The simplest moments are the ones I want to remember.

Do you ever have those moments where it feels like you could just burst into tears because you are just so grateful? I find that these moments, while absolutely exhilarating, are also some of the scariest sometimes. Scariest because the mere thought of losing that one thing could just make your whole world crumble. Or maybe I'm the only one in tears. I'll admit, I'm a crier. Too happy, too sad, too overwhelmed, you name it and I'm a goner. 

I don't want to be negative. I don't want to be morbid, but I just wanted to document a small moment in time that occurred today. Because it wasn't a sad moment. It was so very very happy. But my heart aches that this time where they are always with me, and often underfoot, is unfairly short. 

I was sorting clothes in my room this morning when I heard the kids giggling. Whenever I hear my two monkeys playing in their own little world, I try to give them their space. I want them to have their shared secret moments. That's not to say I don't like to take a peek! I never claimed to not be nosy! So I carefully looked into S's room and found them tucked under the covers in her bed. From their conversation, I could tell they were pretending to put each other to bed. It's so funny because they were going through the motions we go through with them every night. Saying prayers, telling stories, singing songs. And a great big kiss, a big hug, and a "snowman kiss" on the nose.

Unfortunately, (or maybe fortunately) I was caught, and S immediately asked, "Mama! Can you turn off the lights? And tuck us in?" 

So, I tucked my little monkeys in, gave them a kiss, a hug, and a snowman kiss each on their little noses. As per S's request, I walked out and closed the door behind me. As soon as I shut the door, I heard them chatting and giggling away again. 

*****

They weren't kidding when they said time was a thief. 

When it's good, it's good. Until it isn't.

Their relationship I tell ya. There is the good, the bad, and the downright ugly. Life with a three and a two year old is no picnic, and I'd be lying if I said every single day ends well. I keep reminding myself that this time is short and I need to focus on the good. Because...

When it's good...

...they'll have the sweetest conversations. One of my favorites was when I was getting Pato ready for a nap. I had just turned off the lights when Sofia peeked in and whispered, "Hey, Pato! Dream about me, okay?!" 

When it's bad...

...it often involves yelling, crying and Pato running to me sobbing and saying, "I'm SAD!"

When it's ugly....(which happens more than I'd like)

...S is usually yelling at Pato, demanding he go to time out. And he's yelling at her. Arms are waiving wildly. And all I want to do is call C and ask him to bring me a Diet Coke on the way home. Better yet. I'll take a Coke IV, thanks. 

And even though it seems like there's no hopping-off of this emotional roller coaster, even if I'm begging the roller coaster operator to please stop or at least slow the dang ride down, I'm greatful I just get the chance to ride. 

A Quick Plug

I feel like I've only mentioned on here a couple times about how I blog over at What to Expect. I'm always super (SUPER) intimidated before sending in a piece to my editor and super nervous that it will just be plain awful and everyone will loathe it and people will start rioting in the streets because of it. It's been a real honor to write over there because the What to Expect books permanently resided next to my bed for a solid 2-3 years. But, my most recent post is probably my favorite I've written thus far, and I hope you'll hop over and read it. I'm even making going to make it easy for you.

CLICK HERE 

Did ya like that?

No, really. I don't normally toot my own horn, but in this post I talk about becoming confident in our parenting decisions, strict sleep schedules, and sweet potatoes en lieu of cakes. 

Oh, and about that time S said vagina and nearly gave my mother a heart attack. 

And......maybe one other funny story but I'm going to make you go look.

Reverse Psychology

So, remember that time I was all like, "I'm really gonna nail this blogging thing and do better?!" I am officially not allowing myself to say that anymore. It's like I jinx myself. Instead, I'm going to reverse-psychologize myself and says, "Meh....I'm just going to post once in a while. Maybe. See if I care! (Insert smiley face with tongue sticking out emoji here)" 

That outta work, right?

I will certainly not make it a New Year's goal. (wink wink) 

It's a boy!

This had to be documented. 

On this day, within the span of thirty minutes, he was called a boy twice. TWICE! (I'll ignore the fact that everyone there already knows us.) 

*Clap! Clap! Clap!* 

Why I'm Already Afraid of the Middle School Years (Volume i)

If anyone has seen my sweet little bunny-loving three year old, would ya let me know? 

