Rotten Eggs in my Face

We are so happy that spring and the sun is coming! Kiddos are happy and are playing in the yard more. Of course, there are giant piles of deer poop all around but we'll work that out eventually =)

We even have been eating some outside. Above, Lily has spilled her giant Blueberry Kefir on the table and is contemplating licking it up from the table. She actually tried and got the kefir all over her adorable Patagonia jacket (sob). Thank goodness those jackets are washable! =)

 

Chris is busy training for his next marathon and is logging the miles. He is consistent and steady in his training. 

The piranha deer are BACK in the yard (as evidenced by the deer poop). We have such a beautiful yard so it's tough to see them using it as a salad bar. I also don't love that they are VERY big and powerful animals around my very small, tiny, adorable children. So, I have spent MANY hours spraying all of the plants with a mixture of rotten eggs and cayenne. It is horrid smelling and gets all over me when I'm spraying it. I also put out electronic shockers in areas the deer walk through and tried some subsonic sound things. Those got wet and fell over so they're drying out right now. Maybe I need a mini umbrella for them ...? The shock and awe campaign has helped and the deer trespass but are munching less. Let's hope it stays that way.

The kids took a four week Superhero class at the Y and LOVED it. I saw huge improvements in Jamisen's interaction with the other kids and teachers from the last class a year ago where he mostly hugged the wall. Lily just jumped in, literally, head first and had an amazing time. Both kids were better behaved than almost all the other kids there - and that is with Lily being the youngest by 8 months.

 

Sister in Law Cheriss and I have been meeting at the gym on the weekends ... and by 'have been meeting', I mean, 'have done it twice; yay us!'. While we're there, the cousins play in the children's area (a bargain at $5 for 2 hours). Lily really likes having Alise there to help take care of and feel useful. It's adorable. 

The funniest thing happened a few days ago. Lily got a heart straw for Valentine's Day from her school. Jamisen did not get any presents from his school. Do the math; two kids, one straw. Of course, there was drama around sharing. No straw was as good as the heart straw. Sharing was fraught with tears, crying and screaming. Lily did not want to share. She lorded the straw over Jamisen at points and generally, pushed her brother's buttons. Jamisen reacted poorly. Finally, Chris had enough of the whining and screaming and put Jamisen over his shoulder to carry him upstairs for some calm down time. And what does our little Lily do? She LEAPS off the bench, screaming, "DON'T TAKE MY BROTHER!!!!!!!!!" and tears off at a full sprint after Chris and Jamisen. By the time I caught up with her, I found her determinedly plodding up the stairs, with tears streaming down her cheeks, stating, "Don't take Jamisen. Don't take Jamisen. Don't take Jamisen." It was sweet ... and clearly at the age of 2, she sees no irony in her behavior, before or after the time out.