throwing in the towl

i've just returned from buying a mega pack of pampers, a mere 36 hours since i vowed to be diaper free forever and ever amen. i haven't been this excited about a decision since giving up on breastfeeding. by the way, those rummers about boys being harder to potty train are totally true.

i need a drink.

oaming

'could everyone please simmer down! i'm practicing my oaming.' -miss mia

an accepted offering

we spent mothers day making the long journey home from utah. this upset mia because she'd planned on making me breakfast in bed- soup was on the menu. i assured her that we could do it another time. the time never came. each time she'd request to cook the soup, i'd have a new reason why she couldn't.

pan to late afternoon when miss mia had been in a world of trouble. she came to my room carrying a sloshing blue bowl with eyes full of freshly welled tears. she made a sincere apology for her transgressions. then head hanging low handed me the soup- 'i made you your soup mommy (sob), i hope you like it (sniff).'

i picked up the spoon and ate from her offering. i had no idea what it was, the white stuff floating on the top was particularly worrisome, but i ate gratefully. grateful for a daughter with such heart.

(come to find out the ingredients were as follows- bottled water, raspberry vinaigrette, grated parmesan, bbq sauce, and honey.)

lots of locks

we'll be at costco, target, or another regular dig and i'll catch people starring at my cart full of kids. they come over and touch or comment on the thing that's caught their attention. 'that hair' they say. 'they've got so much hair'. yes they do. or did.

its only been a few years since mia donated her hair the first time. locks of love needs 10 inches to make a wig, so 4 banded 10 inch piggy tales they got. its such a worthy cause and a wonderful learning opportunity for the girls.

racheal gave mia a stylish bob that fits her personality perfectly. miley listened to her favorite music while waiting for her mini meg ryan shag to be cut. the monkeys love their new look- checkin themselves in the mirror every chance they get. mia keeps telling people that she feels '10 pounds lighter'.

the simplified morning routine is to die for!

for good conversation and a great cut- find racheal here and here.

a fourth birthday bug

4 months, 8 months, 7 months, 15 months, 2 years, 2.5 years, 3 years, 3 years, 4 years

when enrolling miley in school i was asked to complete some paperwork. general information was requested: name, birth date, emergency contacts, allergies, etc. 'yes' she is indeed female, 'no' peanuts are fine, 'chelsea biggs' because we love her enough to make her an emergency contact. i cruised through the blanks (pausing only momentarily to figure out what moms last name should be listed as). then one question stopped me in my tacks: describe your child's personality.

the question was followed by a single blank line. i put my pen down and thought. what words do i choose? what are her most important qualities? what are her dominant characteristics? how can i describe her?

this is the same feeling i get when it comes time to compose a birthday post for one of my kids. i reminisce compiling some of my favorite pictures, but then i'm stuck starring at a flashing courser. why is it so difficult to describe the little beings that i know better than myself?

a very happy birthday to my big-eyed goofy middle monkey- we just love the socks off you girl!

a beautiful wedding quickly recapped

geneve was walked down the aisle by our comedic cousin dustin. dustin, represented a long line of pomeroy men who love the beautiful bride, gave her away to a very happy ryan. he brushed her tears, they kissed, they hugged, and everyone cheered.

two lovely little flowers girls and one spastic ring bearer preceded geneve down the isle. i was so excited with how the girls hair came out that i'm now considering a career as a stylist :). we ate, we danced (ok- I danced), and made a pathetic attempt at a family picture.

congratulations to g & ry- we're so dang happy for you guys!

levi had just smacked brian

my favorite roomies!

there were three in the bed

this is my favorite image from our latest race weekend. all three babies facing the same direction, snuggling their special someone, under their favorite blanket, all on an old motor home pullout.

in one months time our family has logged 40 road trip hours (50 if you count waiting for tow-trucks). its been good to get away. the occasional change of scenery is necessary to preserve my sanity (using that term liberally). we're gonna be home for a while. back to the hum drum life of laundry, naps, and home cooked meals. and i couldn't be happier about it.

i'll be spending this week getting my house in order- literally and figuratively.

celebrating sisterhood

tiff & tweece

my mom recently commented on how surprised she was that tiff and i had grown up to have so much in common. we are incredibly close- especially when you consider the incessant fighting of our childhood, but we aren't all that much alike.

for example: i prefer birthdays celebrated with loud song and dance. she doesn't.

because today is her day, i will do this her way- using all my self-control to refrain from an embarrassing bulleted list. to tiff i will say that i am incredibly grateful for our differences, i find comfort and confidence in our relationship, and i'm hoping that today brings you more super secret vending machine treats!

a very happy birthday to my
funny/observant/smart/sassy/dedicated/generous/beautiful big sister!

getting there is half the fun

waiting for the train

crazy g-ma, the monkeys, and mio roadtripped it to utah this week. we're squeezing in some family time before the much anticipated wedding. we combined two of my favorite things for a sunday afternoon outing- public transportation and youth museums.

the monkeys enjoyed playing musical laps- walking freely between their favorite ladies.

it was their first time on a train. they spent much of the ride peering out the windows, enthusiastically identifying the passing scenery. my favorite picture of the day (above right) was snapped by tiff- levi just looking like levi. his swirly hair concealing the puncture wound that sent us to the ER that night before.

we stepped off our rocking ride one block from the discovery gateway children's museum. we took hundreds of pictures of kiddos and their companions enjoying the dozens of awesome exhibits.

there are many benefits to having aunt tiff around- someone to explain the canal system to miley, make film stop movies with mia, chase levi, and take random pictures of me. while the lbs, wrinkles, etc. arn't my fav- i love having evidence of my interaction with the little people i spend my life with.

while we're skipping around utah- brian is enjoying some quiet time in his southern-californian mancave. no doubt doing a lot of this.

we miss you daddy!