and her interest in him has been intermittent at best. Besides, I got him for free at a tag sale last year, and it seemed like it was time for him to go visit another family.

Speaking of "tag" sales - our neighbor asked me what "tag" stood for - said she googled it and everything. Seriously? I was told that the names for an event selling one's junk tended to be quite region specific (yard, garage, rummage, moving, etc) - but I thought that Tag Sale was nevertheless self-explanatory. Apparently I was wrong.

We packed up after 1 pm and happily counted over $100 in sales - quite a bit more than I was hoping for. That plus the dramatically smaller pile of stuff in the garage made all the hours of standing, bending, hauling and sorting more than worthwhile.

Oh, and Don and Amy spent part of their morning fishing at the Station pier. Both had a wonderful time. Amy had so much fun she even took a nap in the afternoon. It was a good day for all.

Easter

Despite my initial moping about Don having to work for most of Easter weekend, Amy and I rallied and I can now say it has been a joyous Easter indeed.

Saturday morning we colored eggs. Amy was all excited about the process, but was happy to take a hands-off role: "No, Mommy, you do it"...

And of course Ollie was on hand to supervise.

Saturday afternoon involved a drive around town on the quest for an "Easter Book." We finally found The Easter Egg and, while not a religious story, it satisfied both of our needs to read something to get us in the spirit.

This morning we went to church, participated in the church's Easter egg hunt, and returned home for a visit from the Easter bunny, lunch, and another Easter egg hunt in the backyard. There really is nothing like a young child's enthusiasm to make holidays feel special and traditions seem fresh and new.

We capped off the day with dinner at our friends' house and returned home in time to get in pajamas, read our Easter Book, and talk about all the fun things we did before Amy fell fast asleep with her bunny and all her little yellow chicks.

Hope your Easter has been just as full of sunshine and blessings. Christ is Risen!