Trips to Trader Joe's

Ah, Trader Joe's. Purveyor of "unconventional and interesting products," as well as everyday basics, this specialty grocery store has a cult-like following, and we have definitely "drunk the Kool-Aid" so to speak. Or maybe the TJ's strawberry lemonade.. We happily shop at this store once a week or so because of their inexpensive produce and interesting products, and also because their marketing is just so dadgum good. The vanilla coconut milk has transformed my morning coffee; the organic polenta is delightfully cheap; the bags of avocados and apples are winners; our hands have smelled of fresh linen all week; and we can't live without their veggie straws.

Lillian loves going to "Twaduh Does" for several reasons: first and foremost, the sucker she gets at the end of every trip for being a good listener--negotiating with two-year olds usually involves bribery of some kind. Second, the seasonal stickers given out by the incredibly (sometimes overly) friendly check out people. And finally, the lure of the tiny cart. TJ's made a genius move by providing tons of these (our Harris Teeter only has one). True, every aisle is a potential death trap of small children pushing unwieldy metal vehicles and my ankles/calves rarely make it out of the store without being hit at least once, but it entertains L to no end and allows me to gauge just how much (or little) parental control I have during any given week. Thanks, Trader Joe's, for never failing to entertain and educate us!

Here is a picture walk through some highlights of a TJ's trip.

E can't wait until I give him actual samples instead of just the containers. This picture was taken by the bathrooms, also a necessary stop on any TJ's trip. Try negotiating two children and two carts without losing your mind or your groceries.

Can you hear the metaphorical birds bursting into song as L finds her prize? Also, can't get enough of this guy's baby blues. 

Two carts, two kids. It's a workout. And a lot of fun!

For once, L has a modest selection of mom-approved dairy products in her cart. I think I managed for the first time ever to remove all the "impulse buys" before we reached the checkout. #victory

TJ's also has a great flower selection when you first walk in. We always end up with at least one bundle or plant. You can see the blue hydrangea being "gently placed" into the cart by L behind my stylin' little boy.

Scrubadubdub

Who doesn't love a good (and tasteful) bathtime picture? Love them.

something marvelous

Just a quick insight the Lord gave me this morning from Psalm 22.

First David's lament and later Jesus' well-known cry from the cross, verse 1 reads: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This gut-wrenching question is immediately followed by, "Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?" In short, the psalmist wants to know where the Lord is in the midst of his deep sadness, of his visceral pain.
But skip down and Psalm 22 ends with this verse: "[Future generations] will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--for he has done it. It's the phrase, "He has done it" that really strikes me. It can't be a coincidence that Jesus, as He agonized in His final moments on the cross, bearing the unbearable weight of sin, quoted a psalm that ends with the simplest description of our redemption: He has done it. And we get to rejoice in this ending to the sad story of this world; we can quietly marvel at the wonder of this gift, today and every day. Hallelujah, He has done it! He is risen.

Have a wonderful day!
ps) I am very excited that this post had nothing to do with kids and no pictures. I'm sure I'll be back with my regularly scheduled programming (so to speak) soon, but I do hope to do more of these types of posts.

April 2, 2014

April 2, 2014 was a great day for a number of reasons.

We started the day with Winnie the Pooh. The old school, 1970s Winnie the Pooh that I grew up watching. I love the way she says "Pig-eh-wet" and "Winnie DA Pooh." And of course "Wabbit" and "Tiguh."

Yep, she watches TV pretty much every morning. Sorry we're not sorry?

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Later, we painted nails. Lillian would do this activity every morning if I'd let her, but my nerves are only up for it about once a week. She loves to paint nails with my mom, too. Thank goodness. If you've ever painted nails with a wiggly two year old, you'll know there is lots of cajoling and threatening involved as you paint teeny-tiny surfaces that are continually moving and smearing.

The color is "Green with Envy." And I'm sure you feel just that way about our AMAZING carpet.

