Flora and Fauna

Portraits at the Park

Hanging around on a summer day

Air Head

So, I'm sitting down with Norah, messing with her hair. Its finally long enough to start putting it in pony tails! So, as I am shaping and imagining her hair up, Madelynn comes up and says:

Madelynn: Whats in her head?

Me: I'm just playing with her hair, I can't see whats in her head.

Madelynn: Yes, you can, just look in her ear!

Me: Oh....Hmmmm...(looking in her ear)

Madelynn: (getting closer and peering down) What do you see?

Me: A big smart brain! What do you have in your head?

Madelynn: (Tapping her head a few times...eyes big as saucers) I got nothin'!!!

Oh Shoot.

Me: "Oh shoot"

Madelynn: Why did you say Oh Shoot?

Me: Well, I put the dirty washcloth on top of the clean clothes pile by accident.

Madelynn: I like to say Oh Shoot.

Me: Oh ya? ( hmmm, is this a teaching moment?)

Madelynn: I also like to say Oh Shit.

Me: (Um, yes, this is a teaching moment in all its sparkle and glory) Oh really? I don't like to say it. (pure lie, fumbling, do I make a big deal of this? If I make a big deal, she might think more of it than if I let them moment pass and shrug it off.) Grandma doesnt like that word.... ( I say...)

Madelynn: Oh, ok.

(done, passed, didnt make a big deal, and hopefully we will not have to wash her mouth out with soap until she is at least 7.)

Conversations with a 3 year old....

Madelynn (collecting rocks): Here's three for you mom!

Me: Thanks!

Madelynn: I'm going to go get some MORE! I'm gonna get 5 60 38. (actually saying, five, sixty, thirty-eight).

Me: Really? Thats a lot! How many again?

Madelynn: 5 60 38!

Pick a Petal

When I was pregnant with Madelynn, I was busy with many projects getting ready for her arrival. One of those projects was to paint a cute little garden of colorful flowers, lady bugs and dragonfly's on her nursery walls so she would have a beautiful world to dream about. After a trip to the craft store, I plopped my pregnant self down, with paints, stamps and stencils and went to town.


Here we are, 4 years later... and as we move out of our 1st house, I realize that this home, where we have created so many memories, where we brought home our babies, this place where we have created our family dinners, dyed easter eggs, hung Christmas ornaments, these walls we have laughed between, cried between, yelled between and bounced off of, are ours no longer. I felt a pang of saddness knowing that she would never see these flowers again, something I has chosen just for her, my gift.


On our last day, after all the furniture had been packed up, the last of the boxes moved out, we took one last look around. Madelynn sat next to her flowers, peaceful and happy, she took one last spin infront of her beloved heating vent and to remember it, I took pics and will use them to create another piece of art for her new room, in our new house to create new memories.

Love is....

...Pure Joy when you hear your 3 year old sing her heart out to "Skip, skip, skip to my lou, My Darlin." And her 1 year old sister joins in with squeals and screams with laughter. and you sneak a peak in the rear view mirror to see them holding hands.

I know, I know!!!

Where have we been?

Well, things are hectic on the Flanagan front. Because my husband is stubbornly superstitious, I cannot blog about the latest events. So, here is our stubbornly cute little kids to entertain you, while we pace nervously and cross our fingers and find moving boxes.....