First of all, I love a project. I love setting goals and getting stuff done. This winter has been especially tough for me...record amounts of snow, our loft on the market, a two-year-old who thinks she's too old for naps...you get the picture. I have felt trapped, lonely, homesick, sick, and discontent. Enter: WINGS IN THE CITY. I love public art and what it means for a city. Last year, they commissioned local artists to paint and decorate butterflies and then placed them all over St. Louis. How lovely is that? What a fun way to get children (well, everyone) into art. We printed our map of where the butterflies were around the city and embarked on a week-long mission to find and photograph each of the 56 butterflies. Quite ambitious for a gal with 2 photo-hating toddlers, but again, I love a project. I waited to start this hunt until it was warm, but then halfway into the week, the temps dropped and then eventually snowed, but I didn't give up. That explains the discrepancies in my kids clothing in the week. That's March in St. Louis for you. I love all of these crazy and often out of focus photos! I made a little photo album for the kids with the complete collection. This can probably be filed in the "really-a-memory-for-me-but-hopefully-my-children-will-look-back-at-the-pictures-and-realize-even-if-it's-not-until-30-years-later-that-I-loved-them-and-did-adventurous-things-to-enrich-their-lives" folder.

One of the rare butterfly photos that showcases the front of Rush's face. He was not into posing for me.

Sunday. I don't remember what we did during the day, but I know I didn't change into this outfit until church (we go on Sunday nights)

Shirt- pale blue collared button-up from JCrew

Cardigan- or should I say old-lady shawl? Jury's still out. It's dark smoky blue and from Anthropologie

Jeans- Citizens of Humanity flares from Nordstrom

Necklace- Addition, my favorite jewelry spot

Shoes- metallic silver studded flats from the Steve Madden store

Monday at the City Museum with the kids, and I can't remember what else I did that day. Maybe grocery shopping?

Saturday we went to a morning birthday party and have another one in the afternoon, but I might have to change into a warmer shirt for that outdoor one.

Shirt- cream colored with metallic detail from Anthropologie

Necklace- that same necklace from The Box Turtle

Bracelet- gold (one bracelet from a set of about 6) from Dillards that I've had since high school

Pants- minty green trousers from Anthropologie

Shoes- my same snakeskin flats

These Bert and Ernie Little People are from Andy's parents house...they have all of these toys that were Andy's when he was little. The kids, especially Rush and these Little People, love playing with them! I was there a couple of weeks ago alone with the kids and could NOT get Rush to leave without these two guys. They've become his best friends. (I'll have to secretly return them so as not to upset him:) When he wakes up from naps, he'll scoot around the house looking for them saying his version of their names. Their typical mode of transportation is a Little People boat from my parents house, but here they are shown with some of his cars. I love that he is all boy (exception...that ballerina skirt post)...he loves trains, cars, dogs, trucks, you name it. But he's also sweet, too, worried about Bert and Ernie all the time. I love this little boy!

Before school

As I mentioned in the last post, she always wears this ballerina skirt. And her "beauties" which Andy once called booties, and that's what she changed it to. They were from the Target dollar bins; I wish I'd bought at least 30 pair. This is also a very typical outfit. I will lay out her clothes- thoughtful outfits that showcase her beautiful wardrobe. She will slowly over time, piece by piece, change her outfit into something "beautiful!" This particular outfit only has one original piece- the navy and white striped tank top. I've put those pants into the Goodwill pile multiple times, only to be rescued by their loving owner. And her hair...she has preferred it lately to be "crazy," which means uninhibited by any barette or headband or elastic band. That is fine with me...let the hair match the girl. She is beautiful and wild and so creative.

Winnie is a mommy's girl. She follows me around all day long, wanting to help me do everything. She helps me cook, clean, discipline her brother, look on the computer...I always have a partner. She has to stay in her bed until 7:00, and at 7:00 on the dot, she crawls into bed with me. I know to treasure this time. I think I did the same thing to my momma.

She has started "baby talk" (I blame her cousin Remi) which drives me crazy! I think that it's also because she is baby-crazy. She has these little imaginary friends that she carries with her all the time. They are "baby reindeer and they don't even have hair yet." Their names are Harper, Balloon, Chucky Cheese, Anna, and Butterscotch. She carries her little pink blankie all folded up and says that they are inside. They eat, bathe, get into trouble, and sleep and we are constantly getting play-by-play updates about what's going on with the baby reindeer.

In this photo she is playing on our exercise bike, which she uses to go on adventures--Nana's house in Florida, Googie & Pawpaw's house, Grandma and Grandpa's house, Texas, Vietnam (more on that later), the grocery store. You name it, she's been there on the exercise bike.

She loves watching Clifford the Big Red Dog. I record it in our bedroom, and her and Rush will cuddle up under our covers and just laugh and laugh and laugh. It is a sweet show and I think they look too cute all snuggled in. Another favorite is Angelina Ballerina. Ballet, or her version of ballet, has taken over her life. I will ask her to something, and she will respond with exasperation, "Hold on, Mom! I'm practicing!" She does all sorts of moves and is currently attempting to master first position. I cut out a heart to help her with her footing (a move from Angelina) and she is taking it very seriously. Hopefully she'll start ballet lessons this summer.

She loves music and sings her songs passionately. Her favorite song right now is Travelin' Soldier by the Dixie Chicks. We listen to it about 20 times a day. I've had to explain things I never thought I would have to talk about with my two year old...she knows what a soldier is and that Grandpa Edwin and Jeremy were soldiers. She knows what "Army Greens" are. She references Vietnam. Thank you Dixie Chicks. She also really likes the Glee version of Pokerface, Yellow Submarine (Beatles), my new Lisa O'Neill album, and her new Disney Princess songs (those are my favorites, too). Every night before she falls asleep, I have to rub her back and sing her Down in the Valley, which gets me teary-eyed every night because it's a little silly song that my Great Aunt Mert used to sing me, too.

Winifred loves being read to. She memorizes all of her favorite books and will "read" them to Rush, which is one of my favorite things. Her current favorites are Little Mommy, Crack in the Track, Today I Feel Silly, The Ox Cart Man, The Bunny Book, and Benjamin and Button to the Rescue. We probably read 60 books every day...I have to say over and over in my head "it's making them smarter, it's making them smarter." They would listen to as many books as I am able to physically read.

Winnie says grown up things and has an amazing vocabulary that's it's so easy to forget that she's not even three yet. She is passionate and dramatic and funny and sweet and loving and defiant and smart all at the same time. Things are never boring with Winnie around.