the human card

it was thursday afternoon. allison is about to wake up from her nap. davis is watching cartoons and playing with puzzles. it's sunny outside so i decide we are going to retake some holiday photos for the christmas card. our first shoot did not produce one good picture. i gather their clothes for the photo. allison's dress needs ironing. so i iron it.

turn around. yellow marker on the kitchen floor. no big deal. yellow marker doesn't have a top on it. big deal.

davis, where are you? go into the spare bedroom and find this:

well, so much for the christmas card photos. guess we'll just have to make a birthday card instead.

Happy Birthday Daddy and Mamie!

davis makes cents

i'm always saying what silly boy davis is. a great sense of humor that child. well today the joke's on me.

davis often tells me when he needs changing. usually by telling me his diaper is wet. but this morning, he tells me "change. change." while pulling at his diaper. great! vocabulary use is building! to my surprise when i open his diaper to remove, well, all i see is three pennies.

life according to darby

a couple weeks ago we lost darby for about 3-4 hours. after a couple hours of searching and worrying, a neighbor received a call from friends in the neighborhood adjacent to ours to inquire if they knew who the dog on their porch may belong to. i think the following story perfectly describes what darby must have been thinking that day.

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of. He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep. An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out. The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks. Curious I pinned a note to his collar: ' I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.' The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with young children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

i've attached several random pictures tonight. one of allison walking in mommy's shoes. she actually did very well shuffling along in my crocs. managing to bend over and toss aside random cable cords that were in her path.

second picture was taken at davis's direction after seeing another picture like it on the computer.

another of davis reading dad's rotarian magazine after taking a bath. he's starting early on mapping his plan for world peace.

a couple pictures from picking out a christmas tree. here i am reminded that no matter how hard you try to keep everything in order, have everyone dressed, ready to go and out the door on time, nothing in our life is ever in order. always turned upside down, backwards or inside out. (motion to admit: davis's non-reversible hat and tag.) welcome to our crazy life.

from the mouth of a child

having a child gives you a new outlook on life.

having a child who is learning to speak gives you a new outlook on your own speech and vocabulary.

davis walked in from the bedroom this morning. "mommy, i ( *#^%# ) daddy glasses on." how proud he was to be just like his dad. between my moment of surprise (another full sentence), terror (please don't break those glasses, please don't break those glasses) and joy (what a cute kid!), i said a quick prayer for a moment of stillness and hold the cuteness while i grabbed the camera.

what a whirlwind these last few weeks have been. zach's work schedule seems busier than ever. davis is speaking in full sentences and trying to say anything that passes by his ears. we lost grandaddy almond last saturday, nov. 22. i feel as though we lost one great talker and are now gaining another one. even in our sadness, we felt so much joy as davis ran in grandaddy's house, turned towards his chair, turned back to us and asked, "where's gandaddaddy?" how thankful we are that he knew and loved him too even if he can't comprehend the circle of life just yet.

allison, well, she is......just allison. starting to form her own little personality all at once. dog-lover. tom-boy. little turkey. did i mention she's a dog lover? must love dogs. that is what any friend of hers must be. she loves on darby non-stop. always giving hugs and pets. she points out all "Dawh!" on tv, books and even on the street. doesn't matter whose dog or what kind, allison will chase him down for hugs and love. she loves dogs so much in fact she has a sixth sense about where to find the dog food and treats. and yes, she then proceeds to eat whatever dog food or dog treat she finds. last week she threw a fit because i took away a nasty chewy dog treat out of her mouth at granny darlene's house. even ten minutes later, she ran back to the counter reaching up to see if the stinky, soggy morsel was still where mommy put it. oh well. gross as it is, it hasn't hurt her yet. i'm glad she loves dogs even more than i do.

granmom and dad winslett have a new roommate. his name was anchor, but now it is pinto because my granmom says i found her a little horse not a black lab. i've attached a photo of the kids playing in pinto's new crate because his was too small. pinto easily made himself at home in his new house and yard. and i'm sure he is getting all the love and attention in the world spending his days with granmom. lucky dog.