Three Little Monkeys (and one cute bundle)

Yesterday afternoon was actually on the warm side, so we ventured out with Kim, Violet, and Brenna and found a new playground! The Lawtons arrived first, and when Cody and Violet saw each other, they did their adorable running-to-each-other-like-long-lost-friends thing (even though it's only been a couple of weeks). Every time they do that, it melts my heart -- how sweet are those faces?

(The cutest part was that later, Cody told Jonathan that he saw Violet and "I ran to her and hugged her but this time I did not knock her over, Dad. I was really careful!" This hearkens back to October 2010 -- a year and a half ago! -- when he did knock her over after they ran toward each other. He hugged her so hard she went right over and bonked her head on a curb. She was, needless to say, very upset...but apparently he still feels badly about that and now embraces her quite gingerly. : ) Oh, if only he'd hug his sister that way.

Below, our swinging monkeys. Kim and I just wanted to reach out and tickle those exposed little tummies.


JVL, regarding the above: "They look like they're in a hamster habitat."

Cordelia tried to get in on the basketball hoop action but was rebuffed by the older, cooler kids. So she decided to go down the slide. In true Cordelia fashion, she went up it first.


Best part of the afternoon, though, was when Violet told me that when she grows up, she will have five babies. She has three names already picked out: 1) Brenna; 2) Skakalook (pronounced skak-uh-luke); and 3) Nappie.

Runner-up for funny comment went to Cody. He and Violet were playing restaurant and preparing "meals" for us (while unhappily trying to pry Cordelia off their waiter cart, into which she kept climbing, wanting to be pushed). After Kim had "eaten" her chicken salad, she requested dessert. Cody's solemn reply: "I'm sorry. We have to eat good food first." Kim: "But I ate my salad all up! I would really like some strawberry-rhubard pie now." Cody, ruefully: "You'll get what you get!"

I love these kids. : )