Our Littlest Blessing

Pops blessed our littlest Toad last Sunday, May 5th.

We wrapped him up in the same little blanket Aunt Mindy gave me about 14 years ago that she brought home her study abroad in Jerusalem. All the little Toads snuggled in it on their blessing day.

We wish that we could have surrounded our little guy with all of our favorite friends and family, but even his immediate family is quite the crowd these days!

We simply adore him!

Superkid snuggles!

Tadpole tickles.

Abizella squeezes.

Little Chief loves.

Oh Mother's Day!

 Can you believe it is Mother's Day already? 

Good thing too! 

The family is banging out the dishes so I can kick back with the blog and do some catching up.

Times are busy and we do our best to get the most important things done. 

Laundry isn't one of them. 

Superkid came down the stairs the other morning and said, 

"Any chance of getting some clean clothes around here?" 

I took this as a very positive comment. 

#1 The kid is finally self aware about his cleanliness. 

#2 A great opportunity to get the kid ready to be a contributing member of society. 

Guess who is on laundry duty next week? 

This has been a fantastic Mother's Day. Abizella woke me up with a menu she had prepared. She acted both as waitress and chef this morning. Tadpole was the bus boy. I dined in bed. I got coupon books, poems, cards and flowers. 

My favorite coupon was from Superkid for, "50% off Crying". 

When I read it he said, 

"What? I can't control myself around Little Chief and Tadpole". 

Thanks for the reductions in beatings big guy, and the honesty!

This has been a great Mother's Day on another front too!  My sisters and I sent some special love to Glama. I wish I had the kids make some love for me too!

I love my Mom. I have the *BEST* one. Who else but the best Mom *EVER* would wear such a loving tribute to church today? The crown was made for the "Queen Bee" of the Davis Hive, made by Cincha's family. The necklace, representing all of her little grandbaby jewels, was made by Mindur's family. The toe clips (worn here as hair clips) were made by Nerzy's family, representing all the time she spent rubbing Mom's tired feet. The sash, representing Mom's beautiful garden, was made by my little Toads. The lilac corsage was made by Charlene's family to represent the beautiful corsage my Mom made my grandma when she was a little girl.

Happy Birthday Partner!

Happy Birthday Little Chief!

There is nothing the Toads love more than gathering around a cake to celebrate a special occasion!

And around here, you always get a little extra help with your candles!

But you definitely get your own piece of cake!

In fact, there is so much cake that if you choose, you can roll around a little bit in it too.

And don't forget the presents!

With plenty of help from our Grandma's and Grandpa's a kid can be pretty spoiled!

Saddle up Cowboy!

Okay, I'm loving those chaps!

And when the horse gets pooped, there is the alternative trusty steed!

Nothing like a Chocolate Goatee for a serious horseman!

That, and it is always nice to have a little cowgirl side kick!

While a kid only turns 3 once, the party goes on and on around here.

We're glad that you're ours LC. 

We just wouldn't be us without you!

Little Chief Is 3!

Finally an occasion for hit favorite outfit, 

*HIS BIRTHDAY SUIT*! 

And in Little Chief's opinion, there is no better way to spend the morning than a long splashy shower!

...Followed by curling up like a little turtle. 

We call him our little "tortuga".

And as long as we are treating a kid right, why not feed him his favorite meal?

Oatmeal. He asks for it night and day. That and of course chocolate milk. 

He is a Toad after all.

I love this little guy with all my heart. He is fiercely independent, smart as a whip and a bit *naughty*. He has a face loaded with expression. His heart is soft for animals. He adores his brothers and sister. When he was a baby we knew he was our best hugger. He holds on tight. And there is nothing cuter than when he curls up his lips and pulls you in for a kissy.

Happy Birthday big guy! This family loves you to pieces!

I Cannot Live Without Books!

This is a quote from Thomas Jefferson. While Pops may not agree ideologically 100% with Thomas Jefferson, he definitely can respect a man with a collection of 1000s of great books. 

And architectural prowess.

We first came here together 13 years ago and fell in love with the house...

and gardens!

I just couldn't pass through Virginia on the great Arkansas Road Trip of 2006 without stopping at Monticello. Sandy and the kids were big fans too.

I'll never forget Abz the little butterball crawling on the lawns while Sandy and I took turns touring the mansion and watching the kiddos...

Another glorious Spring day

We applied some of the lessons learned on that last trip. The littlest got a pass on the tour while the rest of us went through in shifts. We didn't want to risk ejection because of tantrum or defacement of a national treasure! Everyone was happy and Superkid even said, "It was cooler than I thought it would be." Win.

I enjoyed spending time with one of my favorite cousins!

A big treat, we sampled 3 spears of Monticello asparagus. The gardeners awarded them to us after badgering them with questions. Abz and her cousin ran to the fountain, rinsed them off and polished them off immediately! Delicious!

Little Chief sported the period appropriate barefoot option...

This will not be the last pic you see of a Toad hamming it up at Monticello!

Crabby Paddy Anybody?

I just can't stand it. 

He is just so yummy I'm going to stuff him in between two pieces  of bread and munch him up. 

Those are Pops' words, but I want a bite too!

Watch Out Redcoats, The Toads are Coming, The Toads are Coming!

Next stop, Yorktown!

Just in case you didn't get a 5 on your AP history exam (or even if you did and just stink as an American) Yorktown was where the Revolutionary War was decided. The Red Coats surrendered to General George Washington and the rest is history baby.

Let's be honest, up to this point we had spent considerable time tethered like *this*

and *this*

We were all happily driving along listening to the audio tour of the great moments and sites of Yorktown when the kids politely asked if they could get out and explore some of the earthenworks of the inner and outer defense lines. We let them out on time previously served and "good behavior".

This was some serious fun.

We spent a good amount of time spying on the Redcoats...

Charming the soldiers...

Holding our re-doubts...

And scrambling for our cannons...

But the best part for me was General Washington himself. This guy took his job *SERIOUSLY*. It is a good thing too. If it weren't for him, we would be bowing to a king. You have to admit, Tad makes a fabulous George Washington. Especially when he barks orders in that little 3 corner hat. Although, I am not sure if George Washington displayed such concern for Cornwallis' soul. Tad was very concerned. He asked more than once, "Dad, did Co-w-nwallis (Cornwallis) go to heaven?"