I mean, yes, I know she's quietly tucked into that cute little white toddler bed in the room next door. But sometimes, I swear an evil twin has replaced this girl, and her sole mission is to see how far she can push me before I give in to her demands, and sit in the bathroom for ten minutes with an Us Weekly because seeing pictures of celebrities pumping their own gas kinda makes everything okay again. (Joking. I've mostly broken myself from that celebrity gossip habit. You're more likely find me eating chocolate chips in the bathroom. Ones that I've dug up from the pantry because ughhhh we gave up candy.) 

I'm calling this list: Why I'm Already Afraid of the Middle School Years (Volume l)

1. Her hair is a daily battle. "Are you putting it up or down?!" Oh, and there's also the "updown." Then there's braids. "I don't want two braids. I want THREE braids because I'm THREE years old." Guys...I don't even know how to make that look good. 

2. Shoes. That's all I'm going to say (or not say) about that. 

3. Oh, this a big one. Imagine asking a tween to come down and do the dishes before calling their friends. (Wait.....is that still a thing? Tweens: ARE YOU CALLING YOUR FRIENDS? On the phone?! Do you just text? Do you even HAVE a phone...I sure didn't at that age. Also: Why are you reading this blog?? Don't you have your mother's Us Weekly to steal and read behind her back?) Okay, back to the dishes. Now imagine them saying, "Ugh...Mmmmmmommmm!" She does that!! Already! "S...it's time to do your hair!" "Ugh...Mmmmmmommmm!" 

Now, let me also include another list.

I'm calling it: Why I Know We're Gonna Make it Through Middle School (Volume l) 

1. Every night, she makes us tell her that we're best friends. I consider this a verbal agreement and legally binding. 

2. She's also told us she doesn't want to go college (sorry...not an option) because she doesn't want to live away from us. This makes me think that maybe she does really like us.

3. And the main reason...she's assured us that she's not going to grow big. Older, yes. But not bigger. I figure if I have a height advantage, she'll respect me more when she's 12. 

A whole lot of nothing.

Well. The holiday season is creeping up on us, which of course means things are getting busier and busier. My wonderful in-laws visited us this week, and I tell ya...they couldn't have come at a better time. The leaves were just peaking here (yay!) the temperatures are finally deciding to stay cold (not just tease us) and truth be told....mama really needed to sleep in. 

I mean. Daylight Savings....did you realllllly have to show up again? I mean, really. Spring forward, fall back, yada yada yada. My kids couldn't care less. This is the first round of 'savings that I wasn't sure we were going to make it. My kids already have a history of waking up early....especially the cute guy on the right. I swear, I've said it a thousand times...he's lucky he's has those adorable brown eyes. No one else could get me up as early and still make me love him. He likes to crawl into our bed and leave me with about an inch of space to stretch out. Always generous, that one. 

But...I'm almost afraid to say it...(knock on wood, knock on alllllll the wood) I think we may be finally coming into the clear. They've slept in (and by in, I mean 7) for two days in a row, and it's amazing how much better we all feel. 

In other news...things are getting busier at Casa Jones, and not just because of the holidays. Busy is good, but busy is still something I'm still trying to get used to. Well...the "being-accountable-to-someone-else" kind of busy, anyway. My goal is to learn how to juggle it all, and still be able to step back and enjoy the little moments with my family. Lofty goal, right?! Anyone else have it all figured out? I'm all ears. I'm already terrified of missing anything in my kids lives as it is. 

I'd also like to focus more on my writing. I've never fancied myself as a writer...but, who knows. Maybe someday down the road I may actually write something a little worthwhile. I've gotten to a fun little point where writing is less a chore, and more a thing I actually crave. It's nice. 

A whole lot of nothing. A whole lot of far-away-from-something-worthwhile. 

But present. For this second, anyway. 

An honest question about gas.

At dinner tonight.

S: (stands up on chair) Woah. Did I just pass gas?

Me: Um....I don't know. Did you?

S: (giggles) YEAH! I think I did! (More giggling.) Excuuuuuuse me! 

How a Crown Brought This Halloween Full Circle

I didn't plan on writing a post about Halloween. 

I mean, I don't really "plan" more than a few hours ahead most of the time on anything, and I certainly hardly ever "plan" on what I'll write on here. Has anyone noticed that I still have never posted about the kids' birthdays?? For shame! 

But, as I sit here watching some Halloween version of Curious George with S cuddled next to me, I realized that I actually really enjoy this holiday. Like most big holidays, it's all about the anticipation, no? 

