Thank you letter to the tooth fairy

Matthew lost his top right tooth last night. This morning I came downstairs to find that Matthew had written a letter to thank the tooth fairy, with a little help from his big brother!

Living with a 5 year old...

...means answering questions, like the following, on a constant basis:

"Why can't God make me magic?"
"Where do Sloppy Joe's come from?"
"Why can't I eat the penny?"
"Can you show me a picture of God on the Internet?"
"Why do you have those things right there?" (referring to the 'Mommy Parts' on my chest)
"How big is space?"
"Can you build me a real castle?" (get this one daily)
"What do rocks come from?"
"What does the corner of space look like?"
"Can I fly to the sun?"...then... "Why not?!"
"Why does 's' say 'ssssss'?
"Why are you allergic?"
"Why do cars have their lights on during the day?"
"How can the trees be older than you?!

And there are many more, but these are just the ones I was asked today! Sometimes, he blows me away with his questions and I just do not have a concrete, five-year-old appropriate answer for him (or any knowledge of the answer at all). And when I am at a loss for an answer and simply say, "because that's just the way it is," the next question is:

"What does 'because' mean?"

Beach Pictures

We are going to go to the beach in about 10 days (Benjamin keeps count for me, he's not excited or anything!) I will of course take pictures and share them, but I came across these the other day...pictures of our first beach trip as a family of four. Benjamin was 3 years old, Matthew was 3 months old.

It's done!

Before...

After...

Finally, Summer Vacation!

My favorite things about summer break:

1. reading as many books as I can
2. eating watermelon
3. sleeping in
4. afternoon matinees
5. eating lunch outside of a school building
6. having time to exercise
7. lazy days at the pool
8. barbeque's
9. fireflies + boys + jars
10. "spring" cleaning

The loves of my life

Paint

Ben and I decided that we are going to paint our house gray, with black shutters, black door and white trim. Our painter starts next week, and we have to decide by Monday on our favorite shade of gray. We've already made our decision, but I always like to bounce ideas off others. So, what's your favorite? Vote on the right.

Southern "Tawk"

We've lived in North Carolina close to two years now, and I am just now able to understand some of the people that I have encountered with heavy accents when they speak to me. No offense to any Southern friends out there; I love Southern dialect, I find it incredibly charming! But there were times when we first moved that I seriously could not understand some people, especially on the telephone. I felt certain that many people I spoke with thought I was either partially deaf or a little slow. But now, after a couple of years, I find I can understand everyone around me much easier.

I thought I would share some of my favorite southern-speak with y'all and see if you can imagine hearing these words coming at ya' real fast.

GUIDE TO SOUTHERN TALK*

Ah - The things you see with.

Aig - Which came first, the chicken or the aig?

Arn - An electrical instrument used to remove wrinkles from clothing.

Awf- You turn the lights awf before you go to bed.

Bawl - What water does.

Bobbycue - A delectable Southern sandwich of chopped pork, cole slaw, and a fiery sauce.

Cheer - A piece of furniture used for sitting.

Crine - Weeping.

Far - A state of combustion that produces heat and light.

Git - To acquire.

Idinit - "Mighty hot today, idinit?"

Keer - To be concerned.

Kitchen- If you're not "kitchen," you're throwing the ball.

Nawth - Any part of the country outside of the South.

Nekkid - To be unclothed.

Ovair - In that direction.

Own - Instead of awf.

Phrasin - Very cold.

Pitcher - An image, either drawn or photographed.

Purty - Good looking.

Share- Place in your bathroom where you wash your body.

Show - "It show is hot today."

Tal - What you dry off with after you take a share.

Tar - Round inflatable object that sometimes goes flat.


* many spellings came from http://www.unwind.com/jokes-funnies/

Aunt Theresa

Ben's baby sister, Theresa, came out to visit us and we had such an awesome time with her! Theresa is so special to me for many reasons, one being that I have known her since she was three (and she is now almost 21!!! I guess that means I've known Ben and his family since I was 14, wow!) She used to sit on my lap and pretend read stories to me.


Many years later, when she was 12 & 13 years old and Ben and I lived in Georgia, she came out to stay with us for the summer to keep me company while Ben was away at his various Army camps. She would also help me take care of Benjamin Jr. during those summers while I was going to grad school. She was a life saver! I would have never made it through school without her help with Benjamin! During those summers, Benjamin and Theresa created such a close relationship, and it is evident even now how close they are. This is what Benjamin looked like back when Theresa (or Aunt TT as she's known) babysat for him...

This most recent visit was so wonderful because it was a nice reminder of how much we all love spending time with Theresa. We really felt her absence when she left to go back to Colorado.

We love you, Aunt TT!