Strawberry Preview

A couple of weeks ago, some friends and I had the one and only Sarah Cramer take some pictures of our kids strawberry picking. Here is a preview!

Ila's in The C'ville!

Click here to see Ila in the latest edition of The C'ville!

I Wish I Had Bitch-Slapped That Lady

I realize I'm using the blogosphere to avenge my anger upon strangers that will never see this, but I'm doing it anyway (because it's also a pretty funny story). So here it goes...

C'ville Coffee is probably the most kid-friendly restaurant in Charlottesville, and is the only place I've experienced the joy of being able to sit at a table and have an adult conversation while Ila plays in the kid-zone right next to me. I can be sure it is indeed a kid-zone by assuming that the other large separate fenced off area with high tables labeled "adult zone" is indeed the adult zone. And not to mention the large wooden turtle slide, toys and sign labeled "kid zone" make it pretty clear too. Surely, any high-functioning adult could assume that there might be some ruckusing going on in the kid zone. I never can understand why some adults choose to sit with their lap tops and do their work at the tables near the kid-zone, especially right next to the play area; but sure, I guess they have the right. So today I met Lindsey, Addie, and baby Carter for our weekly C'ville Coffee date assuming we would peacefully enjoy our conversation with the few exceptions of needing to walk over and tell our kids to stop doing something. But no, these two persnickity ladies were on a well-thought-out mission to inform us (mostly me for some reason) that we were terrible parents trying to sit as far away from our kids as possible and let them do whatever they wanted. (Unfortunately for us there were some adults doing work at the tables closest to the play area when we arrived). They must have missed all the times we had gotten up to tend to Ila and Addie. They must have arrived just at the perfect time to see us talking about something rather serious and perhaps weren't thinking it was as important to tell them to stop taking the pillows off the raggedy old chair. But we could see that they were having fun, and not causing any harm to the pillows or anybody else. These ladies had chosen to sit on the couch directly NEXT to the kid zone, so I can see why they would have gotten annoyed with Ila and Addie and our lack of attention in that moment. BUT they could have chosen to sit in the clearly marked adult zone instead, AND even more clearly, they didn't have to be such bitches about it and cause a scene! The older lady had planned out a speech before she approached us and the younger lady stood next to her with an equally horrifying scowl on her face. (They really should have practiced in front of the mirror first). Leaning in as far as she could, she went on to say that we "needed a lesson in responsibility"and was going to report us to management for not watching our children. It was clear she didn't care about my responses as long as she got to hurl her angry accusations and judgments upon us as inadequate mothers, so I just smiled and nodded and threw out a few comments that just stirred her up even more. I don't think their tone could have been any more condescending and I don't think it ever occurred to them it was quite possible they were jumping to some conclusions. Thankfully, I'm confident enough in my parenting to know that I am an extremely conscientious mother (I actually have to try NOT to intervene as much as  I want to with Ila) and was able to laugh all the way home as I also fumed and plotted my retaliating blog post. But it really got me to see how proud of themselves they were as they loudly assured each other on their way out "good job speaking your mind" and "she did raise 5 kids ya know!" I was actually surprised to hear that she had any kids at all, especially five. Poor children. Or maybe that explains why she's so on-edge and wants to bite complete strangers heads' off. I just can't believe we got in a real fight at C'ville Coffee.

But looking back, I wished I had just bitch-slapped that lady. Maybe if I had, I would have slapped off that enormous weight of judgment she was lugging around, or maybe that terrifying scowl would have stopped, or at least maybe that large stick would have fallen out of her ass. Maybe. I'm pretty sure most everyone in the room would have agreed she deserved it. But no, I didn't bitch-slap her, I just went home and blogged about it instead. 

VB Friends!

Last weekend I was able to get down to VB just for my friend Christina's baby shower. As you can see from the second picture, there were several other bellies I needed to see before everyone starting popping out babies! I got to spend some extra time with the Stone family which was so wonderful, and I'm so thankful for all my VB friends! I miss you!

Mary Elizabeth and I

The hostesses with Christina in the middle. Beautiful shower!

Easter Week at the Beach House

We were able to get down to Hatteras for a few days before Easter! Only another month until we'll be here for the summer doing this.

Ila's first beach day of the year! It was only warm enough one day to be out there in bathing suits.

 Then the Fines joined us! Here they are headed to Buxton for Orange Blossom doughnuts.

Los Finos

To the beach for an Easter egg hunt!

I'm not sure if it's cameras or egg hunts that make Ila turn on her angry face. I think it might be cameras.

Ila dressing up Summer

Story Time

She's Conquered The Big Girl Bed

That's right, it's been almost a month now and Ila has never slept better in her new toddler bed. For several months before, Ila had been waking up 1-3 times per night. It was never for long,  just a "I lost my passy!" ("I chucked it across the room or behind the crib") or "I need blankets!" or the cutest one (though not so cute at 2am) "Mommy Daddy love you!" (Meaning she just needed me to say that to her). For these months it was easier to go get the dang passy for 1 minute and go back to sleep than to let it escalate into her screaming, then climbing out of her crib, opening her door, opening our door, and getting all worked up over the whole ordeal. Not to mention I was worried about her hurting herself. But last month I had had enough, so Ross made her crib into a toddler bed and we put a gate on her door so she couldn't get out. Each night before bed we sat her down and had "a little talk" saying that Mommy and Daddy will still be in the house but we are NOT going to come in her room if she cries for us because Mommy and Daddy need to get their sleep. She would always say "But I don't want to cry!" We did a few practice runs of her getting out of her bed on her own to get a dropped passy or pulling the blankets up herself. She thought it was pretty fun and exciting and slept through the night that first night and just about every night since! I was expecting to get no sleep for about a week and was so amazed the next morning! Thank you toddler bed. Hello sleep.

Easter Sunday Sass

 Our dear friends the Mcclellens were so nice to let us come use their amazing yard for an easter egg hunt on Sunday after church. It was the perfect weather with a scrumpteous easter feast, but for some reason Ila decided to turn on her sassy face for the entire time and barely even hunted for eggs. I think it was a combination of chocolate and jelly beans with breakfast, being exhausted from the packed out nursery at church right before, and her toddlerness that comes out at any point in time really. I still managed to snap a few pictures, but there was not a smile to be found on this little one. Oh well! Good thing Easter isn't about getting perfect pictures in our perfect easter dresses (though I was tempted to think so at some moments!) Thank you Jesus that we don't have to measure up and for loving us even when we are full of sass.

Here she is pretending she doesn't know what to do while all the other kids are running around her finding eggs. At least I can see a cute dimple.

Ila and Addie

Yay she found one!

William showed no mercy to the little kids on this one. 

Lindsey's friend Heritage - Isn't she beautiful?

This was actually the best group shot I got.