A Wintertime Past

It's no longer winter. Hooray! But my mother reminded me the other day that my picture-posting friend may become her new favorite daughter, because otherwise she never gets to see pictures of her grandchildren. Which reminded me that I've had this post sitting in my drafts for about five months.

This winter we learned the old parenting truth: half of parenting is gazing at your children thinking, "The most beautiful creatures in the entire world live in my house. How did I get so lucky?" and the other half of parenting is sputtering, "why why WHY would you think that was a good idea?"

This winter was nice because there have been lots of playing together (also less nice because lots of fighting opportunities). Tooooons of dress-up. Usually along the lines of "people who ride in loud and cool vehicles":

Ellie....or Justin Bieber?? The world may never know.

But even more often as Mommy and Daddy:

The construction worker goggles were deemed too difficult/painful...

So they were generously offered to an unsuspecting victim:

I won't bore you with the details like how deeply the elastic strap cut into my brain.

Even when they're not dressed up, these two can usually be found side-by-side, whether that's eating....

...or as astronauts flying in rocket ships... 

K: "Is today Friday?"

Me: "No, today is Saturday."

K: "Oh goody! I love Saturday! It means tomorrow we can go to outer space!"

...or the Hundred Acre Wood...

....or in boats (not pictured: Josh collapsed from exhaustion from succumbing to the endless chorus of "push me, Daddy!")

They delight me. Separately, but most of all together.

Ellie has graced us with her presence for a year and a half now. She insists that she only needs one nap a day, but by mid-morning most days gets a little glassy-eyed:

The only thing that keeps her awake is anticipation of her favorite thing: lunch. But once lunch is finished, she can't wait a second longer:

ok yes, it's lunch and she's in her PJs. It was winter, y'all. PJs are a legit outfit.

 Her favorite foods are beans and rice and yogurt and meat and fruit and potatoes and sandwiches and soup and pasta and squash and broccoli and... well, okay. Pretty much all the foods. Except, oddly enough, hot dogs and toast.

She's constantly trying out new words, to Brother's delight. And gee, she has a lot to say. A lot. She is well-acquainted with all kinds of trucks, but also loves diapering, feeding, kissing, and tucking in her babies.

Kekoa continues to be my confirmed introvert.
K: "Where are we going now, Mommy?"
Me: "We're going home."
K: "We're going home? OH BOY!"

He's an excellent big brother, but he's still human: "I really love my sister. But it's really hard to share. I just want to have it ALL."

Uncle Aaron: "See you later, buddy! Do me a favor and take care of your little sister, okay?"
Kekoa: "Hmmmm. I'll see what I can do."

Now that it's spring, the paints and dress-up clothes and train tracks are getting a little break, in favor of sidewalk chalk and ladybugs. Maybe by October I'll post pictures of the spring. Or maybe not.

P.S. Don't try to count how many of the pictures involve my children in their pajamas. Just don't.