Playing in Dirt

After spending the last couple of days in frustration over a research project, it was thoroughly enjoyable to dig my hands deep into dirt this morning and finally put all my flowers into pots. I don’t think there’s anything quite so stress relieving as playing in dirt.

Goldie Locks No More

For some time now Meredith has been asking me to cut her hair. Aparently I had put her off too long because she decided to take matters into her own hands. On Sunday afternoon she cut more than six inches off both sides of her hair.

Kevin found her holding scissors in one hand and a wad of hair in the other hand. The rest of her locks had been abandoned in a trash can.

Kevin asked her why she cut her hair. She said, “Because I wanted it short like mommy… now we have two womens in our family.”

I tried to salvage some of the back of her hair and give her some layers but, in the end, it didn’t look quite right. Kevin and I both agreed that everything had to go.

Although she looks cute in her new do—older, and more mischievous,too—I am saddened by the suddenness of everything. I wasn’t quite prepared to say goodbye to all those golden brown curls.

While I was cutting her hair, she warned me not to cut it too short, “like a boy.” But apparently I wasn’t successful because while at a restaurant the next day, the server asked, “Anything to drink for the little guy?”

"Clara Beara"

“Clara Beara,” which is what Meredith likes to call her, is 10 months old and growing by leaps and bounds. She’s crawling everywhere and pulling up on everything. She’s also starting to talk. When we say, “Hi, Clara,” she sometimes replies, “HI!” and waves her hand. She’s been saying, “momma” for a while. And she also loves to repeat words, like “doll,” “bear,” and “ish,” for fish.

While my blog was sleeping ...

During my blogging absence:

1) The kids got pink eye (do you know how hard it is to get eye drops into a squirmy, resisting two-year-old? I now have another badge to add to my Mom Vest);

2) Kevin graduated and started his bar review course (which makes for very l-o-o-o-o-n-g days, for both him and me);

3) My parents and two siblings came to visit for 12 days;

4) We went to the Creation Museum in Cincinnati; and

5) We ventured into the deep heart of Kentucky to see old friends. These folks live about an hour from WalMart. You know if you live an hour from ubiquitous WalMart, you’re truly in the sticks.

The Creation Museum was good but different than what I expected. I thought it would be more of a science museum promoting intelligent design and showing the flaws of evolutionary theory. Instead, it had numerous exhibits on biblical and Christian history with wax figures. And several rooms were dedicated to the consequences of choosing human reasoning vs. God’s Word as your starting point. The museum did have a very impressive planetarium, though. And the grounds were beautiful.

Clara's first carousel ride.

Meredith's first "real" horse ride (the pink pony at Meijer doesn't count). And bareback too!

This momma can ride!

Clara at the Children's Museum. She is either strapped into something or crawling everywhere these days.

Graduation Day

Men and their technology! They are playing with GPS on the blackberry.

It's a good thing Meredith has a strong grandpa to protect her.

Grounds of the Creation Museum.

Melissa has fun on the suspension bridge.

My mom hanging out with Noah and Co.

Wedding Bells

Spring, newness, life …

I think my immune system did something crazy when I quit my job and I got a really, really awful head and chest cold. In fact, seven days later I’m still really struggling with it.

Kevin’s finals are done. He’s done with law school. For the second time! I can’t believe it. The graduation ceremony is next week and my family is coming into town.

Shannon, my dear friend and sister in law, is getting married tomorrow. Meredith loves to tell people that she will be a flower girl and wear a blue and white dress. I am honored to be a bridesmaid—I’ll be the one smiling and sucking on a cough drop!

Here are some pictures from this last week. The first ones are of a trip to the Lilly Estate gardens after Kevin finished his last exam. Spring here is truly beautiful.

The second set are of an honors convocation ceremony (not the “real” graduation but Kev still wore cap and gown). Kevin was named the Chancellor’s Scholar because he graduated with the highest cumulative GPA in his law school class. Each top student of the various schools (business, dentistry, etc.) at IU were honored and various faculty members were given awards too.