Getting worse by the moment

Today, as we sat on the porch and tried to pretend there weren't hundreds of things we should be doing, needed to do, and really did not want to do, Zoe looked up at her dad, smiled lovingly, and enthusiastically declared, "You rock!" Then she added, "You are a rock. I don't like you. I hate you."

M-16, The Eagle Nebula

This is the M-16, the eagle nebula. It is a beautiful thing. I have a hard time thinking the universe was made by accident when I look at these pictures. When I look at these, I feel the same way I feel when I look at my kids, or really, any kids. I feel it was made with the utmost care and thought.

And this is a small part of it. Small being a relative term since they are light years tall. And if you're wondering how big that is, the earth is 8 light minutes from the sun. It's called the Pillars of Creation. Stars are born here. Or rather, they were. They were destroyed by a supernova about 7, 000 years ago. But we won't be able to see the blast for another thousand years.

And this bit is the Stellar Spire. Somehow it looks like it's moving to me. Spinning and dancing like a little girl. Maybe it is. You never know.

The Great Escape

I normally try to write something for this blog every few days. But as you may have noticed, that hasn't been the case lately. I've been doing good if I get something written every few weeks. I thought I should explain what's up, since some of you may wonder if I'm even alive. It's all pretty simple: Zoe figured out how to open the baby gate and the front door.

Sometimes, she leaves them wide open and she and Quinn simply start exploring the house, i.e. dumping everything in the floor and getting into dangerous situations. Sometimes she remembers to close the gate behind her and Quinn stands at it screaming and throwing his things over it. And sometimes, she heads outside and plays with the kittens, i.e. carries them by the tail and tries to teach them how to go down slides and ride on swings by themselves. Outside isn't as bad as it could be because I live a fair distance from the road. But it's not great because there are all kinds of trouble they can get into right next to the house.

So my days are now spend chasing and corraling and picking up the messes left behind. But pre-school starts in the fall. And Zoe will be gone for a few hours each day. And somehow, even though I look forward to a few hours of time alone with Quinn, I hate to see her grow up. She is finally out of the terrible twos, and though she's still a difficult child at times (especially when she's sleepy), she can be such a joy. She is vibrantly alive, playing and laughing and coloring and thinking all day long. She will be four on Friday, and she's so excited. She wants a huge party like Caly had for her birthday.

And Quinn will be turning two in September. He loves to run, to sing, to play music on every toy he can find, all at the same time. He's gone through all of Zoe's old toys and searched out each one that plays a song. His goal seems to be to have them all going at once and then run back and forth and jump up and down to the music. I have never seen a baby love music so much. He sings more than he talks.