The Death of Me

Seriously. This child is going to give me apoplexy.

Most two year olds have a healthy sense of fear. Or self-preservation. Bitty Bit has neither.

And she does things like this


and this


And she isn't really concerned about whether you are ready for her to jump or not. She is fully convinced she can swim. And really, she almost can--but not quite.

It is the "not quite" that worries me.

Things I Never Thought I Would Say

Becoming a mom will elicit phrases that really would never have occurred to you in a million years. Things like "your sister is not an easel--do not paint her!" or "do not attack your sister with the elephant". There are more, many much better--but they come at the spur of the moment and then vanish as quickly.


Living on a farm has also brought about conversations that I could never have imagined in my suburban childhood and teen years. (Although, growing up near a golf course in Florida engendered a lot of complacency about 8 foot alligators and 3 foot snapping turtles that I am not really sure I could manage now.)

Most of these conversations involve guns of some sort.

Really, I never could have imagined discussing which is best to use against a bear, a deer, a coyote. (The coyote I want to kill, the deer we just want to scare away--for now at least--and the bear I just don't want to be anywhere near if I have to take a shot at it.) Last night, after a stray tomcat came onto our property and attacked our sweet Charlie cat (who fought back valiantly), I had this conversation with my husband:

me: I think I need a pellet gun or something.
hubbie: um, why?
me: well, if that tomcat comes back (which he will), I want to scare him off without really hurting him.
hubbie: you could use the 22
me: yeah, but to be close enough for me to actually hit the cat, I would probably actually hurt him and I don't want to do that. I just want to startle him so he quits coming here and attacking Charlie.
hubbie: you could always use the 9 mm. that would startle him.
me: *punch him in the arm*

(for those unfamiliar with guns, the 9 mm would pretty much destroy that cat)

Yeah, I never imagined I would ever have conversations like that when I was growing up, or even two years ago before I actually lived on a farm and realized that, while fox are incredibly beautiful, they also eat your poultry and will kill your cat. The same goes for many other beautiful but dangerous or destructive animals.

(And for those of you who would defend the tomcat, let me explain why I have taken this stance. That tomcat is feral and would, if given the chance, hurt or even kill Charlie or my other animals, especially if he ends up with rabies or distemper or something (which is not out of the realm of possibility). My first responsibility is to the animals that are our own and my family, and I will defend them--hence me being willing to kill the coyote who could easily kill my chickens, cat, dogs or even Adeline if he were so inclined, but only wanting to scare the deer off who ate all the okra and corn out of our garden and munched on our apple trees, but aren't likely to actually hurt any people or animals.)

Aren't They Beautiful?

I love the way Bitty Bit is looking up at her sister. They really do love each other so much, it is precious.

This week, I could either spend time with my girls, or work on lengthy blog posts. I chose my girls (plus the massive amounts of laundry and housework that seems to follows guests and travelling). I will resume normal posting now.

Random

Lil Bit's favorite country singer is Taylor Swift. (She even got to meet her!) Anyone who has heard her music knows she is very clean and (so far) a pretty good example for young girls.

She apparently also has a sense of humor . . .

Forget the Sharks and Jets!

Meet "The Chickens"-- and they know how to dance fight.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Competitive Spirit

If her mom was more artistic--and Lil Bit would not wiggle--this would have looked much cooler. The bubbles would have been more realistic, there would have been an actual gator drawn somewhere, and "Eat My Bubbles" would have looked intimidating. (I don't have a problem with this phrase, but I am glad someone apparently talked to the 10-12 year old group that had shortened it to "Eat Me" at the end of the season last year.)

Good Luck, Lil Bit, at your meet tonight!!!

Strawberries!

We recently took the Bits and met family to go strawberry picking.


I haven't picked strawberries in years and it really was a lot of fun, especially watching Lil Bit and Bitty Bit discover the best red berries.


Or, in Bitty Bit's case, any berry at all.


Later we made jam from the strawberries. Despite near disaster that almost left me in tears (it was a lot of work that I thought had just been wasted--don't judge. Besides, I didn't really cry.), the jam turned out delicious.

Happy

A few little things that make me happy.

1. My vegetable garden. I pulled out the first zucchini this weekend, and am anxiously awaiting squash, cantaloupe, tomatoes, okra, beans, peas, and more.

