weekly rewind

Best: backyard BBQ with the Powells and the Ayers - what I thought were giant weeds in the front of our house blooming the most beautiful orange flowers (obviously I know nothing about plants) - thrift shopping and finding a side table for $5 - Lou's side part when she gets out of the tub - hanging at the Vanwagenen's and having Marissa make all of us the most delicious lunch while I just sat there and chatted her ear off - Minnie sleeping in until 10 am Tuesday (hello dreamy!) - Louie sleeping through the night for a few days in a row (knock on wood) - listening to Minnie sing herself to sleep at night - Lou's little sitting down rocking dance moves along with her cheesy four-tooth smile - ceiling fans at night (I really hate them but Robert insists we keep them for practical reasons so he is going to rub this in big time) - gold spray paint that is lasting forever - listening to the girls laugh at each other - Min hitching rides with all her boyfriends - watching Lou try to raise both legs when you set her on the grass - Julia playing a little ditty for Min because we came late to the show - rearranging furniture - rose bushes in the yard coming back with a bang...I love flowers that you don't have to work for - the most amazing Hawaiian ice with Mikey, Nikki and baby Hudson - hanging up pictures at 10 pm when the kids should be in bed (maybe this should be in the worst? Worst parents anyway...) - dancing in the kitchen with Robert and Minnie cutting in to dance with my man - sharing a big bowl of edemame with Min on the daily - the girls coordinating lengthy naps pretty much every day

Worst: Louie getting the stomach flu and not wanting to eat for daaaaays - check out lines at ikea that take an hour to get through every single time...I swear! - Lou tipping over in the shopping cart and conking her head - showing up late to a concert and missing Julia's set - Minnie rubbing hand sanitizer in her eye...oy! - finding black widows in our basement window wells (Minnie hasn't talked about anything else since and goes ballistic if she feels any faint tickle on her arm...it just HAS to be a spider) - Lou ALWAYS bolting it for those wooden stairs - Bob's allergies that are making him delirious - Not being able to chat with my parents who are out of range on a tiny little island somewhere -Min's inevitable "I need to go potty" escape routine from her room right after we put her down - laundry, laundry and more laundry...it never ends - our zoo pass that expires tomorrow