Normally that would be a good bet, but….

Dear Background Check People,

I totally get why, when you asked for the addresses of all the places I have lived for the last 7 years, you would think that 7 spaces would be enough.

Sorry, I could only give you 3 years worth.

Let me know if you need more. (I definitely have extras lying around.)

Thanks,

Movingismyhobby

I had a dream…

the other night that I was painting our bedroom. About half way through the prep work, I was thinking I really wish this was done already.

What a relief when I woke up in a barely furnished beige apartment, huh?

But, actually, come to think of it, I did just paint my bedroom.

And this is how it turned out.

(Just kidding. We’ll call this before.)

This was last summer, as you can probably tell by the gentle mid-summer light streaming in from the east window and dancing off the walls. Or by Felicity’s shorter hair. It’s probably all the same.

(Those are my paint clothes, by the way. I wouldn’t normally put them on the internet but I thought you’d enjoy the contrast.)

(Of Felicity! Not my clothes. Just the contrast of Felicity’s younger self with her um, older…uhh… Oh! Hey, look! Another picture’s coming up.)

This is late at night, after the walls were primed. I stayed at the “woods house” for a week by myself with all the kids so that I could paint the bedroom. I could only paint at night and during naptime. Mr. French thought it must have been like a vacation or something.

This is after I painted but before we finished decorating.

If you’re paying attention (and I’m sure you were!) you’ll notice the seasons changed. We not fast decorators. Apparently.

Also, we should maybe think about curtains.

Someday.

That’s a new picture over our bed. We saw the original (after we obtained this print) at the Cleveland Art Museum when we went for our 10th anniversary.

I’ve had that dresser for the last 18-20 years, I think. Mr. French’s was from his grandfather. Someday, maybe we’ll get matching dressers. (I just realized that I could say the same thing for the nightstands.)

I think this is the first time that we’ve actually decorated our bedroom.

Better late than never, I say.

A couple of things

1. I have a new little nephew named Jude. I just wish there weren’t hundreds of miles separating us.

2. You can all stop holding your breath. We have been to the Alamo. (more pictures to come.)

3. Mr. French doesn’t like that I changed the picture on the blog to the Alamo. But only because it’s crooked.

4. We’ve been to the zoo and the museum (yes, there’s only one) and I didn’t take any pictures. (Okay, there’s more than one, but we didn’t go to the other ones.)

5. Which makes me both a bad Mom and a bad blogger.

6. I still love downtown San Antonio.

7. We’ve also been to one of the best burger joints in this town.

8. It was delicious, but it needs a sign that says, “We guarantee it will be worth the wait, the noise, and the messed-up order.” It totally was, though.

9. I never want to take Felicity out to eat again. At least until she’s uh, four. And not because she was terribly difficult. No, because all she’ll eat whenever we go out is ketchup. She eats it like it’s chocolate ice cream and someone said it was being discontinued. And we have the clothes to prove it. (I dread the day she tries soda for the first time.)

10. I was shocked the other day when I served chickpea and eggplant fritters over pasta with roasted tomato and pepper sauce, that all four of the kids ate everything. That never happens. Obviously, that doesn’t stop me from trying crazy, outlandish recipes but I didn’t really expect them to, you know, eat it.

11. Felicity thinks that all animals are “Molly.” Bird taking a bath in a puddle. “Molly!” Picture of a turtle. “Molly!” Squirrel at the zoo. “Molly.” She does call fish, “Ish”, so we’re making progress.

12. I saw a roadrunner running with a lizard in his mouth.

13. Yeah, I don’t have a picture of that either.

Twenty years from now…

Felicity will be on a date with a nice young man.

He’ll say, “So, three older brothers? That must’ve been rough growing up, huh?”

And she’ll sigh and say, “Oh. You have no idea. Lovely weather we’re having, isn’t it?”

Later, she’ll get engaged to the nice, unsuspecting man.

After the wedding is over, we’ll bring out these pictures:

(No boys were harmed in the making of this “film”. I can’t say the same for a certain little girl’s feelings. The boys were compliant, but I think she was serious.)

We can both agree about that.

I was flipping pancakes at the stove, when Felicity came up to me and said, “Eww.”

Quietly, but emphatically.

I looked down at where she was holding onto her shirt.

It looked strangely normal. And then I noticed a lump.

“Eww.” she said again and this time she scrunched up her nose.

What in the world? Is that a toy she stuffed under there? She didn’t act like she was trying to be funny. Wait, what about her diaper?

When I finished putting the batter back on the griddle, I cautiously felt the lump.

No idea.

I squeezed it.

Eww.

“Why did you put your banana down your shirt?” I asked.

She had nothing to say.

I’m thinking three boys is the limit for hand-me-downs…

*Actual shorts my son was wearing today.