Don't be surprised if I love you...

Celebrating a hole-in-one... at mini golf. This place (The Pirates' Cove) gave us a good feel for the REAL history of Williamsburg. Arrrrrgh!

Ah yes, we are thick as thieves...

In accordance with the prophecy, Erin had her first frosty this weekend in Williamsburg compliments of her Auntie Sessa.
What a treat!

Everyday feels so incomplete 'til you walk into the room...

After more than 5 weeks of working mad overtime (more than 120 hrs per week), Caleb is finally back at home with Erin and me. Not that he doesn't have to work at all, but he will be coming home every evening at a somewhat normal time. This is good because when he's not around I have no motivation to continue on with home improvement projects (the downstairs bathroom has been half-painted for about a month now) and most of the time I'm doing good just to keep laundry and dishes going. As I've said before, I'm domestically challenged. Why am I so helpless? Aubrey would say I have "baby princess" syndrome... But really its because without Caleb, I am only half of a person and so who can expect me to complete a whole task? This is my rationalization anyway, and rationalization is one of my spiritual gifts. At any rate, we are so grateful to have Caleb home and that life will be returning to normal. Normal is good.

If there's anything better than this, I'd like to know.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this little girl? This precious face is what makes me smile a million times a day and I never get tired of her! Caleb and I say to each other periodically "I can't believe we have a daughter!" and the euphoria still hasn't worn off :-)

The Whole Gang

This one is kinda fuzzy - hopefully Dana got a better shot :-)

Erin in Wonderland

My first tea party!
This is my very good friend Sessa - she let me have cream butter!

From Erin

Yesterday Mom took me to a fancy tea with some of her friends. She parked the car on S. Market street when we were supposed to be on N. Market street.... It was a long walk. I was very sweaty when we finally arrived at Cafe Anglais but Mom said it was ok because I don't have body odor yet. Anyway, I got to taste some real cream butter, scones, and the filling of a cream puff and boy was that good! Mom is really holding out on me here at home. Maybe I can get Dad to slip me some goodies - we'll keep it on the down-low (or 'low-down').

Erin and I went to work today... The girl who replaced me turned in her two weeks notice (right before all the students return and she's desperately needed) so they called me to come back and help for awhile. I don't mind it, and its a good excuse to get out of the house and see my husband and old co-worker friends. The only downside is that Erin is getting too big and loud to keep at the office so if I'm gonna work part-time, I've really got to find childcare. I hate the thought of being away from her!

In other news, well... there is no other news. Ok how 'bout this: we might get new kitchen cabinets this month. And I've decided that I'm domestically disabled. I cook the same three meals, I can't hang picture arrangements decently, and yes I'm pretty much outshined by my two older (and one younger) sisters in all things homemaking. Is there a class I can take? Hello? Is this thing on? Is this a fake hangup? This is a fake hangup...

I couldn't resist painting Erin's toenails - aren't they just the cutest??

Family Ties

Today my little sister had her heart broken - for the first time - and it makes me so sad to "see" her like this. She's a strong girl with a level head, and she's handling it remarkably well but I know she's hurting inside. No amount of compartmentalization can make a break-up easy for a girl... Sometimes I wish we were more like guys in that area!

All of this drama gives me a taste of what it'll be like when its MY daughter's feelings that have been trampled. From the instant she was born, I knew I'd lay my life down for her. But how can you save someone from being hurt without sheltering them from the whole world? What's the right balance of exposure and protection? These are the questions that already keep me up at night. I always said that my kids wouldn't be 'homeschool weird' and I still stand by that, but maybe the people who end up with kids like that were just trying to protect them to begin with. Can I blame them for wanting to guard the hearts and minds of their progeny? Oh the joy and pain of parenthood! One of these days I'll have all the answers :-)