The Communication Gap, Distilled

In the car today...

Meg: I look like Jessie in this hat and with my hair like this! I look like a Jessie doll.

Well-not-just-like-a-Jessie-doll-because-Jessie-has-two-braids-and-I-just-have-one-pony-tail-and-mine-goes-out-in-the-back-of-my-head-and-it's-not-red-and-I-don't-have-a-red-cowboy-hat-I-mean-a-cowgirl-hat-instead-I-have-Strawberry-Shortcake-on-my-hat-and-a bow-in-the-back-Maybe-someday-I-will-have-a-Jessie-costume-just-like-Matthew-has-a-Buzz-costume-with-red-boots-and-a-hat-and-those-cow-pants-that-Jessie-has-and-then-I-can-be-Jessie-when-Matthew's-being-Buzz-Mommy-tied-my-bow-under-my-ponytail-Why-did-you-do-that-Mommy-Oh-I-see-Maybe-when-we-get-to-the-picnic-today-there-will-be-some-other-people-there-Will-there-be-other-people-there-in-the-picnic-in-the-woods-Mommy-And-will-there-be-a-playground-Will-there-be-food-there-for-us-to-eat-Mommy-Oh-hot-dogs-I-like-hot-dogs-I-want-mine-with-ketchup-please-We're-going-to-Daddy's-picnic-for-work-Esme-and--

Matthew: WHACHOO TALKING BOUT?

WHACHOO TALKING BOUT???!


And I think that if you took off the filters of manners and maturity, and boiled down most male/female communication to its barest essence, that exchange is almost exactly what you'd get.

I Love It When All Three Kids...

play together happily.

Sounds obvious, right? Oh, but it's so much fun to see Esme engaging with the big kids, trying to do the things that they do!

Sweet moment for a mama's heart!

And it's a good thing I cherished it while I could, because Heaven knows these moments never last for long!

Psychedelic Laundry

This...

is my clothes dryer.

This is what happens when your child leaves crayons in her pocket and you don't catch it before you launder her clothes.

And not just any crayons--sparkly, glitter crayons.

I'm not sure how this is going to affect my upcoming laundering efforts, but I'm pretty sure that the load that got dried with the glitter crayons is ruined. Well, maybe not ruined. Maybe Matthew won't mind wearing the shorts with pink and green and purple flecks all over them. And maybe his father won't object either.

Maybe.

One thing I do know for good and certain: no more route, mundane, boring laundry days in this house. No sirree. From now on, laundry in the Wilcox household is going to be downright groovy.

Splash Park Family Day

Pardon the black spot in that last shot; our camera lens cover is demented, and I don't have a fancy enough editing tool to get rid of the spot. But at least you can see there a bit of what the splash park is like. Soooo fun, and the kids get more brave every year!

Lunch Faces

Combine three silly kids, one mommy, fruit smoothies, zucchini bread, a baby-food concoction involving kale, sweet potatoes and yogurt, among other items, and a camera. What do you get? I'll show you.

And one last little series featuring Esme: