Our Hosting Gigs are OVER

I'm not sure if I'm allowed to put an exclamation point at the end of that title or not.  I wanted to, but then I thought some of you might take offense to the little bit of excitement we shared as PARKINSON FAMILY OF FOUR this morning.

We're zero for two in this shot.

Don't get me wrong.

We are so fortunate and appreciative for everyone who came to visit us this summer.

We had a wonderful time catching up and making memories with all of our guests in Lakefield.  Seriously, the proof is in this pictorial pudding, you guys...

Overnight Guests Photo Reel! 

Some of you didn't leave any photo evidence.  Next year!

Fun times and beautiful photographs aside, this summer was a whirlwind of y'all and I really, really miss Phillip and the girls.  Call me crazy (yes, I know that I've been with them ALL SUMMER), but I haven't had much time with JUST THEM.  MY PEOPLE.  And I think we can all agree that time with JUST OUR PEOPLE is essential.  You know, time where you can get up whenever you want and eat whenever you want.  Time where you can stay in your pajamas until you well please and then complete an unscheduled repertoire of things you like best.  Time to be quiet and time to be loud and time to change your mind about dinner ten times before finally deciding on a cereal party on the living room floor.  And, FOR THE LOVE OF SUMMER, time to let the Cheerios you spill decorate the living room floor until the urge to sweep strikes (#couldbedayslater).  Sigh.

We are one tired out family, I tell ya!  

So today, after an emotional goodbye with GG, Grandma and Grumps, we embraced quiet time all morning long and stayed in our pajamas until the afternoon.  It was exactly what we needed and exactly what we need more of in the coming days.  Alas, there's a flight to catch on Wednesday night and we've got some packing up to do!

Thank you to everyone who drove to see us this summer.  Some of you made multiple trips and we are SO, SO grateful!  We hope you enjoyed your stay as much as we enjoyed having you.

That being said......

OUR HOSTING GIGS ARE OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

Please don't take the exclamation marks personally!

Who Knew THIS Would Happen?

We've read to Nory since she was a baby and have experienced a variety of reading phases along the way.  Our tiny audience member started out as a quiet listener (three cheers for newborns!), but soon grew into a chatty wee thing, sharing her thoughts and opinions on our nighttime books.  Not long after, she worked tirelessly to convince us that books were actually teething toys in disguise and some of our personal library was thrown out as a result of Kuwait heat PLUS lots of drool (Nory teethed, St. Bernard style).  Eventually she became a page-turning guru and dictated which page came first and, also, how many times each page was meant to be read aloud.  The stories took on a whole new flare, being different each and every time.  Of course, page-turning can only maintain interest for so long and we entered the "HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO SIT THIS STILL FOR SO LONG, MOM?" phase.  We had to abbreviate our readings, choose shorter books, or engage her by having her find different objects in the pictures. 

BUT NOW.

NOW!

Nory will sneak away on her own to do this:    

Our wiggleworm has become a BOOKWORM!!!!!!

Nory has learned to love reading and, if she's not off reading by herself, she's asking us to read with her.  It's THE BEST!  (Even though we have to read the same book several times in a row, with the same level of enthusiasm and expression used in round one.  HA!) 

I wonder what comes after the phase of repetition.....I'm guessing it's the phase of "I WANT NEW BOOKS!"

I have 23,744 photos on my computer.

Probably because I take a billion snapshots of the exact same (likely insignificant) moment and fall deeply in love with each and every one. 

Exhibit A, Everybody:  Photographing JULIET AT SNACK TIME :)

Yep, just a casual Monday on the back deck and yet there are STILL 32 more where that came from...  

But I just can't help myself.  (Even if I agree with you that, yes, MAYBE 39 photos of Jet eating a snack on a random Monday could be perceived as over-the-top.)

Other things I want you to know:

1)  During tubby time the other night, I went to sit down on the bathroom floor and smashed my tailbone into the window sill.  Sitting has been super unpleasant since. 

2)  We go back to Kuwait in less than a week.

3)  Tea is so much better when someone else makes it for you.

4)  #thehouseofnorules was here for two nights this week, my family was here for one night, and Phil's family arrives tomorrow for the weekend.  The WHIRLWIND continues!

5)  We have a baby bunny living in our backyard!

Thanks for popping in to read news that matters ;)  Goodnight all! XOXO

CLOSE ONES!

You know those moments that make you hold your breath or squeeze your eyes closed or do both of these things while hoping for the best possible outcome?  Well, I came across three of them this week while scanning through old photos in the evenings.  Take a look:

Could have been bad.  I don't think I would have remained Juliet's "B.F.F." if she got squashed by Nory mid-snap!

