new shoes

Got the girl some real shoes the other day. She's still a little wobbly, but walking more and more. She wasn't sure about them at first....

Maybe they're good for chewing?  (Isn't everything?)

Ah-ha! They're good for walking!

And oh my, the cuteness.

MICE

Our family is part of a most amazing group of people who come together once a month to work on each others' houses. We plant trees, paint bedrooms, kitchens and offices, sew drapes and sandbox covers, install toilets and insulation, and build everything from garden beds to bunk beds. We are the MICE: Monthly Improvement Collective of Eugene.  Ten adults and five (almost six) kids. 

Here's Lucy and Olive (almost 3) working hard in their Carhart overalls.

We take turns hanging out with the kids. Or we strap them to our backs and keep working.

We work hard for about 7 or 8 hours one Sunday a month.

And always end the day with a celebratory shotgun. (Ok, not all of us do this, some of us sit around with a glass of champagne instead.)
We love the MICE, and not just because they have made our house a nicer place to live. They are our friends and our community. There's nothing like re-organizing someone's laundry room or or seeing what's under their refrigerator to help you bond with a person. Some crappy things have happened to some of us this year - the worst things like cancer and the passing of parents - and the MICE rally around. We send flowers, bring dinner, and bake cookies. We install new gas heaters. We sit on each others' couches with glasses of wine and listen. And it's not always the worst of times. We also throw dinner parties and hold pentanque tournaments and celebrate birthdays. I count myself among the luckiest people in Eugene because of the MICE.

Spring madness

We haven't posted in weeks.  (Is anyone even still checking this blog?) Our spring has sprung, and we're busier than ever.

It all started with snow.  Joel and Lucy and I went to Breckenridge to celebrate the wedding of a dear friend - and play in the piles and piles of snow.

It was a beautiful wedding and I got to reunite with these lovely women, who have known me for most of my life.

Spring soccer has begun! Lucy and I are back on the sidelines...

And Milo and his best friend Miles are back on the field.  Liam moved up to a more competitive league. His coach, Finn, is Scottish and calls the boys "lads." Liam loves it.

Easter came and went...

And the weather is getting better bit by bit.  

I spent 19 hours back on Texas soil last week for work. Lucy and I survived our first night apart and I had some adventures pumping in airports and speeding cars. The highlight was lunch with my dear friend Kate who works crazy hours at the capitol.

Gramma, Rohanna and I took the boys to the ballet to see Peter Pan. A pirate met us in the lobby, and the boys were riveted the entire time (although Milo did suggest that the ballet would be better with more talking).

My favorite part about this spring so far: Lucy moved into her new room and we're all getting a lot more sleep.