Friday, April 29, 2016

Everyday Life 4.29.16

Good thing Will and Rebecca chose last weekend for their wedding!  It's snowing again; has been all day.  Fortunately it's not cold enough for it to stick very much.

Speaking of wedding, it was such a special day.  Perfect weather and lovely company.  I really enjoyed being part of the festivities, from preparation to all the pictures to music to speeches during the reception.  There was so much joy and it was a beautiful reminder of the amazing-ness of the gift of marriage.  Any major event does tend to leave one with an emotional letdown, but we found that spontaneous renditions of music from Les Miserables are quite helpful in overcoming such feelings.  Joe's "Bring Him Home" is stunning.  And I love being able to participate from the piano.

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My kids are so much fun, and sometimes I wonder what in the world I'm doing being a mom?  I wouldn't trade them for anything in a million years.  Emily has grown a lot lately and I've wondered a couple of times "Where's my baby and who is this beautiful little girl?  Right now she's talking to her dolly on the floor next to me.  I love her spunky personality.  She's very adept in her walker and adores it when I don't close the fridge before she can get there.

James is nearly two and a half and it's so fun to watch him develop.  He's falling in love with story books, especially the Little Golden Fire Engine Book.  He wants it over and over and over.  His imagination is developing and I love it.  He'll "eat" things off the page of books, and either Daddy, Mummy, or Bebe are in multiple vehicle in the story.  (It doesn't help that at this point he seems to call all men Daddy and all women Mummy--"see da Daddy?").  He pretends to vacuum, complete with (very high-pitched) sound effects. Garages are amazing to him, especially when they go up and down.  Garbage trucks are the most wonderful inventions and he can't get enough of watching them "dump".   He's still a sweet little cuddle boy, though, asking for a "Hug?" or (most often) "Hug-hug?" or if he's really desperate "hug-hug-hug-hug-hug..." whenever he needs them (often at the dinner table) and wanting me to sit on the floor and snuggle him periodically.

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I've been reading a lot this year.  I keep up with my reading lists and post the occasional short review on Goodreads, in case you're interested in following along.  I hope to do some bookish posts here when I can get around to compiling some short reviews.  I still prefer paper and ink, but I've done a lot more e-reading since having kids.  My phone is so handy for a quick read while nursing (or while I'm out), and I like my Nook even more; it's a lot closer to a real book in size and page appearance than the screen of a phone.  It's difficult not to be able to flip around while I read but the ease of one-handed reading and carrying several books in a small format help to balance that (part of the time).  I've been using BookBub and Gospel E-books to buy favorites when they're on sale and I now have a sizeable collection in case of necessity.  (Yes, books are a necessity.)  I just ordered another lot of books from the library.  Even if I don't get around to reading all of them, just ordering them makes me happy.

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Almost time for dinner prep.  Lentil soup with roasted potatoes and asparagus tonight.   I may even make some more biscotti.   These almond biscotti are delicious (if you don't mind almond flavoring), especially when drizzled with dark chocolate, and were a hit with my family.  I love these chocolate espresso biscotti even more; they're intensely dark and amazing.  I wouldn't suggest making them with your toddler before naptime, though.  Whether it was the caffeine in the cookies or the fact that he'd slept in I don't know, but he didn't nap at. all. that day.


Cheerio! A lovely weekend to you, friends.

Rachel


              
A favorite photo from the wedding: all of the Morgan siblings and spouses.  Photo credit to Climbing Rose Photography.

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