Don't worry, we've since had the discussion about NOT touching another person's eyes :)

At least the IDEA of laying on a blanket in the park remains relaxing ;)

You'll also notice the trend illustrated throughout, with Jet being the almost-victim of each potential-disaster.  Luckily she came out on top (#karma) and handled every Incoming Nory marvelously well.  Just big eyes and a head-tilt and a slight hesitation before smiling at the sister that she loves so much.  Let's hope she continues to dodge the Nornado because I'm not sure the Nornado is ever gonna stop ;)

Breaking News!

1)  Juliet is no longer TOOTH-LESS!  After what felt like MONTHS and MONTHS of teething, her first little bottom tooth popped through!  This is jump up and down type of stuff :)

2)  We made out like bandits at the Sidewalk Sales today.  The best purchase would have to be my boxes of Hallmark Christmas cards acquired for $2 each.  ACTUALLY, it was probably the snowsuit we got for $4 - already tucked into the suitcase for Jet's trip to Finland in December. 

3)  Sara told me that the SPICE GIRLS are going on a WORLD TOUR next year!  AHHHHHH!  What I REALLY, REALLY WANT is to get tickets ;)        

If I type really quietly, I might be able to finish this post before the girls wake up!

I'm not sure why, but mosquito bites are ALWAYS the itchiest at three in the morning.  I have them all over my ankles (although I'm convinced they are actually SPIDER BITES) and I woke up this morning with a speckle of "boo-boos" from all the scratching that took place while I should have been sleeping.

SLEEPING.

HA!  It's that time of year where the looming goodbyes make falling asleep really, really difficult for me.  The initial going down at night is tricky, and if I wake up for any reason in the middle of the night (like from, REALLY ITCHY SPIDER BITES), I'm destined to take a very long time to return to sleep.  It's frustrating.  And exhausting.

So I called it quits around 6 a.m., made a cup of coffee, and now I'm cozy on the couch with no children or husband in sight!  (I hope I didn't jinx the peace with that statement.)

How do you like the new blog design?  Sometimes I am struck by blog boredom and feel an immediate urgency to create a new look.  This is what happened to me at 7:30 yesterday morning.  So for the remainder of the day, I obsessed over re-learning HOW to make the changes and I managed to get a good chunk of it done thanks to an Aunt Dana visit (THANK YOU! xo) and prolonged quiet time in the afternoon.  It's not quite finished, but it's getting there.  The pages below the header are my next big job! 

Today we plan to go to the sidewalk sales happening just down the street.  Nory and I have some banana loaf to make as well and I'm sure we'll be crafting at some point.  Speaking of which, Nory has become the arts and crafts initiator in this house (shocking, I know) and we've kept busy with all sorts of things found in our craft trolley.  Take a look at some of the crafts we've done this summer:

Father's Day ties for extra-special Dads :)

Painting on canvas with friends :)

THE JEWEL PHASE.  OY.  Everything was JEWELS for a whole 48 hours!  We made one of these signs for Jet too.

Magical wands.  This one made Daddy jump and sing and dance ;)

Also part of the JEWEL PHASE. Whale/dolphin/fish/shark magnets....with JEWELS.

We've had a robot phase too.  Naturally, the phase entailed ROBOT CRAFTS! :)

And the dinosaur phase continues with salt dough fossils!

I can't wait for Juliet to join us in our crafting adventures.  I think she is going to be an all-in-there type of artist because messes do not bother that little darling one bit (you're welcome to join us at meal time, HA!).  We might actually be able to enjoy finger painting.  Or do regular painting without a package of wipes beside us.  Wouldn't that be neat? :)

Happy weekend, Everyone!  With the summer nearing its end, I hope you get some time to relax and enjoy the beautiful outdoors (and remain spider-bite free).

XOXO

NARRATING the CAMERA ROLL...

Fresh peas in the pod from the garden.  I'm pretty sure I need to pack some of these for the airplane to Kuwait.  I am a BIG FAN of things that are both a SNACK AND AN ACTIVITY :)  (Plus, see how sleepy they are making her...HA!)

Nory and her best friend Coco :)  She's grown quite attached to this puppy since we've been home, looking forward to her big, slobbery kisses every visit to Nana and Grampy's house!

We love this little Ergo Baby :)

Fishing with Maria and Scot.  No luck on the fish-front but we still had lots of laughs :)

Our rainy day tradition :)  I was out there too!

On our way to the pub.  Both girls in jammies and Nory INSISTED on bringing Lambie and a picnic basket :)

"Come on, Sister.  You just have to move like THIS!"

Late afternoon pizza party - just us four :)

Holding tight to her new kitty and LOON WHISTLE from Aimee and Patrick!  They also got her a beautiful amethyst, stating that EVERY GIRL NEEDS A ROCK COLLECTION.  I love those two so much! xo

This teething toy is our current fave.  Especially after I figured out to thread a ribbon through it.  Life with this nubbly ball thingy has gotten so much easier since the ribbon discovery!