We are in Lafayette for a long overdue visit, and we were fortunate to get an appointment for some family pictures. The link below will offer a sample, and I will certainly post more once the full set of proofs comes back. Enjoy!

www.carleymac.com

A few moments from recent days... at the park, enjoying his new car, 

testing out Daddy's old tent, and waiting for Daddy to get home from work.  

Happy Memorial Day!

Headed to the "Little Course" on Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Our priest at church this morning discussed how we are all branches of one ubiquitous vine - our familial branches twist, knot and grow to eventually separate into twigs of their own.  This young family of mine only just branched out in the grand scheme of things, but I am blessed to be growing and twisting and blooming with two of the most magnificent spirits I could hope to know.  I hope all of the mothers (and grandmothers) in our lives enjoy a nice, relaxing day to be loved and celebrated the way they celebrate their kids everyday.   

...and yes, we spent Mother's Day morning at the putting green.  As in, we're putting our golf clubs in the street, putting a juice cup in the hole, putting a shoe in the hole, and occasionally putting a ball into the hole with a golf club as all equipment was intended.  Hilarious.  Check back -  pictures to come when camera is located.   

Did someone say Chips Ahoy?!

The past few weeks have flown by in a blur -- my apologies for not keeping the blog updated, but I've had a difficult time keeping myself updated!  

Catherine & Ben Laurenzi and Lindsay & Wesley Lehman are old friends from college and New York.  Well, Ben came along later than the others but he may as well be a southerner.  ;)  Both girls are expecting their first babies this summer and we are all scattered across the country, so we reunited at the lake for a weekend.  They had not met Peter before, so it was a good chance for them to see what's in store for them.  We enjoyed lazy days out on the boat, a nice bonfire, and we even managed to visit the horses a few times.  

Our dear friend Meg O'Beirne married Andy Payment in the plantation town of Natchez, Mississippi.  We were able to leave Peter with the Bryants for the weekend and spend some great time with old friends scattered all over the country.  It was a lovely weekend punctuated by a great party and a truly glowing bride.  

We noticed Peter wasn't his usual chipper self and found him feverish.  We resisted going to the doctor, knowing all they'd do would be to prescribe Motrin and keep a close watch.  We missed out on swimming lessons and our usual music and gym classes.  Well, after a few days of poor, pitiful Peter, I caved.  You know, I try not to be nervous Nelly and resist calling the doctor for every little thing.  I took him in to be sure that a little bug didn't turn into something bigger (i.e., an ear infection) and what do you know!?  Ear infection in his right ear.    I had tested that theory but he wasn't even sensitive to me jiggling it and pulling at it.  (Sigh.)  Not-so-miraculously, he was back to himself once he started the antibiotic.  Now we are back to chasing each other in circles all day long.  Fun, huh?

These rains have got to go.  I know that the yard needs it and my flowers are better for it.  I'm over it.  He needs the park.  I need the sun.  He needs the back yard.  I need the world beyond the walls of my house.  Mrs. Maureen, McCall and I participated in a neighborhood yard sale last weekend and took the opportunity to purge a rather large inventory of furniture, home accessories, and (euphemism: just-plain-useless-stuff).  One man's trash is another man's treasure, right?  Despite the risk of being flooded, we were prepared with tents and raincoats. While I didn't have any large items, it was strangely cathartic to part with even a bunch of tiny things.  I suspect McCall enjoys having her whole house back now, too.  

Overheard (or seen) at the Bryant house lately:

• Peter spilled some milk in the bathroom so he tore off a piece of toilet paper and dabbed at the spill before throwing away the trash.
• We learned the word "sigh" on Sesame Street, so now he'll sigh (almost) on cue.  You can tell how interested he is by the intensity of the sigh.  ;)
• He talks through the cycle of people whose names he can say and I respond with various depictions of what that person may be doing at that moment:  Dada is at work, Boopa (Grampa) is with a patient, Nga (Reenie) is playing bridge, and Nanny is playing with the cows in Texas.  Repeat a minimum of 64 times a day.  
• Got your nose!  
• Anytime the words "trash," "dirty," and "yuck" are mentioned, he responds with a resounding "BLEGH!" 
• When the Swiffer commercial came on, he went over to the closet and got out the Swiffer.  Naturally, I let him "play" with it for a while... my floors look great!  
• Muscle flexing
• I was cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen last night after FINALLY getting the kitchen cabinets painted.  I turned off the lights before going to bed and noticed Peter had left the oven light on.  Since I often leave the sink light on at night, there's no telling how long that oven light had been on.  
  

This week, Peter has been asking for bed after a story instead of sticking around for rocking time.  I put him in his crib, he curls up with Lovey and Bear, and waves me away with a smile.  His growing independence is bittersweet for me, but it warms my heart to know he feels so safe and loved.  Everyone from the regulars at our Friday breakfast joint to our closest friends are commenting on how big he's getting, and my arms certainly won't disagree.  While my brain knows this is true, my heart can't help but remember the sweet, easy-going baby boy whose greatest joys in life were peekaboo and his daddy's crazy voices.  In that sense, he hasn't changed a bit.