Airplanes

I walk a couple of mornings a week with a friend of mine. We pile the kids up in the stroller and head out. Well, I'm the only one piling 3 kids in a stroller meant for two. She just has one. Anyway, her son loves airplanes like Cameron loves fire engines and Logan loves trains. We decided to spice up our morning walk and head to a great spot I discovered while in college.

It is right in the flight path as the planes descend and approach the landing strip. The planes are huge and loud. We were certain that the kids would be terrified of the sound. But I think they were more in awe of the size of the airplanes! Emma was so patient with the boys, not so interested in the planes, but trying to make it a good experience for them. In trying to make it more fun for Cameron, she showed him how to make binoculars with his hands and then they could see the airplanes that much sooner. I am not certain if Logan was trying to copy their gesture or if he became less certain about the sound as nap time approached. Regardless, this was pretty darn cute! Cameron became more and more excited the more airplanes he watched fly over his head. I could see the airplanes coming before he did and would let him know when to start looking. He would stand so still watching, waiting. And then, as soon as the airplane was in sight, he started yelling and jumping in circles. It was hilarious! This proved to be an exciting outing for the kids. I am sure this won't be the only time we sit under the airplanes as they approach the airport!

Where do I begin?!

Where do I begin?! I can give a little background, and then you just have to smile and admire her independence and creativity! She is performing in a talent show at church in a couple of weeks and singing "Part or Your World" from the movie The Little Mermaid. All afternoon after her voice lesson today, she was wearing Emma's Ariel costume. She was about to add the wig when I told her it was time to change for dinner. Earlier in the day, while Briley was dressed as Ariel, the other Halloween costumes came out. Cameron was Buzz Lightyear, Emma was Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty) and Logan had the gun belt and boot covers from his Woody costume. After dinner, I was reading the boys a story and Briley came out of my room like this. I had difficulty suppressing the laughter as she said, "Don't I look cute, Mom? You should take a picture." And so I did. I am sure that this will work to my advantage one day as some sort of blackmail!

She adds a little sparkle

We spend a lot of our time during the summer in water. Knowing that summer is coming and camping at the beach next month, I wanted to make sure that they each have a couple of swim suits. We were at Target and Emma found one she really liked. It was pink and had more pink ruffles on it. It was her, just perfect. We moved on to the next on item on my list: church shoes for Logan. As we passed through the girl aisle to get to shoes for Logan, Emma stopped dead in her tracks. Turning to see what had stopped her, I saw them; the most perfect little shoes for her. She already had a pair out of the box and halfway on her feet before I could mention that we were here for shoes for her brother. "Mommy, they fit perfectly!" was her response to my impatient sigh. The shoes were actually 3 sizes too big. I don't think she saw that. The shoes fit her perfectly, meaning that they were pink, sparklely and very fancy-something Fancy Nancy would be proud to wear. I caved, giving her the choice between the swimsuit she needed and the shoes she wanted. I actually expected her to chose the swimsuit she had just been gushing about not 5 minutes before. To my irritated surprise, she chose the shoes. The choice to her was actually between the shoes she needed and the swimsuit she wanted. She has not wasted the money in any way! She wears them faithfully every day (and night), sometimes with socks, sometimes without.


Even Logan has taken a liking to them! Ok, so he will wear anyone's shoes, these are just the pinkest shoes he's ever tried on!

What can I do? She does add a little sparkle to our lives!