I mean. For weeks now, every time we run into Target ("For just ONE thing,") S breaks into a very adorable but very loud rendition of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," every time she would spot one of those huge decorative spiders that hang from the ceiling. Pato is an expert spotter, so the two makea pretty great spider-spotting-singing team. I tell ya. I could never lose her in that place. I'd just have to listen for, ".....DOWN came the rain and WASHED the spider out!" 

Most people are pretty nice about it. We've gotten more than a few people looking around to see where the noise....I mean...gorgeous singing....came from. Hey, at least they weren't screaming, right? 

I should mention....they DO do their fair share of screaming-in-Targets like most other children. We are not immune. 

But, like I said, this post is about Halloween, not spiders. 

October always feels like "Halloween month," and I love that. I used to love dressing up as Mickey Mouse (NOT Minnie) because I had a huge crush on him. I said crush. Yes. Don't ask. 

One year, when I wasn't dressed up as Mickey, I was dressed up as some princess/fairy/angel...thing. Something thrown together and a hand-me-down. I remember being sad because even though I didn't really know WHAT exactly I was dressed up as, I knew I was lacking a crown. I probably pouted a bit, but nothing a bowl of Doritos Nacho Cheese chips couldn't fix. (I used to put. that. stuff. DOWN!) I remember seeing my mom doing something at the kitchen table, but I wasn't too interested to look. 

Well, some time later, she said she had a surprise for me. 

And I'll tell you what. There are few presents that stick out in my mind from my childhood, and this is one of them. Because even at that young age, I knew it came from her heart. 

Cardboard, tin foil, some tape, and a white shoelace from one of my sneakers. She had made the perfect crown. 

I was over the moon. It was PERFECT.

I was happy, and I could tell my mom was happy. 

What I didn't know then, but I do know now, is that her heart was positively bursting. 

I remembered this story as I was working on my own daughter's little crown yesterday. 

S has been really adamant about dressing up as herself this year, and nothing could change her mind. So, we decided to try and dress her up without her knowing. Genius right? 

As I sat and worked on making this flower crown, (my first time ever, by the way...so don't look too closely!) I kinda-sorta started pouring my heart into it (and blood....darn wire) and I hoped she would just not hate it. 

She loved it! She really loved it! This little crown that make-a-whole-costume-out-of-toilet-paper-and-a -toothpick moms would surely laugh at. 

It didn't matter that it wasn't perfect. But it was good enough that she couldn't wait to show daddy. And when it hits "show daddy" status, you KNOW it's good. 

So, I guess this Halloween, I had my own full-circle-moment. And it was something I'll always remember. Because that's what being a parent is all about. Doing everything you can to make your baby happy...even for second. Wanting to make their dreams come true. Even if it means it's going to hurt a little. 

And lastly....

Mami-

That crown from all those years ago....is still the most perfect crown. I know there was more to that crown than I could write on here. Thank you for making my childhood a happy place. 

A follow-up.

I felt like I needed to write a quick post that addressed the one before it. 

And what I have to say is this....

Home is really, really, good, too. 

A Little Homesick

We just got back from a quick trip up to my old hometown in New Jersey. Living in Virginia, I've been really lucky over the years to have had the chance to visit quite often. Also, lucky that my husband has been so willing to drive us up all those times and lucky that my parents were always begging us to come. 

Long story short, we drove up because we were scheduled to have family pictures taken in the city. The timing was perfect, and we had friends who were so generous in letting us stay with them. It was our first time back since my parents moved to Hong Kong, and I'd be lying if I didn't say it was terribly sad. Not all of it, of course. But, driving down all those familiar roads, seeing so many familiar faces and eating all those familiar foods that just make me feel like home, was, truth be told, hard. Hard because I don't know if my parents will ever end up back there. What if my little family moves across the country? What will bring me back?

It's funny. When we went to church on Sunday, none of the nursery leaders at church recognized us. We were asked several times if we were just visiting, and I almost wanted to respond, "No! You're the new one here! Are YOU visiting?" 

Okay, so I know home is where the heart is. Yes, yes, I agree completely. But, after this trip, I realized that a tiny part of my heart is IN the town I grew up in. I don't know if that tiny little part will ever reunite with the rest of my heart, but for now, when I think of Summit, I have a small feeling of longing. 

In my mind, Summit exists in a never-ending autumn. The REAL autumn. Not the kind that turns brown before it has the chance to turn red, and teases you with t-shirt temperatures. The sky is the perfect shade of grayish- blue and the leaves fall from the trees as you drive past them. The chilly air turns my cheeks just cold enough and I actually feel like my lungs are happy. Every inch of me feels happy.  

I'm glad my kids have gotten to experience this. J is too young to remember much, but S already remembers. She remembers that real bagels are doughy and I hope she'll remember what a real fall feels like. 

I hope they will have the chance to create more memories there, and when the time comes, have wonderful memories of wherever they will call home. 

Terrible-Two's Ain't Got Nothin on Three

Oh, my girl. You know how people talk about the terrible two's? Up and down I said, "Whatchu talkin' 'bout?! Two is the BOMB!"

Okay, maybe not in those words exactly, but pretty close. I loved two with her! She could speak in full sentences, which was awesome because we no longer had to play the guessing game with her. She was eager to do little things for me (like grab a diaper for me from Pato's room) without asking, "Whhhhhyyy?"  

We are now over a month into three...and basically we're pros around here at this three thing. Basically.

And now I get it when people said, "Forget two. No, wait till three!" Three is where it's at, folks. And by IT, I mean the fact that my toddler is now a full fledged little person with thinggggs. Opinion thinggggs. Emotion thinggggs. Whine-y thingggggs. And saying NO to lots of thinggggs. In the words of S herself: "draaaaammmaa!"

Dress c/o Little Hip Squeaks

It's something I'm getting used to. Having a little one who observes all and has an opinion on all things. I feel like I'm re-learning mom things daily. Just when I thought I had my groove down...bam. Time to step back and re-evaluate. Just when I thought I was doing okay on the patience meter, I realized that I could always work on it some more. More and more often I'll find S upset about one thing or another (ie. she doesn't want her her hair up OR down, she wants breakfast but doesn't want anything we have in the house, etc.) and more and more often I've found that I need to close my eyes, take a breath and ask, "Sweetheart, do you need a hug?" She almost always says yes, and thank goodness because part of me really really needs that hug for my own sanity. 

I'm writing this not to complain about my daughter, but to admit that I'm not a perfect mom. I have times where I just open the door and beg my kids to play outside so I can have a few minutes of quiet time. And my kids are not perfect either. The beauty of life is that none of us are perfect, and that's kind of a great thing. 

I'll give this professional three year old some credit though. When she kneels down and says her personal prayer every night, she always prays for everyone she loves. She prays for her cousins, her aunts and uncles, her primary teachers and for our family. Today she prayed that, "Heavenly Father will help us take care of our bodies." She loves having "family-meeting" (FHE) every week, and always wants to give the lesson. She has the biggest heart.

So maybe she's a little extra whine-y lately. And maybe sometimes I would rather rip my hair out than hear another second of it. But, when I hear my little girl's heartfelt (and wiggly) prayer, I know I have a best friend at my side. She and I will do this growing thing together.

I just hope I can keep up.

I just can't, okay?!

Oh, monkey! 

Pumpkin Hats

I know I sound like a broken record, but seriously, I love watching these two! They make each other laugh and drive each other nuts.

I'll often hear S telling Pato that he should go to timeout, and then he turns around and yells at her. And THEN they both come running to me. One in tears because he doesn't want his sister to send him to time out, and she's crying because he just won't listen to her. Annnnnd, there may be a toy car being thrown at someone's head in there. 

But, then there's the times they lay on the floor and line up all the cars. And sometimes when Pato is frustrated with something, big sister will say, "Mama, he just doesn't want that. You should leave him alone." 

I took these pictures the other day. I had planned on taking a picture of them holding their pumpkins, but immediately S put hers on her head, and instructed Pato to do the same. They laughed and laughed about it, and I decided these shots were much better than any other shot I was trying to get anyway.

It makes me so happy to know these two will always have each other. I love our times together, but I look forward to seeing THEIR times together. 

I predict those times will be filled with lots of silliness, definitely a fair share of button-pushing, and hopefully lots of love.  

Pato Snippet

I took these while we waited for S to get out of her music class. It's one of the few times during the week that I get one-on-one time with my little Pato. The few minutes after his class ends and we just talk and play...or go for a walk outside like we did today. 

It reminded me that there are a few things I don't want to forget. Little things that would probably escape me. 

Like how every time I sneeze, he stops everything and says, "Sess you, mama." 

Or how this afternoon he kept pointing out every bug he saw. "Moooore bugs, mama!" (Yes, he adorably ends a lot of sentences with "mama" when he's talking to me.) 

He also kept answering me with, "I can't!" I asked him to throw something out for me...."I can't!" 

