Just to see the splash.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that technology - for the most part - is a good thing.  But I have to admit that when I see a table full of people out to dinner, all of them absorbed in some gadget or another, it really gets under my skin.  Have people really reached a point where they have to be constantly entertained at the expense of human interaction?

This is one of the reasons I love being a mom.  Having Ava gives me so many reasons to be in the moment.  She teaches me to be patient, and to remember what it means to take joy in the little things.  If I were to miss the look of pure delight on her face when she spots a butterfly at the Botanic Gardens because I'm checking email, what a loss that would be for both of us.

So if you ever find yourself wishing that life would slow down a little bit, arrange to spend some time with a child in your life. Start by taking them to the nearest body of water, give them a handful of pebbles, and watch as they throw them in for no other reason than to see the splash.  And leave the phone in the car.

Oh, and just once, jump into a waterfall with all your clothes on.

You won't regret it.

Coming soon:  Fun with Grandma!

Once again, better late than never.

I know it's been a few weeks, but I wanted to make sure I finished up the Easter post.  Cuz Baby Girl dyed some serious Easter eggs, and nobody should have to miss that.

My instructions were minimal: Take the egg, and put it gently into the color you want.  When you're ready, take the egg out and place it - gently - into the bowl.  This was loosely translated to: Hold the egg 3 to 4 inches above the cup, then drop.  Turns out my way didn't hold a candle to hers.

Each egg was dipped by hand in color after color until the desired hue was achieved, then placed with satisfaction into the bowl.  Miraculously, they would up with relatively few cracks, and were arguably the most beautiful Easter eggs either of us had ever seen. 

Her hands were still green the next day.  Totally worth it.

I think we should find something to dye for every holiday.

Happy (belated) Easter!

Easter Egg-stravaganza!

Saturday was Ava's first public Easter egg hunt.  When Andy first approached me with the idea for taking her, I have to admit the images that flashed through my head were not happy ones.  Thanks to a couple of recent newspaper articles, I pictured a chaotic scene full of hundreds of greedy children, egged on by pushy parents willing to drop-kick the nearest kid for a shot at getting just one more egg into their basket.  I was sure first-aid would be required, and the mere idea of subjecting Ava to this nightmare sent shivers down my spine.  But, unwilling to be a total Easter killjoy (and making sure to give myself full rights to call the whole thing off the minute I smelled trouble) I gave in.  We grabbed Ava's Easter basket and headed to a nearby school, hoping for the best.

I'm so glad I did.  Instead of the aforementioned horror show, we were greeted with games run by sweet, smiling teenagers, cotton candy and popcorn machines, bounce houses, and an egg hunt, organized by age and featuring literally thousands of plastic eggs filled with top-notch candy.  And as for Ava?  You'd think she did this for a living.  She waited behind the line for the hunt to begin, and when the signal was finally given she knew exactly what to do.  Frankly, she was brilliant.  Instead of simply stepping over the line and snatching up the first thing she saw like all the other kids, she took off like a shot and claimed a treasure-filled spot all her own. 

She hunted like a champ until she figured out the eggs had chocolate inside.  She was pretty single-minded after that.

 

The day was a hit.  She loved the games...

She was supposed to stand about 10 feet back and throw the torpedo thingy through the hoop.  She thought that was a stupid idea.

Was baffled by the cotton candy...

"Ok, so you're trying to tell me this is food?  I'm pretty sure I just pulled some of this out of a teddy bear this morning."

And capped the whole experience with a "drive" through a nearby park. 

She's laughing because she's using the car to pretend to run over her dad.

Happy Easter, all!  Tomorrow I'll get to our adventures in egg dying.  Stay tuned...

Welcome to the world, little one.

For those of you not lucky enough to have met him yet, I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family.  This adorable - and incredibly sweet - little guy is our nephew, Kellan Thomas Murphy.

How badly do you want to cuddle this kid?!

That's a yawn, not a scream.

He was happy hanging with his Uncle Andy, but I'm pretty sure I'm his favorite.  Just sayin'.

Though Kellan was definitely the highlight, our trip to Iowa held several other gems as well.  One of the best was watching Braydon and Ava thoroughly enjoy each other's company.  I had trouble getting a lot of pictures because, well, 2 year olds are really freakin' fast, but here's a few of them chasing bubbles together at the park.

I love that they got to spend some quality time together.  It's such a shame they don't get to do it more often.

Another one of my favorite moments was a walk Ava took with Grandma Pat.  It was a slow meander down a quiet street, punctuated with frequent stops to pick dandelions.  Ava thinks dandelions are beautiful, and Grandma was more than happy to indulge her. 

She was so proud of her little bouquet.

Our trip was over too fast, but it was so wonderful to see everyone.