The Present

It's been a while since I chose to allot time to sit down and blog. Things have happened. There are stories in my head I both want to tell and can tell. But lately, it's just been about living life a day at a time with my kids.

With all the rain lately, my kids have wanted to go outside and walk with their new umbrellas. I told them the umbrellas were not toys and they could not walk around inside the house waving them about. I have learned from my own experience that umbrellas will break faster than you can use them in the rain if they are played with indoors like toys.

These are their butterfly umbrellas from the Butterfly Palace in Branson. My daughter was the first one who wanted an umbrella. Ironically, when we checked the price on Amazon for one with the same design, the Butterfly Palace actually sold it for a lower price. We decided to get her one...and of course my son wanted one, too. We humored him this time, also because we were on vacation. As long as they listen to me and follow directions, these umbrellas should last a while....let's hope. 😬

My daughter loves collecting things on her walks. She came home with this array of colorful leaves one afternoon. She really has a keen eye for unique/pretty things. Maybe one day she'll become a designer. Although...when I showed her our photo book from our house renovations, she said to me, "I want the house to look like that [old] again!" This little designer needs a bit more practice...

This past weekend we took the kids to Scheel's for the first time. They really enjoyed the outdoor statues before even stepping foot inside the store. 

My daughter thought he was Santa and kept calling him so. I corrected her multiple times he was Abraham Lincoln, but she didn't process any of that. The store was pretty fun. Fish tanks, a wildlife diorama, candy shop, and of course, the Ferris wheel. Not a bad outing for the morning. 

We went out for lunch after at one of our favorite pho restaurants. It was a special treat since we are rarely on the other side of town as an entire family of four. My son however, wanted to slide down into the seat more than he wanted to eat his lunch. I always thought I'd be the parent who would discipline and have my child sit up nicely on the seat and eat his/her lunch.

He did end up completely under the table at one point....

I actually don't do that much. I'm the parent who would rather enjoy my lunch in peace and let my kids do their thing. As long as they're not wasting the food and splaying it all over the table and seats, I'll let them be. Eventually, he sat back up and finished most of his lunch upright. If it's one thing I learned, kids with a good temperament will eventually do what they're supposed to do when they're ready to do it. Otherwise...I shouldn't waste my breath. 

Anyone else have wiggly two year olds who end up underneath the table at restaurants? 

Life is a lot of work right now. But it's also a lot of fun. ☺