And lastly, when it was his turn to repeat notes back to his music teacher today he would just look up at me, then at her, then slowly and loudly exhalaaaaale. 

Little monkey cracks me up. 

September Farewell

See ya later, September!

I'm actually a little sad to see you go. I decided a couple years ago that September took the spot for my favorite month. Doesn't everyone have a favorite month? That's a thing, right? 

Anyway...I came to this conclusion because I feel like September is like opening a really awesome present that you've been waiting so long for. Been waiting all summer for, to be more precise. September means you can get ready for boots, and leaves changing colors. And pumpkin everything. Summer has finally decided to loosen its grip around here, and if can feel my heart singing (note: my heart, not my voice sings. I'm a terrible singer. My heart....well that thing sings every song from the Amy Grant Christmas album once the weather dips below 70.) 

This month brought a lot of fun to our little circus. A trip to D.C, pumpkin picking (that'll be its own post if I can get my act together), lots of time outdoors, and doctors check-ups. Pato is quickly catching up to big sis, and will outgrow her in no time. As our beloved pediatrician put it, "She's built like mama, and he's built like dad." 

September is also a big birthday month in our house, with balloons and cake and a disgusting amount of sprinkles taking over at the beginning and end of the month. 

September, you old girl, you were so good to us this year. It was the break and breath of fresh air that I needed. I'm feeling more on track than I've felt in a while. 

Hey, October...I'm ready for ya. With a bag of popcorn and ready to watch the entire Gilmore Girls series. (Thank you, thank you, Netflix. Bless you!) 

Love is...

Love is...sharing your last bit of apple juice.

And that's saying a LOT coming from this girl. They don't get juice very often, so when I hand her some, it's like, "STOP everything right now while I drink this juice!" 

Today we took the scooters to CW, and they rode in circles, pointing out every fallen leaf. Well, that's an exaggeration. But, they DID point out every pumpkin on display. 

"Mom! Let's go this way! We're going on a 'venture!" 

"Mama! Bumkin! Bumkin! 'nother bumkin!" 

Fall is starting to show her glorious face around here, so I won't even complain that at the end of the day, the inside of my purse looks like I threw it in a forest. A stick, a rock, or a leaf collected from my kids always finds its way inside. I should probably learn to say no.

But, I can't. I'll miss those little treasures in my purse someday. 

She Says: Being Borned

People warned us. We had heard of the "terrible two's" but we also heard a lot of, "Oh, wait till three!" I have to admit, two with this girl was close to heaven. Her language exploded, and now she is just a little adult. She speaks really well and has intricate ideas and questions. SO many questions! I can hardly keep up. But, along with that has come some more sass, and some more, "But WHYYY do I have to do that?!" Some days are rougher than others, and I've had to keep my patience in check daily. She's doing a lot of growing, and I think C and I as parents are growing as well.

She has also started to come up with the absolute sweetest things, as well. S is such a passionate and caring little girl, and sometimes, she just has more feelings than her little body can hold.

Lately, in an effort to delay bedtime (now that's another hassle) she likes to hear stories about when she was in my belly. I've told her about how I would place my plates of food on my belly and watch her kick it off from inside. She likes that one. I've told her about how mama was just so so tired in the hospital when she was born because we spent a long day waiting for her. 

But, the other night, she asked me a different question. Our conversation went like this:

S: Mama, before I was borned I was in your belly?

Me: Yup. You were in there.

S: So...Pato was right next to me?

Me: No, he wasn't in my belly just yet.

S: So, I was borned first?

Me: You were! But, Pato came soon after.

S: And then it was his turn in your belly?

Me: It was.

S: (silent for a bit) I'm so glad Pato was borned.

When I told C this story, we talked about how she has no memory of what life was like without her Pato. I kind of really like that. Because he's always just been there. An integral part of not just our family as a whole, but an integral part of HER life. She doesn't treat him like a baby, and we think she thinks they're mostly the same (even though she knows they're not the same age.) I am so grateful for these two babies.

And, girl. I'm SO glad he was borned, too.

Flashback: Recipease and Kensington Palace Gardens

One of my favorite girls, Casey, recommended this place to us, and I still can't get it out of my mind. She is my London girlfriend who was present at the infamous "Notting Hill Incident." I was determined to replace that memory with a really good one, and this place was just the ticket.

