I'll Have More Time When...

I sit on the bed with baby girl sleeping in my lap and big sister sleeping by my side.  The sun reflects off the neighbor's white siding making the room glow, the breeze sends the curtains billowing then sucks them back out against the screen.  Time seems to be moving slowly, peacefully.  And as I wonder why I don't find the time to blog more often I console myself "As soon as the weather cools down, things will slow down and you'll have more time".  The moment the thought floats across my consciousness I can't help but laugh.  Maybe I'm growing wiser, perhaps its just age and maturity, but I am slowly getting better at detecting the nonsense that gets conjured up in my head.  Better at detecting it but not necessarily better at overcoming it because I play this game so well.  The "Things will change when..." game.

I'll start eating more healthfully when I graduate from college - when we get engaged and I have to look good in a wedding dress - when I get pregnant - when I'm no longer pregnant - after I'm finished breastfeeding - after the holidays.

I'll be more organized once we own a home - after the baby comes - once the kids are more independent - after the kids move out.

I'll have more time once the weather cools down - when Jon finishes the other house - after the holidays - when the kids are in school.

This game is so versatile, it can be played out with nearly any scenario; saving money, losing weight, building relationships, endless possibilities!  It's so addicting and it's such a crock!  Seriously useless chasing someday and maybe one day.  Shoving off contentment, fulfillment, even happiness until the stars align.  At least I can recognize it and laugh.

Anyway, the point of putting my fingers to the keyboard was not this random tangent, and since at the moment I do have the time here's what we've been filling our time with;

Dalton Carnival

Partly out of habit and mostly to meet up with a dear friend and her littles, we made our way to the Dalton Carnival again this year.  We didn't hang out long, didn't sample the potato pancakes, didn't linger over a pitcher of miller light, the sun was sill high when we made our exit.  It was basically a hit and run.  Milani was scoping out the kids on the little rides so we decided to give them a go.  Armed with a half dozen tickets, Milani picked the race cars first.  The first couple laps she steered the car and smiled and waved.

The rest of the million or so laps looked like this;

I couldn't even begin to imagine what possibly caused the change of heart. 

We moved on to the bounce house where she willingly, and timidly, took off her shoes and climbed in;

Then she stood in the corner for a minute or two looking mildly disturbed, watching the other kids bounce, before she hightailed it back out.

We gave away the last two tickets.

She left the carnival on the only ride she enjoyed;

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The Little Things

 

Some days the littlest things make me so happy.  

The way she lights up when she hears her daddy's truck.  And she can pick out his truck from all of the other diesel's that travel past our house.  The way she runs to the door to verify and erupts into song and dance.  The way she runs back to me to make sure I'm aware of his arrival.

How she bursts out the back door to greet him, and turns around to make sure I'm on her heels.

The way crocks squeak when they're gnawed on by toothless baby gums.  The fact that I allowed her to keep putting a shoe in her mouth because it made her so happy, and me so happy by extension.  And because of the cool sound it made.

 

Hanging in the backyard turning ordinary into memorable.  Watching my big girl sudsing up the radio flyer like her life depended on it.

Watching my little girl inspect every blade of grass;

 

 

And grin from ear to ear when she catches me watching her.

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Happy Valley

 

The wedding of my college roommate gave us good reason to take a mini vacation to Penn State.  Our first stop was Green Bowl, just as tasty as ever.  My girls got to stroll through down town, taking in the sights of the place I called home for five years.  Meandering down College Ave and up Allen Street, hanging out with the bronze pig;

Climbing atop the Lion Shrine;

Hanging out with the JoePa Statue...oh wait a minute.

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Harford Fair (times three)

 

On the first day Jon was stationed at the fair the view out the car window looked like this;

 

 

 

But the rain gave way, and even though the clouds hung around, and sweatshirts stayed on, and a couple more sprinkles fell here and there, we had so much fun visiting all the animals.

 

Goats

 

 

Cows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sheep

 

Hanging in the tend with dad

The following day, under sunny skies, we tagged along with Ariana and crew for round two.  We visited the animals again

Rabbits

 

Birds of all kinds

And of course we visited the livestock again;

 

 

 

But this time Milani was more interested in stooping down and running her fingers through the dirt, scooping up fistfulls of wood shavings, and jumping off hay bales.

And if you want to see Jadon and Landry get excited, set them loose in a military Hum V.

By our third trip to the fair I left the camera at home, and we were acquaintances with all the cows.

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And now that a police siren just woke up the girls, I'll be back to blog again when...