There is Beauty All Around

How I love Saturday mornings in these parts. Immediately upon opening the front door you are met with a buzzing and whirling of activity. Birds, lawn mowers, sprinklers, chainsaws, each contributing to the symphony of invigorating activity, with a common goal to make the world more beautiful (with the exception of that blasted motorcyclist). Yesterday I decided to add my instrument of choice to the mix, that's right the shop vac. Having been one of the proud owners of our shop vac for two years, I had previously failed to recognize its level of intensity until my car was in desperate need of some cleaning. After a test run, I thoroughly evaluated my feelings toward the contraption: I think we're going to have a beautiful life together.

Not to mention what the white noise did to this girl.
(I think Pluto makes a good pillow too.)



Each morning, before the Strawberry Oatmeal is even on the stove, I hear the alarm system sound as two little ones make their way out the door. Turns out, the break of dawn is the prime time of day to catch potato bugs, or as L & M so lovingly refer to them, rollie pollies. Rollie pollies are a sad substitute for a pet I know, but when pet allergies and a little bit of OCD runs in your family, you have to explore other venues. Ryan found the girls a little house for their newfound friends, dead and alive, and come to find out, the new hobby has bloomed from a collection to somewhat of a sport. Half of the excitement is seeing who will show up on the porch next.
Just today I heard London drop another one into the mix, saying, "there's another Uncle for you!"
And then she told them all quite solemnly, You are a child of God.




Yesterday I also re-emerged my tree-pruning skills (does 're-emerged' mean they had to be there in the first place?) I figured, I'm already the family barber, how much harder can it be to give the trees a little snip-a-roo? Well, judging from a few mishaps, including the discovery of hornets and birds harmoniously living in my tree, it appears my hair cutting disasters carry over to topiary. I think a little practice is in store, but maybe someday our trees will look as pruned as our neighbors'... ps. Unlike the barbering business, the task is almost impossible without a large ladder, not to mention you come away with blisters.



Our lawn is finally making its way out of depression. A couple of years of neglect and fire ants left it feeling no self-worth. Ryan has given his best effort to try to talk it off the ledge, and this spring a little life emerged...We think there is hope yet.
Speaking of lawns, it rained yesterday, one of those tropical rainforest sort of storms that I love. L & M must have gotten a little carried away because they came back into the house soaking wet. It appears once again, their love of water reigns superior. While I was getting the girls bathed and into bed, Ryan finished up the Mount Everest of 2009: cleaning the garage, which event was even more insurmountable than it sounds. Alas, he was rewarded for his efforts around 10 pm, with this little guy.



And the story that will be etched into my memory forever...
Ryan was mowing the lawn while I was helping the girls on bikes, when Maddie suddenly had to go potty. The aforementioned 'opening the front door' skill comes in handy when you don't want to pack up three kids for one potty break, so I let her do her thing. A few minutes later, even over, I repeat, even over the deafening motor of the lawn mower, I heard a very shrill, very angry Madelyn Jane Barlow's voice--"MOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!" She was yelling from the toilet! Not to mention, the front door was closed. The lung power on that girl is deafening, I could barely hear London talking and she was two feet from my face. Oh wow, Maddie stops at nothing when she needs immediate attention. You gotta admire her determination! I was laughing all the way into the house. I am still laughing.

And there's a little glimpse into our Saturday.