The real tragedy of today was not getting winded while going so fast on the bike (with kids in the back trailer) trying to get to the store to buy the thing on hold that i swore to Elliot she would have today...getting there 5 minutes before they closed...only to learn that they closed 10 minutes early (bummer moment for a 4 yr old).

Nor did the tragedy occur when my untied shoelace (hurry too much to stop and tie it) caught in the bike chain and my gracious dismount looked like a bike-kristen-pavement sandwich in front of no less than 6 other ladies and 2 sidewalk fixing gentlemen.







No. The real tragedy* occured when we got home and i started to get dressed to go out (finally) to an adult-centered dinner (finally).
I needed bandaids (triage, seriously) for my wounds. Bandaids options: My pick of star wars or toy story themed. My lovely summer dress and heals, a buzz lightyear elbow, and woody on my ankle. Not quite the vision of adultness i had been shooting for. Sad me.



*tragedy in the light hearted sense...clearly. Not meant comparitively to other pressing world matters.

Lens on her world

Elliot had some fun with mama's camera the other day.  She was able to capture the couch, the living room, the side of my face, her foot, the couch piled with bills I set out to pay, her guitar and tool box (see the camera strap hanging across the photo, so cute),  my pants (multitasking: nursing Henry, knitting) and a door. 

She was so proud of herself.  As well she should be.  Gorgeous shots, babe. 

In other news, Izaak and I are suffering miserably from The.Worst.Head.Cold.Ever.  The little ones are unscathed from it surprisingly.  But let me tell you.  Being home alone with 2 kids and T.W.H.C.E is ridiculously hard.  Ack.  (Pity party invites are in the mail). 

Elliot was throwing a fit and instead of swooping in to nip it in the bud - I was like yah you go for it, girl.  I hear what your saying, This sucks, yell it out.

I had a fit with her vicariously.  Because - I know I'm the adult here -but I've been wanting to throw a fit all day 'cause my nose and my ears are plugged.  I think I am slowing suffocating.  And a fit would be so refreshing. Maybe, a bad mom moment but my face hurts and this totally sucks. 



Spring is here and the ABC tree is in bloom. Or so says the bad mom.

okay.  fat lie. Spring is not here.  It is cold and, aside from a couple sunny days this week, it has been dull and gray.  We are ready for the good weather....only a couple more months.  

At the risk of sounding like a bad mom.  I am starting to cringe at sentences that begin with why.  Which is every sentence that Elliot speaks.  It is not a rhetorical why.  She is tenacious enough that if we don't answer (from exhaustion) she keeps asking.  We are suffering from an overload of curiosity.  Why did Toad crash his car again?  Why did  you sit on the couch and not the red chair?  Why did Henry just spit up again?  Why did you do it that way? Why is that girl wearing boots?  Why is that man's hair long like a girl?  Why is the little red hen red?  Why WHY?!  I don't know WHY!!!

and don't get this bad mom started on how I don't like playing pretend for 8 hours straight.  I just don't enjoy it.  Elliot can inexhaustibly play Laura Ingalls and Farmer Boy ALL-DAY-EVERY-DAY.
Elliot:  you be Mary
Us: let's play another game.
Elliot:  ok let's play school.  You be the teacher and I will be Laura.

Seems suspiciously like the same game to me.  humph.

Well.  That was cathartic.  So, back to the title of this post.  The ABC tree.  We are finding letters everywhere.  She has never seemed too driven to draw pictures.  Try as we might to show her smiley faces and stick people.  And she doesn't color.  she takes tests, does her lessons, and  gets information.  She asks questions (what is your name?  What is your city?  What is your husband's name?) and then scribbles the answer down.  She doesn't show much interest in drawing but is desperate to write.  And when her favorite game of spelling bee evolved into spelling test - she really did begin writing letters.  In her beautiful 3 year old hand.  Letters have been showing up everywhere.  A lot of E's, but an important letter for an Elliot. 

E. L. C.

E.

F.A.

E.L.C.

Someone's proud mama took a lot of photos.  Who did that?