The Amaryllis

Welcome to my amaryllis viewing.  I really enjoy a good small pet project.  Especially when I should be doing chores.  It gives me a chance to focus on something I really love and share that with Joseph.

Like growing beautiful flowers.

I love the idea of having plants and flowers inside the house but I've always had really bad luck with gnats.  The soil conditions of plants inside the house is just right for fungus which attracts gnats, which then breed, which then fill the house and it's like a huge gnat frat party.  I know you can find the perfect balance of watering that won't cause gnats, but after years of growing gnats my indoor plant adventures are far and few between. 

 

Even so, I grabbed this bulb up on a whim in the clearance section at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I couldn't resist for like $1 and some change and thought it I would try it inside to brighten up the kitchen counter.     

This ol' girl grew about three feet tall, and fast.  Josh and I would laugh every day when we compared the growth to the day before.  It was a little ridiculous looking and quite phallic (snicker snicker, heehee!) if you know what I mean.  It was a big HUGE green stalk with no flowers for weeks and weeks before the gnats found it, then I banished it to the backyard.  I watched it from my kitchen window bloom into the MOST beautiful flowers.  I was quite pleased with this sweet amaryllis.  It was just a little more pleasurable doing dishes with those happy red flowers to look at...whether inside or out! 

See these two monkeys tucked away behind the couch?  There are two roles at play here:  the first being big brother who loves to show Alaina all the cool things to do in the house, and the second being little sister who loves to follow big brother anywhere he goes.  It worked out in both of their favor this day, but we're not always so lucky.

Our sweet Alaina just doesn't realize that she isn't invincible and I can't imagine what life will be like once she starts walking.  It's a good thing I invented that mobile wearable cushion-bubble so she never gets hurt.

This little smiley guy loves hanging out behind the couch and frankly, I love it too.  It's free dusting for the floor when their back there.

And this day, only moments after they crawled out from behind the couch and tore off through the house...I found them in Alaina's room tucked away in yet another little spot.  He knows this one is off limits though because every time he crawls back there, there is a pile of clothes and hangers on the floor that got knocked off the rod.  As if I follow behind these two tornadoes picking up their path of destruction....I think not!

  

Speaking of tornadoes...

...Alaina, this isn't looking good.

Oh sweet baby, you're being tackled.

And thrown to the side like junk.
But you're not junk, I promise!

You're both treasure to this mommy!  Sweet, hug-able, smiley, ornery, rascally, treasure!

The other day Josh called me a big ol grump...or grouch...or something equally tacky.  The story went something like this (I may have use my creative liberties in re-telling this story):

Joseph was talking to us about picking out a toy for Alaina's first birthday.  I had just told our party attendees that Alaina's shelves are stocked full of toys, but we would love to add to her library.  Good idea, right?!  I'm pretty over all these toys, but my children and husband love all the blinking, boinging, rock 'em-sock 'em-bop 'em, toy madness.  Aside from having toys under foot and everywhere, I've just always leaned towards letting their imaginations be their entertainment.  Give a kid a few stuffed animals and handful of Lego bricks and Hot Wheels and let them go to town.   

Did I just hear you sigh and call me a grump too?

We were in Kohls and Josh decided to let Joseph pick out a toy to give Alaina as a gift from him for her birthday.  As you can imagine, this was a covert operation while I was away in the women's department.   

When I found them looking at toys I felt my anxiety level skyrocket.  Then in his excited 'frolicking puppy dog' way, Joseph squealed that he had found something for Alaina.  I tried to act excited but frankly, I would have rather gone to Toys R Us and had a much better selection and chance of finding a toy she could really use.

'Could really use??' Did I just kinda sorta admit that the idea of going to Toys R Us would be a little fun?  Perhaps on occasion, yes.  I will admit it.   

So as I shifted uncomfortably and wavered in my submission to Josh and Joseph's pick, Josh got pretty irritated with me.  He mummered that I was taking the fun out of everything and look how excited Joseph was....!

I say BAH HUMBUG!  That stinker!  Putting my first born flesh and blood against me!  The nerve!  "But the cardboard boxes!" I yell back.  " And the kitchen utensils!  Spatulas!  They LOVE spatulas!  Give them a cabinet full of Tupperware and they'll play for HOURS, man!"

In the end, we walked out with some stupid vacuum cleaner that sings and dances and lights up and creates more noise pollution for my children's tender imaginations and less space for my family in our home.  *sigh*  

But don't worry about me....

   

...as soon as we got back home, I accidentally left the Tupperware cabinet wide open with a few shiny bowls sitting within reach.   Oh those smiles were all the reassurance I needed.

Gotta stick it to The Man.