Do Clydesdales Eat Tums?

My nearly-3-year-old is what we refer to as "energetic"! She has a hard time slowing down enough to even sleep, since she might miss something during those few hours of rejuvenation...or reinvigoration. Last night, she was popping out of bed every 5 or 10 minutes with a new excuse--I need softer pants, more water, one more book, a cookie (?), etc. I thought she was finally in bed for good, and my husband and I were downstairs watching a comedian on TV.

I hear subtle thumps on the stairs, bump, thump, bump. Immediately I recognize the noise and the little person the noises belong to, and, without even turning to look, I say, "get yourself back upstairs and into bed NOW!" A little voice chimes in, "but I have a question, Mama." Well, not being one to ignore the pressing questions of children, I ask what this very important question is that is keeping her awake and making her get out of bed. Taking that as a green light, she finishes her way down the stairs and stands right in front of me. And this is what she says:

Ummmmmmmmmm...do Clydesdales eat Tums?

I'm not quite sure I heard that right, so I ask for it to be repeated. Indeed the important question was "Do Clydesdales eat Tums?" As irritated as I was for yet another escape from bed, I couldn't help but dissolve into giggles. She just couldn't sleep because she was wondering if Clydesdales DON'T eat Tums, then what do they do when they get a tummy ache?! An interesting discussion ensued; I'm sure it will be one of many unpredictable discussions that I will have with this curious child of mine!

We went last week to see the Budweiser Clydesdales at the Dell Diamond, so I'm sure that's what got her thinking about the horse bellies. They are AMAZING animals to see in person, so I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of our visit to see them. I'm sure you'd rather I share those than a photo of the look of disbelief on my face when I got that 10-PM question last night!

Solstice Schmolstice!

The summer solstice on June 20, 2008 is *officially* the first day of summer. If you've ever been a Texan or known one, you'll know that Texas does things it's own way on it's own time. June 20th--the first day of summer--in Central Texas? Bah, we'll be cursing the relentless summer heat by then! My theory is that a Texas summer runs about 7 months long, from April to October. The way I see it, we're almost a month into summer. If you don't believe me that we're already rockin' into summer here, just take a look at some of my pics from the last couple of days.

My daughter rolling in the fresh-cut, green grass.


Pick-your-own strawberries--YES, please!


Moss roses ready to be planted in our front flower beds


A chameleon climbing up the front face of our house. I just love these little guys!

Bee postcard from Eya in Finland through Postcrossing

Can we all agree? It's summer here already! Really I'm not gloating. I would just like a few moments to revel in the beauty of the season before Texas does it up too big once again and makes us all beg for the onset of fall. For those of you in cooler climates, I wish you a swiftly-approaching, happy summer. And for those of you also enduring a Southwestern summer, may your air conditioning run efficiently all the days of your lives!

Picked a Peck of Perky Poppers

Don't tell me you expected pickled peppers? Nooooo...this little surprise was far better! My parents dropped by yesterday with a large basket of fresh-picked strawberries from Sweet Berry Farm. Fresh strawberries might as well be considered little, red bites of summer. Delicious! I adore them, and yesterday I adored my parents' spontaneity in driving 50 miles to go pick strawberries and then come share them with me!

You must see how pretty they looked in the basket, so ripe and fragrant. I couldn't resist snapping this photo...and my 3 year old couldn't resist popping some in her mouth right away! Hello, Summer, thanks for stopping by. Hope you'll stay awhile.

Hello Play Scape, Good Bye Lazy Mornings!

Poor Daddy. Sunday morning greeted him bright and early with the help of our daughter, being nudged in bed, handed his shoes and socks, and getting ushered outdoors. We had an eventful weekend! Our children will be 1 and 3 in the upcoming weeks, and Nana and Grandpa had a surprise. On Saturday, some friends assembled in our yard to erect a play scape that Grandpa Steve had spent the previous months completely refurbishing. An early birthday gift. Something EXCITING!

So, it was no surprise that our nearly-3-year-old thought of the play scape as soon as she woke up the next day. And who would be the one to tell her no and squash her delight? Not us! Not this time. By 7:30 Sunday morning, there we were. In our PJs, outside with the kids as they thrilled in playing on their new toy. And, though my husband and I consider ourselves much more as night owls than early birds, we couldn't help but smile and take in the happiness that is getting a new toy. Thanks Nana & Grandpa!

Hungry Little Caterpillar!

Did you really think you would escape my caterpillar photos? We go each Friday to pick up locally-grown produce from a farm outside of Austin called Green Gate Farms. We belong to their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group. They are a nice group of people, and their produce is grown organically and certified all-natural. We could definitely attest to this link to nature when we arrived home last Friday toting more nature than we intended.

As I was divvying up our bountiful haul, half for my family and half for my parents, I glanced down and found this hungry little caterpillar on the strap of my bag. While some might have sent Mr. Hungry on a little trip down the drain, we couldn't resist capturing him and starting him off on a diet of broccoli greens and carrot tops.

The next morning, I opened the lid of the container (ventilated, mind you...we'd hate to asphyxiate the poor little thing!) and went searching for him. To my surprise, he was much smaller than I remembered. As I started sorting through the foliage, I came across the original caterpillar! It seems the small one I found had been too little to notice on day one, but he has been growing steadily ever since. So, Mr. Hungry has found some company...or competition...in Mr. Hungry, Jr.

I will spare you further details other than to mention that, while the enormous input of a hungry little caterpillar waiting to grow fat and spin his cocoon is most often noted...it is worth mentioning that a little caterpillar's OUTPUT is also outrageous! Hopefully we can nurture these two until they shape shift and give our little ones an up-close lesson on metamorphosis. I guess our other option will be a life cycle discussion. Time will tell, and I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a pleasant outcome!

Is this MOMENTOUS enough?

So here it is. I've been planning to get my blog started for over a year now. The problem, where do you start? It feels so important. The laying of a foundation. The setting of a tone. The beginning of a story of undetermined length. Something that you can't really take back once it's out there.

I'm the type that relishes life's little moments. Buying ladybugs to set free amidst our container garden on the back patio. Getting a postcard from abroad. Eating a banana on its first day home when it's still green and barely peelable. Stumbling upon a sale for something I was already planning to buy. Little girl hugs. Baby belly laughs. Life. Love it.

Naturally, when you delight in small details, there seems to be plenty to blog about. And, time after time, I think "this photo would be great on my blog" or "this would be a fun story I'd like to have a record of". Today, it would have been a big, fat, green, surprise caterpillar that crawled out of our farm-fresh produce (and who is now oblivious to his containment in a fake-Tupperware plastic bowl as he happily munches on broccoli greens and carrot tops). But I just had to let those moments pass by and be recorded only in memory because I simply couldn't sit down and commit to a first post. It just seems so momentous. My first post couldn't have been about a random caterpillar or how pretty my orange peel looked in my sink on the way down the drain, right? ...even though I'm sure I will later spiral out of control into randomness, what kind of foundation is that to begin with? It's just not *momentous*.

So, that starts me thinking. What would be momentous enough? For me, that would be the arrival of my two children. Cliche, perhaps, but truly the two days our lives changed forever in ways we never could have anticipated. The moments when we remembered again what it is to fall in love. So here they are as they were on their precious first days when we laid a new foundation for our lives as a family. Enjoy! ...and don't be surprised to find a hungry caterpillar or a photo of some fruity remnants in my next post. Those moments, too, are just hopping around looking for a solid place to land.