Ten on Tuesday.

1. Did everyone have as glorious a weekend as we did? Seriously, you could not have ordered more perfect weather in Minnesota.

2. This here is an endorsement for the organic strawberry preserves we picked up at Costco last weekend. Too bad we've deduced that Fisher is probably allergic to citrus, because he freaking loves that jam. Loves.

3. Ron celebrated his birthday over the weekend - lucky boy got a three-day birthday weekend! Lucky Alla got to help blow out the candles. I swear, she gets more excited for holidays and celebrations than the person being celebrated. Today she told me in a cute whisper that we needed to have a talk about Father's Day. She's planning to take Daddy to the zoo. I think that is absolutely tops on his Father's Day wish list, don't you?
4. Lucky we had some friends over to help celebrate the birthday, who took this lovely photo of the three of us. We party too late for the baby to join in.

5. There is no way I could resist this comparison. 6. Fisher eats a real nice breakfast and lunch and then usually has a snack before bath, because then he nurses at bedtime. This might change to a full-on dinner once we're not outside til the moment before bathtime, or when he's going to bed later, but for the moment it's just a snack that we can bring outside to eat.


7. Today that was a banana. So I pulled up a chair for him and he sat right there like a big ol' kiddo and ate it. (Til Daddy pulled up and he wanted out so he could go get in the car and drive. Loves to "drive" Daddy's car.)

8. We eat a lot of bananas in this house. Ron bought two big bunches yesterday and there are only four left. We have to make a banana run mid-week, every week.

9. We've had just about zero rain so far this spring, and as a result have some pretty dehydrated grass. Yes, we could water it. Really, it's hard to get behind the time, effort, and cash it would cost to have the lawn looking like the guy's down the street. It's just grass.

10. Took Alla on a bike ride tonight before dinner, and loved listening to her giddy laugh as I pedaled hard as I could down hills to make us go even faster. I pulled her out of that bike trailer and noticed how long her legs are and how she looks like a kid.

Comparing: first day to last day.

Yesterday was Alla's last day of school. Of course I can't resist a photo of her on her last day because I'm already thinking of the comparison to that first day in September. So one more year then she's off to kindergarten? Hmph?

I can't believe what a difference a [school] year makes. Writing the alphabet, sounding out words, continuing to be quite the artist/crafter, enjoying her quiet time for telling stories, loving books.

We love you, Alla Rees! We are so very proud of you.

Comparing.

It's not quite warm enough for naked bare feet, as Alla calls them, nor is that the safest idea for a baby who walks like a drunken Frankenstein, but I couldn't help taking this, because I was remembering taking a similiar one last August. My how time flies.

Weeding.

We spend quite a bit of time "weed-punching" those pesky (but pretty) dandelions. One of these years all our hard work will reward us and they won't come back. Ron likes to do this in his jammies. Which he puts on when he gets home from work. Love you, babe. Alla of course thinks the weeds are beautiful, which they kind of are, especially the little purple ones. She likes to bring them to you to put in your hair, and then model the ones she's had Daddy put in hers.

I just love her.

Ten things about Mother's Day.

1. I am so happy that Ron had his camera nearby to snap these. I was too busy enjoying the moment to worry about setting up a shot. Thank you, babe.

2. This is exactly my Mother's Day morning. Alla got out of bed and we heard her say oh-so-excitedly, It's Mother's Day! I mean, almost as excitedly as if it were her birthday. She then ran downstairs, opened the garage door, got the present for me that she'd stashed, and ran back up and gave it to me.

3. It was a blue bag that she'd decorated, full of ribbons and tissue paper. Inside was a flower pot that she'd painted at school, full of Hershey kisses. It is the most beautiful flower pot ever.

4. I am so lucky to have these loving kids. And a loving husband, who replaced my lost F charm, with a new and improved, un-loseable one. It's gorgeous.

5. He brought me the newspaper to read in bed, and Alla brought in a clipboard to take my Mother's Day Breakfast order.

6. I even got my hair styled for my special day. I believe it was three ponies.7. I did read the paper in bed, and ate my breakfast there, too.

8. I started a new book, that I've been wanting to read and that feels like the perfect book for me right now.

9. I began a project for which I bought the supplies several months ago.

10. I shopped - for me! We went on a family walk. We grilled out. I fully enjoyed my children, my role as a mother, and appreciated my husband giving me this day. Thanks, you three.

Make it last.

I think we can officially say that here, now. Have I said it yet? If so, then, really, it bears repeating: It's Spring! If not, then you are getting how joyful we are about the change of seasons. I always feel like it actually happens a little too fast. You have this looooooong winter, and are just itching for like 40-50 degrees, and then suddenly it's regularly a high of 60 and then 70 and you see how it will soon be summer and while that's wonderful, it's sort of the best weather of the year, and after that it's all downhill til you're in the winter doldrums again, putting on full body gear just to go out and get the mail. The solution, I suppose, is to celebrate every little moment, in an attempt to slow it down as much as possible and make the outside season last and last. So that's what we're doing. After breakfast, outside for half an hour before F's nap. After that nap, outside til lunch. After afternoon naps, outside until we have to drag them in for baths and bedtime and dinner.

Something I'm looking forward to this warm season: picnics. Kind of a hard thing to do with a baby, maybe, but it just sounds so wonderful, so I put it on our list of things we want to do. Fisher's practicing by having his pear out there on the driveway.

I wouldn't be a mother without them.

Alla came out of school on Thursday with a very special treat for Mother's Day, which, I'm so very proud, she has kept a secret thus far. Just the way I like it. And when she said to me, Happy Mother's Day, I told her thank you, and that I wouldn't be a mother if I didn't have her and Fisher. To this, she replied, Yeah, you'd just be a old lady!

Nice.

Hope all of your children say equally lovely things to you tomorrow!

Breakfast.

Green smoothies all around. Yum. I fully believe I have the hardest working blender in show business, and deserve to have one of these.

Pancakes, wheat-free of course. Yum.

Alla said to me, I never had pancakes when it wasn't the weekends before! Well, kid, I've got a few more days to try for my Mom of the Year Award, so I thought I'd just do it up big on a beautiful Friday morning.

This morning.

Watching last night's Idol. If Adam doesn't win this, I'll have to figure out a way to tell her without breaking her heart.

Discovering salt crumbs from last night's margaritas. Next year maybe we'll hire some mariachis!

Weeding. At least 50 dandelions this morning alone.

Folding. Realizing that giving Fisher an apple when we head out for a run is having adverse effects on whatever shirt he happens to be wearing.

Complimenting the three ponytails Alla put in her hair this morning.

Researching miracle eczema cures. We've got a restricted diet, and nothing we put on him will keep in the moisture. There's just this barrier of dry skin we can't get past. It's super frustrating. I want to help him.

Glimpsing my camera, sitting on the shelf in my closet. On hiatus from the enormous amount of photos taken over Alla's birthday weekend. Maybe we'll take it out today. I've literally taken one photo in May.

Green x 3.

No. 1: These happy little eggs have been growing some pretty long hair on my windowsill for a couple weeks now. The girl and I took them outside this morning and planted them next to her tree.No. 2: Itty maple leaves shot out of their buds a week ago. Literally overnight. One afternoon there were tight little buds, the next day we had full-blown, albeit teensy, leaves. Ah, spring. No. 3: Our green little pre-walker. Had to post this now, as I'm sure that within a few weeks he won't be quite so green. Alla walked on Father's Day, so I call Mother's Day for Fish. And by "walking" I mean that point where they suddenly don't turn back, where they once and for all decide that the two-legged method is preferable to all-fours.

Happy weekend, all! It's Pizza Friday!