Then Elliott went down for a nap and Lillian requested (read: demanded) some strawberry pancakes. While this wasn't what I had envisioned for the morning, I tell her "no" so often that sometimes it is fun to say yes just for the heck of it. In true toddler fashion, she ate three bites and declared them to be "yucky," but I thoroughly enjoyed them. So much so, apparently, that I didn't take a picture.
Next up was painting with some new Walmart supplies. Looking at this picture is probably more fun than the actual activity, which takes a good bit of set up, clean up and supervision (the Toddler Trifecta for measuring how worthwhile an activity is), but it is fun to watch her create and play with color.

My sweet girl hard at work.

Around 11, a friend texted and asked if we wanted to go to the beach. Since Lillian had pretty much run through all of my ideas for the day in about two hours, I figured why not? So after a little lunch and some careful packing up of the usual suspects (snacks, toys, diapers, etc.), we headed to Isle of Palms for Elliott's inaugural beach trip.

This guy loves the beach, ridiculous hat and all.

Especially the consumption of sand. 

Proof that I was there

L and her slightly tacky tutu swimsuit. She was really excited to be there, which was fun.

BUT the most important reason why this day was special....

WAS THE ARRIVAL OF MY NIECE, HAILEE MAE SANDBACH!! After 22 hours of labor in the hospital--not including BEFORE checking in to L and D--this sweet little girl made her way into the world (such a beautiful euphemism that in no way captures what it's really like!) and made my little sister a mommy! When I actually get the chance to sit down and think about this, it makes me cry. She is already a miracle and I can't wait to watch her grow up. And good job making it through a long and frustrating labor, Hillary. I am so proud of you! I am counting down the days until June when I will finally get to meet Miss Hailee Mae. Lillian is really excited about "Aunt Hurry's baby," and someday Elliott will know how awesome it is that he has a cousin who is only 7.5 months younger than him. 

I definitely think she looks like her mommy! Sweet face! And apparently there is a dimple that I can't wait to see!

Yep, that's my sister holding a baby. Her baby. Amazing!

Picture Post

It's no secret that I love how much my kids look alike. Who knows if this will always be the case, but for now, I think it's tons of fun. 

Lillian, April 2012

Lillian, March 2012. Immediately after this photo she jammed the flowers into her mouth. 

Elliott in our Bradford Pear tree in March 2014. 

Elliott at his dedication on 3/18/14.

Hobby, rediscovered

Once upon a time I used to run. I picked it up in college as a way to spend time with friends/stay in some sort of shape, and continued it into my early years in Charleston. I ran the Cooper River Bridge run three times. And then we spontaneously got an adorable puppy in April 2010 who needed lots of exercise and BOOM my running career ended and I became a walker. Throw a couple of pregnancies (which produce kids, by the way) into the mix and my motivation to run sank lower and lower.
This all changed about three weeks ago when I went to watch the end of Thomas' Tough Mudder race. My friend Caroline, who is an incredible natural athlete, had casually decided to run the race that week and only finished a few minutes behind the guys. To be completely honest, my first reaction to this was pure jealousy of her awesomeness and frustration with my own lack of fitness. So I took a deep breath and told Thomas that I wanted to start running again, and we strategized about ways to make this happen. [Sidebar: one of the keys to staying sane while staying at home with small children is my supportive husband, who is quick to help me get out of the house or change up what can sometimes feel like a stifling routine, whether it's Bible study, writing blog posts, running, or working part time. Love that man.]
I invested in some good running shoes (Brooks, if you're curious), and have started pounding the pavement 3-4 times per week for the last couple of weeks. I'm certainly not going to be breaking any land speed records any time soon but it feels great to be out doing something challenging. Yesterday a man drove by as I was finishing a double stroller run and yelled "You go, Mama!" and it totally made my day. (Quick! Spot the words of affirmation girl!) I prefer running with Elliott, who hangs out quietly playing with toys until he goes to sleep--man do I love that kid-- but have survived a couple of runs with Lillian, too. And I even went by myself once, which I appreciate about 1000x more than I did back in 2010. There's nothing like responding to a two-year-old's unending stream of questions and demands while you're winded and pushing a double stroller. #goodtimes
I'm hoping to do a few races this year with local friends and college friends to help keep my motivation going.

Instagram repeat, sorry. Running in the springtime is glorious!

It's fun to be running with Thomas again! Plus our three additions.

Wordless Wednesday

I'm pretty sure this picture will never get old