oops

a little over a week ago, our baby girl broke her leg. more specifically and officially, she has a spiral fracture in her right tibia. she has to wear this cumbersome (and adorable, i must say) cast for at least two weeks and at most four weeks. thankfully, tiny baby bones heal very quickly.

here's what happened: it was a friday night, and we were getting ready to go to dinner. both kids were on our bed, where we spend so much of our time. i had just gotten turner dressed; clay was dressing clayton. i stepped away for a moment; clay took his eyes off her for a moment (it was both of our "faults"). in that moment, she rolled herself off our bed, and landed feet first. she screamed and cried, but not for long, and was, for the most part, back to her happy little self.

so many people have asked how i knew to take her to the doctor... it was a combination of things-- prayer, mother's intuition, and the fact that she still seemed uncomfortable when i would change her diaper, dress her, or move or touch her leg certain ways. i honestly had no idea her leg was broken; i thought she might have bruised her tailbone or pulled a muscle or something. so when the dr saw her and told me he thought her leg was broken, i burst into tears. i felt so sad and bad that i had let something like this happen, that i had not taken her to the dr sooner... a nightmare for a mother.

i'm sorry, sweet t.

but you do look adorable in your hot pink cast.

finally, spring

with the weather in the 70s for only the second or third time so far this year, we headed to nanie and grandpa's to spend the afternoon. it was wonderful to spend some time outdoors. clayton, more than ever before, loves the freedom to run around, and "the farm" provided the perfect playground for that independent, free spirit.

as we pulled out of the driveway and headed home, clay and i talked about how spending time outdoors is good for the soul. an afternoon with many of my favorite things was certainly good for my soul.

snapshot

turner is growing more interactive every day, and clayton is taking advantage of it. she laughs, but more specifically and importantly, she laughs at him. she watches him, waits for him to engage her, and when he does, she "talks" to him. he is enjoying his newfound admirer very much...

yesterday as i was putting away their clothes in their rooms, i heard them in the family room laughing together. what a sweet and beautiful noise it was.

this morning i was listening to him playing with her... when i walked down the hall this was what i found-- he had stacked literally every toy from the toy chest around and on top of her... and she was enjoying every minute of it.

a prayer

clayton has shown a real interest in and desire for saying his own prayers lately. they usually go something like this:

"jesus, jesus

(my new favorite way to begin a prayer. ever.)

tank you for dis day

tank you for...

mommy and daddy and tuh-nuh

tank you for...

li-beh-wee (library)

tah-get (target)

wah-mart (duh)

my books

my toys

dinger (dinner)...

(the list can go on and on and varies according to what we/he did that day)

aaa-men"

obviously i cannot contain my smile that is ear to ear as he prays. because it. is. adorable.

endearing

every time clay or i pick turner up (i mean, every single time), she clasps her hands together as if she is praying. endearing is the perfect word to describe this precious "quirk"-- it means "loveable, especially in a childlike way". that's it. it is so very loveable. it is sweet, and feminine. and oh, so endearing. and it is turner.

i wanted to remember this "thing" forever, so i asked my friend and amazing photographer angie to capture the moment... and here it is; it is perfect. thank you, angie!

i had tried many times before to capture this "thing" on my own, but since she does it when i pick her up, it was, well... impossible... i did manage to capture just the hands themselves before she unclasped them as i put her down... not only does it happen every time we pick her up, but it happens this same way. every. time. precious.

seven

she's our happy girl,

but boy, is she busy....

i'm kind of in love with these eyes

six

i truly cannot believe how quickly time is passing.

i already feel a sentimental sadness that turner seems to be growing so fast.

i have heard many people say that time seems to pass more and more quickly with each child, and i wish that were not true, but i believe they must be right.

sometimes i wish i could temporarily freeze time...because i want to savor every moment of this little girl's life...

we hit some major milestones this month, including sleeping through the night (sings halleluiah chorus), sleeping without being swaddled, starting solid foods, and sitting up.

now, freeze. please.