Indian Summer

So, we're outside enjoying the 70+ degree weather a couple of days ago, when it occurs to me that we were experiencing 'Indian Summer'. Then, a few minutes later, I laughed out loud. Mark is apparently 1/16 Native American (if you're a cowboy, then that's Indian to you...), does that mean that one of my 1/32 Native American daughters (fair skinned and blond) could be the first Native American president? HAHAHA! Just a moment of Solomon political humor...probably not very funny, which is the reason that I don't usually do political humor. But, it is our blog, and you love us!

Back to the real story!

Charlotte has been tough to keep off the back steps. They are scary and dangerous to mothers of 14 month old children! Sometimes she just sits on the bottom steps and looks like she thinks she's big (right! children her age who are 'big' walk! they don't crawl!). But, on this day, she discovered the recycle bin! She thinks it is a new toy box, full of new amazing things!

In this picture she is, once again, tasting the mysterious 'poison berries' that have been all over our lawn since the Norwood Hurricane of 2008. To my knowledge, and don't laugh at the amazing lack of knowledge, she has never swallowed one. I am convinced that this girl will be the one who can nap with gum in her mouth and never get it into her hair! Mind you, we are NEVER going to test that theory. Anyway, she'd given up tasting the berries for a few weeks. She just enjoyed carrying them around, held so tightly in the smallest fist you've seen. But, I guess she wanted to see if anything changed as they ripened! Don't worry. As the president of the Norwood branch of National Safety Directors International, I quickly saved my daughter from certain death and threw the berry into the back yard. If you've never been on the phone with me when something like this happens to Charlotte, I'll tell you that the dogs in the neighborhood have damaged ear drums after she let's out a blood-curdling scream!

This is Ava, being...well...Ava. She is concentrating on something very important with her hair in her face and a little bit of lunch around her mouth. Since she has begun to wash her own hands after meals, I have completely lost control of the food around her mouth. Also, I love the fact that hair around her face doesn't bother her. To me, a 'tucker' (for those of you who have short hair or are boys, a 'tucker' is a person who has long hair around her face, but cannot just let it sit there, looking pretty. A 'tucker' has to tuck her hair behind her ears, ruining the Gwyneth Paltrow sleek look that she saw in the morning, after using her wonderful hand-me-down CHI straightening iron...but I digress). To me, this lack of care for this beautiful mess of hair, means that there is at least one ridiculous, frustrating habit that may not be passed on to this amazing little girl!

Here's a video of Charlotte...listen to Ava. She's my doll!

Here is my Ava-love. Since I don't have a way to shorten her name, I just add to it.

This post is so 'wordy' because videos take so long to load!!! Sorry...or you're welcome!