Oh, Lawrence

We are so excited to get to our new home in North Carolina (and since I haven't actually seen the house in person (Kevin has), I am just going to have to take our friend that is care-taking/crashing there for a few weeks word that the place is awesome).  In the meantime, it is hard to say goodbye to the incredible town of Lawrence.  And today was one of those days that makes me regret not raising kids here, as it was the annual Tour de Lawrence bike race.  Stephanie was excited to race again this year.  Since we have so much to do to get the house on the market, I flew solo with both kids while Kevin did some home improvements.  Since I can only manage so much at once, Stephanie had to agree to take the handle off of the bike and go it on her own, and she did so with no hesitation.  She actually had a pretty spectacular spill off of the bike on our way to register.  She popped up, declared she was fine and then started crying, likely when she saw what was no doubt one freaked out looking Mom.  I pulled it together, informed her that she just said she was okay, and complimented her choice of dresses which saved her from any scraped knees.  She hopped back on the bike, got registered, did the requisite hour of bounce houses before the race and then smoked (most of) the competition in her heat.  And here are the photos!

Safety first, right?  I actually was concerned about juggling getting her prepared for the race and over to the start on time, so I attached her race number and helmeted her a bit prematurely, so she took one slide down with helmet before we headed to the start.  

And just so you know everyone enjoyed themselves, here is little Gwen.  She was confined to her stroller for the duration, but seemed to enjoy being a spectator.  

The girls and the garden

We had a beautiful overcast day for taking some garden pictures a couple of weeks ago (followed by dozens more of overcast days, as we have yet to turn on our A/C, and it is June, and we live in Kansas).  It isn't easy to get the two kids smiling at the camera shot, but I got some great alternatives.

Buzzy Bee

If you read this blog, you have met Stephanie.  This means that you have also met, and likely been accosted by her good friend Buzzy Bee.  In a bad situation, there is no friend better to have close by than Buzz, as he calms Stephanie quickly and efficiently.  I could tell you all kinds of stories about Buzzy Bee, but, again, you have probably already seen him in action.
He is the BEST friend, and the one in this house that I was sure would be off limits to Gwendolyn. Stephanie is not terribly possessive, but I knew there was no way she would share Buzzy Bee.  And I would be wrong.  If Gwen is tired and cranky in the car, Stephanie hands her Buzzy Bee and tells me how she likes his eyes because they are soft.  Gwen got hurt in the kitchen and Stephanie took off when I was in a small moment of crisis dealing with dinner prep, dishes and a screaming baby, and I was frankly a little annoyed as that was the very moment I could use her hovering around, only to see her rushing back with Buzzy Bee for Gwen.  And it was just too kind.  No one would expect her to share him, but I guess she knows that in a moment of upset and injury, there is only one bee for the job.
We don't know if Gwen loves him, but she will lay her head on him in the sweetest of ways (I need to capture a photo, but it is always very fleeting).  I, for one, think she has seen him with her sister for, well, forever in Gwen's world, and I think she knows that he is special.  We have a request in for Grandma to make Gwen her own Buzzy.  While Grandma did not make the original Buzzy Bee, she did make an impressive Buzzy Bee 2 that lives at her house, and we are confident that Buzzy Bee 3 will be a welcome addition to the family, so that maybe THE Buzzy Bee won't have to be on call for every bump and scrape.