you know you're tired when...

you somehow fall out of bed while sleeping and never actually climb back in.

if only he were this tired every night :) . and yes, he is wearing a swimsuit and socks to bed - he is a very opinionated dresser these days.

Spring

We have been taking advantage of the spring weather lately. We finally fixed Grant's bike, which means we have been riding 24/7. We have also been having lots of picnics and outside play. We went to the ranch the other day for a picnic next to the river and to take some pictures in the bluebonnets. The wildflowers weren't out as much as we had hoped, but it was still a beautiful day. My goal is to enjoy this season as much as possible since I know that a hot summer awaits us!

What They Don't Tell You

Since I typically work at Baylor while Grant is at MDO, I don't have a lot of time to just clean and organize the house. So, I took today off and worked like mad for 6 straight hours. I made my spring cleaning Excel sheet a week ago and I'm happy to say I'm now able to cross off about 1/5 of the items - at least its progress! However, spending time in Grant's room and picking up the entire house, I was reminded of lots of things that no ever tells you before you have kids. Like...

1. Your house gets SO messy!!! For every hour that your child is not at preschool or daycare and is instead at home playing, you can: dump a box of toys on the ground, grind some crackers and playdough into the carpet, and spill a sticky drink on the kitchen floor.

2. Sippy cups and bottles are not leak proof. In fact, after about a year of your child drinking on his own, you will FOREVER be discovering little white, dried milk spots on EVERYTHING. It's fascinating really how this happens - I don't understand how they can be everywhere.

3. There are all sorts of things that were once innocent to you but become your arch-enemy. Since I just finished vacuuming the entire house, I can now say that easter basket grass is no longer allowed in our house - ever.ever.ever. Last month I almost banished playdough, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

4. I have not read this in a book (but then again, I don't really read a lot of parenting books), but apparently hoarding and cramming small objects into nooks and crannies is important for a child's development. Today I found: an assortment of marbles, magnets, blocks, and easter grass stuffed into about every bag that Grant owns, crumbled up and dried out tortillas stuffed into his Diego rescue pack (which by the way, is not meant to have anything stuffed into it), and I could go on and on...

5. Once you have a child you will engage in a life-long battle: you vs. toys. I really think they might be alive, just like Toy Story. They seem to breed. And they seem to move around even when they should be in their place. And I think they secretly laugh at you when you open the box and realize that this particular toy has about 101 pieces to it.

6. You will forever be discovering kid items in your bed. This may just apply to me because I don't make our bed. I would say we make our bed about 5 times a year. However, I diligently wash the sheets every week. And every week its just a mystery what I will find when I shake the sheets off: small books, stuffed animals, toy keys. How our bed becomes just another toy box, I have yet to figure out.

7. Having touch-up paint on hand becomes critical. Today as I was wiping a chocolate hand print off the wall-paper I decided that I want our next house to be all wall-paper. I re-touch our paint about once a month - I think wall-paper would be much friendlier. However, I sadly learned today that even wall-paper has a flaw - Mr. Clean erasers don't work on it. Meaning, the pen mark that leads all the way through the dining room compliments of Grant is immortalized.

Okay - I feel better. At least for a little while longer I can sit here and enjoy knowing that everything in the house is in it's proper place.

Easter

It seemed so appropriate to celebrate Easter this year alongside the beginnings of spring. It was such a good weekend for so many reasons:

1. Mom, Jessica, and I got away for a night and went to Round Top - a last minute trip of sorts, which are always the most fun. We stayed in a cute little historic hotel, ate fabulous food, and bargained our way into some great purchases...well, Jessica did the bargaining. I just gave her my wallet and she acted as my buyer :)

2. Saturday brunch at the Elite with friends. I love that Waco now offers a great brunch place. And what is better as a parent than getting a babysitter so you can go out to breakfast instead of dinner?

3. Not so fun: Grant crawling into our bed early Easter morning to sleep. Very special: getting to wake up with him and snuggle and explain why we celebrate Easter. Looking out the window to the sunrise service in the cemetery and explaining why daddy was over there with so many other people.

4. Probably the best Easter service since we've been at Bosqueville - and having my mom there made it even more special.

5. Getting to have Easter dinner at the ranch with my mom and friends. Steven and Jessica and Jo Beth and Dustin joined us. Blake was there too. My mom is the best cook so we feasted and then just sat out back until the stars came out - listening to Steven play the guitar, playing frisbee, just enjoying each other and the beautiful setting.

Dyeing Easter Eggs: Part 1

Dyeing Easter Eggs: Part 2.

As is typical with a boy I suppose, the day after we created such pretty eggs, Grant insisted we take them all outside and have a little science experiment, smashing and poking them with various objects.

Hunting Easter eggs at the ranch.

Dressed up in his first suit. He looked so old!