So, I promise I don't typically take pictures of everythinggg I eat. Okay...maybe some things.  But THIS! I of course got the mango lasi, because I can't ever pass one up. They added cardamon to theirs, and now I'm sure I have to make it myself and add in allll the cardamon. It was a great take on the typical mango lasi because it gave it just the perfect amount of spice. And that other delicious looking thing was the smashed spicy avocado toast. You know when the worst part of a meal is that it actually comes to an end. Yeah, that happened.

At the time, I was entirely too full to try out one of these meringues, but I wasn't too full to take a picture of them :) 

Cooking classes are offered here, and if I lived in London, I'd love to take one.

After brunch, we walked over to the Kensington Palace Gardens. I've said it before, but we really lucked out. The weather was so incredible our entire trip. I remember this day being even a bit warmer than I would have preferred. Not having to lug around coats was a total game changer on this trip. (On a side note...I've been asked by a couple people to share my packing tips, so I'll hopefully get around to that in another post. I packed for ten days, and all I brought was a small backpack (with room to spare for souvenirs) and an overnight bag.)

Two Euro posts in one week? I may be able to do this after all.

A Little Q&A

How old are you?
Two...no three!

When was your birthday?

'tember second.

What is your favorite animal?

Sea turtles.

What is your favorite food?

Red apples.

What is is your favorite color?

Pink!

What do you want to be when you are a grown up?

I don't want to grow up and be anything!

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?

Laugh! Go to school with him.

What is your favorite thing to do with Mama?

Have a tea party and read books.

What is your favorite thing to do with Pato?

Play blocks. We build a house for all the people! 

What's something you don't like?

I don't like tags on my clothes.

If you could take an airplane somewhere, where would you go?

To the library! 

What's your favorite book?

The Little Prince. (Pop-up book) 

What is something that makes you happy?

You! (I'm melting.) 

What's something that makes you sad?

Crying. 

What is the smelliest thing in the world?

Mr. Poop!

Who is the silliest? 

Me! 

Do you have dreams at night? About what?

I do! About the park. 

What should you do if you find an elephant in your bedroom?
Play with him! (Two minutes later she whispers to me and asks, "Are there any elephants in my room, mama?")

Love this new three-year-old!

Also...in case you missed it...my latest post at What To Expect! I wrote about a moment that I hope I will never ever forget. 

And then she was three!

Today has been a whirlwind!

A mixture of birthday excitement and "...at this time three years ago..." and "Mama, tell me a story of when I was a baby!" 

This is the first birthday where she knew what's up, and boy, does this girl think she's a fancy pants-hotshot- big girl now. TOTAL big girl status. 

It is also the first year where I actually felt prepared for the day, and hey! I made a cake! Well, she and I made it together. It was a little wonky, but it was pink and had a ton of sprinkles...so in her eyes, it was perfect. 

The day was spent doing things she liked and it was just the best. Presents, FaceTiming grandparents, donuts, a trip to the aquarium, and TWO restaurants. Spoiled this one. 

But, I wanted to take a second and tell you about this three-year-old. Because already today, she is much older than she was yesterday...

She is compassionate. I can already tell she will be a friend to many.

She laughs loudly. When she laughs, you want to do anything to not let it stop. 

She is a helper. 

She is curious and loves to learn. 

She is an encourager. She loves to cheer others on, and I hope she will always be supportive of those she loves. 

She is grateful. 

She is meticulous.

She is not mean. 

She is quick to forgive.

In short, she is already a better person than I. She has so many qualities I wish I had and I pray that these qualities are ones that grow with her.

I feel like time is not being very generous with me, and letting the years slip by too quickly. Time is far too selfish. But for now, I will squeeze out every second I have with my girl. Every awesome, tiring, and loud second. 

Flashback: Oxford

Why do I always do this to myself? Wait until forever to get trip pictures up? Until I can't remember the background of each place and just have to resort to a big ol' boring photodump.

Bah. But, I told myself I'd get these pictures up, and slowly but surely I am. I've got family members asking for them, and I just need to get them on here. So, I apologize. I've already gone on and on about how much I love England, and Oxford just took our breath away. (I love you, London! Don't be jealous!)

The building on the right had bicycles chained all around it. We saw a notice saying that they all had to be removed by a certain date because a "period piece" was to be filmed there. In my my heart, I just knew it was Downton Abbey. Okay...maybe I was just realllly wishing I'd run into Maggie Smith. So. Bad.

C was particularly excited about this place. He was like a kid in a candy store at the Oxford University Press shop. Maybe someday he'll see a book of his there? Right?!