Lucy has been growing so amazingly fast- it seems like it was a couple of months ago that she would lay on the ground and stare at the ceiling, or toys or whatever until she got hungry or I missed her heaviness. She just cut two teeth this week- her third on the top right and on the right bottom- and follows directions so beautifully.
I say stop, she stops. Bowden was never so obedient as a baby.
I ask her for a kiss, and she'll give one, usually followed by a little, "Aaaah..." because that's what we do when she or Bowden kiss each other or us. She climbs on everything...there is a little rocking chair at work that she got onto today because she saw Bowden do it, and she was very pleased with her accomplishment. She'll show me things, like ping-pong balls, and she loves to hide under everything and peep out. I am very glad to have such a sweet and loving baby.
Bowden was mild and easy-going, and Lucy is not so much. She's prone to dramatics- when she falls, even on something soft, even if it's on her plushy bottom, she'll cry like it was a traumatic experience. She yells when she gets frustrated, whereas Bowden would just truck on through. I can't wait to see their other differences.
I like being a mother right now, but not just a mother. I like being a mother to my children.

I have a new job, one that lets me bring along my two babes, and even has a place for them to play and watch some cartoonage. Bowden has to look up...but he's sitting right below the t.v. and could move to the couch where he wouldn't have to strain. The couple that own the Idyllwild Inn, where I now work at the front desk, have a two-year old and so have many fun toys. Lucy enjoys the little wagon, and is constantly climbing in and out of it, and making herself angry about how noone seems to be pushing her around.
It's a bit hectic, answering calls, taking reservations, checking in and checking out, AND making sure the kids stay okay, but it makes me appreciate being home so much more.

Bowden has a hard time sleeping at Nanny's, and after an hour and a half of playing and telling me that he was not sleeping and was, in fact, awake, he took a meditative pose and fell asleep on Nanny's bed.

Apparently Umpa saw poor little starving Lucy and decided that she needed some help in the weight department. My Grandma, who can only eat a small amount of protein, but all the vanilla milkshakes she wants, let Umpa feed Lucy her first ice cream. It was probably the worst lunch ever, Bowden being full of energy and empty of obedience, so I didn't notice until the deed was done.

Stuck in the hot, hot Valley, we found time and opportunity to cool off in my mom's backyard. Tha Bad Dog sat around, and stayed away from the kids because they were wet, and was therefore, a good dog. Nanny came home and lounged around with us, and it was very nice except that I missed my husband on our anniversary.
Later my mom and I took the chilluns to the mall- my mom promised to "buy me something." Thanks, Mom!
We got back up "the hill" late, but still on June 16th. Same place, five years later.

An extra day in the Valley without a car is a hairy thing to deal with. If I were at home, I would be fine, but since I am at my mom's house, everything is a little harder- although it is the second-best place to be with kids.
Another mom from church let me borrow a movie about a racing zebra, which we hadn't watched until we got here and have now seen four times. The fourth time had Bowden riding the rocking horse as though it was a racehorse. Lucy stared out the window at my mom's bad dog, Stella.
The nicest thing about staying an extra day and night is the kid's extra time with Nanny, and the opportunity to enjoy the backyard. The Santa Ana winds are blowing right now, and Bowden stood behind the leaves of the mulberry tree and said, "I'm in the wind!"
Lucy's tongue is out, her preferred position.

My children love each other...Lucy is Bowden's biggest fan, and there is nothing I love more than to hear Bowden call to his sister, "Come here, Luce!"
His love may be judged the greater in these photos- I took them originally as evidence of Lucy's love of chunky solid foods, but Bowden decided that he wanted to play with his sister, and even kiss a very messy face. I hope they love each other this much as they get older, and it is my plan to foster this part of their relationship as much as I can. There is nothing better than a sibling who is a friend.
(I will not try to foster the growth of the other side of their relationship- the part where Bowden takes a toy from Lucy just because she has it, or the part where Lucy cries if I'm holding Bowden and not her....)

