Mobile Moments, 5/12-5/18

I'm not much in the mood to revisit this past week, and feeling too lazy to actually work in a clever way to include a link to the one post I managed to write. It's been more of the same: long and stifling. I will say that it's been a relief to see all the carpet come out and get dumped to the curb, and has been motivating to come up with a game plan for better waterproofing our basement, but the progress we've made has also served as a reminder for all that we have yet to do. At this point, we're pretty much set to wait out the next few storms and see if Tom's work on the gutters, the driveway, and the soil around the foundation has proved helpful or not. In the meantime, we'll just have to continue to endure the musty smell and unfinished current look of our icky cement-floor basement, and continue to tough it out in the attic bedroom for most of each day.

Thankfully, the weekend brought with it all the joy and fun of a family friend's wedding, and next week promises time away with loved ones in New Jersey. I made a promise to myself that I would leave my camera behind for once and be present for the wedding, curbing that insistent "but" voice with the acknowledgement that there was always my phone available to take a shot or two with. As luck poor planning would have it, my phone died almost as soon as I arrived at the venue, but I did have a chance to capture a few poses granted by my beautiful flower girl before it did so.

Though it was a lovely occasion, it was not without the high stress that lugging three small children around always promises. My realization five minutes into a thirty-minute drive that I had forgotten to sit Abby on the potty after she woke up in the morning (completely dry) and put her in the car without a bathroom break since the night before made for the longest 25 minutes I've experienced in a long while. Though I heard no complaint or even request from the back seat, I had visions of a pretty dress and car seat soaked in urine just minutes before her big debut as Flower Girl.

No such catastrophe occurred, thankfully. Our surprise issues were provided by Michael, instead, who got carsick on the way when he came behind Abby and me with Tom and Mia. Though I'd had the foresight to pack another nice shirt, I did not include another pair of pants, so he ran around looking dashing and dapper in a polo shirt, sport jacket, battered and stained fedora, and striped onesie and socks (with brand-new adorable black loafers).

Though I'm looking forward to our upcoming trip, I've got to say that I'll be doubly paranoid about car puke now that both Abby and Michael have christened their seats with the stuff...

He's been ready for a "big-boy" bed for awhile. But when will Mommy be?

Once Abby has a book memorized, she can take over story time once in awhile.

Mia makes a new friend.

Good times at the wedding rehearsal lunch.

Abby learns the art of spearing penne pasta with a grown-up fork.

All dressed up and feeling a little shy at first, which gives me a perfect view of her pretty hair.

More than ready for the flower girl gig.

Who needs pants when you're this handsome?

Overheard this week:

Between Tom and Abby

(Right after dinner, many incidents after being warned not to touch others' clothing with dirty hands)
T: "Can I have a little hug, too?"
A: "Get ready for a stain on your shirt..."
T: "Why is that?"
A: "Because my hand is dirty."
T: "Ah, was that the plan?"
A: "Yeah, that was the plan."

Abby

(Upon hearing Pharrell's "Happy" on the radio): "That's the song that Mei Mei likes to sing all the time."

(To her brother, as he pushes a toy car along the wooden tracks he built): "Cars don't really go on train tracks, Michael... but sometimes they do."

Between Tom and Michael

T: "Michael, did you make a poop?"
M: "Nooo..."
T: "Is there a poop in your diaper?"
M: "Yeah!"

Michael

"Please (pease), thank you (tah-oo), one, two, three (thee), four, five (figh), six (sih), seven (se-en), eight (aay), nine (nigh), ten (teh), red, nose, eye, ear, chin"


Mia

(In response to Tom's "one," initiating a warning count for Abby): "Two"

"Please (pease), tail, nap (nah), track (taah), pants (paah), nose, eye"