2. Coffee in bed. On weekends, Chris will often (usually) get up with the kids and let me sleep. Then he makes me a latte and sets it by the bed so the smell wakes me up--it is one of my favorite things.

3. My camera. I love capturing the silly moments in life that make life special.


4. Apples. Especially with cheddar cheese. In the evenings we sometimes make stove popped popcorn and slice apples and cheese--a tradition from my childhood.

5. My new coffee mug. I needed a travel mug BADLY. I saw this and knew it was "the one".


It says "Mommy's Sippy Cup". I just couldn't resist.

Images from a Swim Meet

The calm before the storm of swimmers . . .


Lil Bit's swim team friend. These two charm pretty much anyone who crosses their path. I dare you to resist their cuteness.

Getting the swim cap on over all of Lil Bit's hair is a challenge.

Sometimes it takes a couple of adjustments to get it right.

Lil Bit's cheering committee.

Diving in for the relay.

She thinks she can, she thinks she can.

Lil Bit hit the wall and her friend took off. Her assistant coach was there to pull her out.

And then we heard thunder and everyone was out of the pool. Lil Bit didn't get to swim her individual heat, but there will probably be a reschedule tonight.

Swim Meet Tonight!

Even Bitty Bit is ready.


Lil Bit will be competing in the 25 Freestyle. Her coach thinks that by next week's meet she will also be ready to compete in backstroke.

Swim Season is Upon Us

This will be Lil Bit's third year on swim team and her second year competing (the first year she was too young to compete). The first time back in the pool, it looked like she had lost EVERYTHING over the long winter. But she has regained it quickly and will be in the FIRST meet of the season this week. The girl is a fish. (Except in backstroke, she still sinks like a rock in that--sorry for the heavy bone structure, Lil Bit, that is my fault.)

PS Sorry for the slightly intermittent posting--we have had friends in or been out of town the last two weeks and computer time has been impossible or just low on the priority list. Hopefully my life will return to only normal levels of craziness after next week.

Friendship--Old and New

My Handsome Engineer, Chris, and his friend Clay have a unique friendship. It started in Europe, where they were both born a month apart. Their moms say they used to drool on each other.


They might not like that I just shared that tidbit of information, so please don't tell them I said anything.


Their friendship has continued and grown throughout the years, despite the fact that they have lived in the same state for probably less than 5 of their 30-something years on the earth. It really is neat to see.

Kristin and I pretty much just married into the friendship, but I found a blessed friend there, as well and I am so thankful for my friend.


And now that friendship is passing on to the next generation. Lil Bit and Brian hit it off right away. Despite both being strong-willed first born kids, they got along great. There were a few battles, and I think Lil Bit physically pulled him away from one swing and put him on the glider swing one time (Did I mention strong willed?), but they were devoted to each other from the first.


When we walked downtown one evening, Brian told everyone he met, "This is my friend Morgan. I love her." It was precious.

Blue Crabs and Imagination

While some lifelong friends were visiting, we picked up some live Chesapeake bay blue crabs, sure that the experience of cooking, shelling, and picking them would be a lot of fun.
1. Shelling and picking crabs is a lot of work. As our friend Kristin said, "this gives you just enough food to not starve"
2. By the time you are done picking, you really don't want crab anymore. We waited until the next day and made crab cakes which were AMAZING.


At least the kids had a blast.


And then, because we are apparently weird . . .

. . . and because the kids REALLY wanted to hold a blue crab, we let them see a couple that weren't exactly alive any more. It didn't really occur to us that they would turn this into a giant imaginary world. (We did eventually get rid of the dead crabs and make sure our kids washed their hands very, very well.)


Even Bitty Bit was fascinated. Until the crab suddenly moved (because she flipped it upside down--it really was dead). She then screamed, dropped it, and ran to me sobbing.

Can you imagine the conversation with the therapist?

"Back when I was two, my parents gave me this blue crab which attacked me. It was horrific."
"Yes, yes. Now I understand the basis of these deep-seated issues you have."

Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs and Love

It was a doomed love affair from the start.


No matter how Pat and Andy clung to each other, fate was against them.


Poor, poor crabs.


Tasty, tasty crabs.