We have a wonderful porch swing on our porch. It has seen many milestones of Sarah Paulson Tate. I napped on it as a staff girl. Josh and I were sitting on it the first time he told me he loved me. I held Bowden on it to rock him to sleep the first summer we moved out, and Josh has since rocked Lucy to sleep on it when she's especially cranky.
I moved it more towards the middle of our porch when we made the porch a play area for Bowden, but it has not changed how central it is to our home.
We now play a game on it, in which we swing back as far as we can without hitting the wall, and then let one side go and hold the other back to "rock the ship." Bowden loves it, and so does Lucy- she was copying our "Ohs!"

Shiver me timbers! Bowden is three!
To celebrate, we had a pirate party, with a pirate ship cake, a lagoon-decorated front porch, a treasure hunt, and swords made from pool noodles.
There were eight little boys running around with their swords and in various stages of pirate dress yelling things like, "Blow me down!" and "Shiver me timbers!" and "AArrrr!!!!" It was mayhem, and it was really fun.
Bowden liked it all- especially "Gold, I tell ya!" (he just told me.)

Even Lucy got into the booty.

Happy Birthday, Bowden!

Thanks especially to Ashly Reeves and my mom and sister and Kristy Lewis who captained the ships.

Mondays are the day that the library has its children's hour, so we went. This week we read an exciting animals ABC book, and then all the kids- all boys but one- sang the alphabet song and stomped their feet. Then they lined up the kids and they were supposed to "follow the leader."
The whole lining up thing was new to Bowden, and apparently it was new to most of the other kids as well.

After we got back home, Bowden told me, "I like that library teacher lady."

We go on walks nearly every day- we leave Camp and head into Idyllwild town. We have a route that takes us past the Laundramat on our right and the Fire Station on our left. We cross the road and walk by one of the three hair salons in town, then past the tanning salon (why a tanning salon in California?) We cross Highway 243 and pass Country Farms, the Village Market, Village Hardware and a number of other places, taking care to check our favorite "found money" spots.

We all love these walks. Bowden's favorite parts are the fish pond up Village Lane (lots of Village names- Idyllwild tries to be quaint.) and the fake grass in front of the new shopping center.
In picture above I asked Bowden to show Grandma Tate a fish, and he did. Then he wanted to catch it for her, but that obviously was not an option. Village Lane has a number of benches that Bowden likes to "rest" on.

Lucy Gates enjoys the ride- sometimes in the stroller and sometimes in the carrier, which Josh always wears. In this picture I have just asked her, "Where's Daddy?!"

Today our adventures included saying hello to a toddler eating at a restaurant on the sidewalk, getting drinks from all three fountains, finding 38 cents and one fake million-dollar-bill, (Bowden said, "I see dollars!!!) keeping the children from noticing a girl fight in the parking lot behind the Fort, meeting a nice man with a mean-looking pit bull, and Bowden climbing the railing in front of the fort and falling off, with no injuries and a little loud crying, and a pleasant walk back home in the cooling evening.

And, as always, we walked back into Camp to find a rabbit in the field. Bowden is a bonafide rabbit chaser, an activity he refers to as his "job." He'll have to retire with warm weather here and rattlesnakes hiding out on the dirt...I'm sure the rabbits will be relieved.

Bowden has a great love of water fountains, and on our daily walk he knows of at least three that he must visit.
This fountain, in front of Mountain Tropic Tanning and a hair salon, has a surprisingly long reach- if turned all of the way, the spray will overshoot the bowl and hit the ground at least two feet away.
Trying to get a drink left Bowden a little damp, and when I tried to help, he just got wetter. (Every time he would lean in to drink, he would push my hand down and get water all over his face.)
Now, when Bowden takes baths, he cries and cries over getting his hair washed, because he does not want water in his eyes. This surprise shower was just entertaining, and I actually got him to stand still for a picture of his drenched face and hair.