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I like to grow things. I'm not really that good at it, but I keep trying. Chris worries about coming home and finding yet another plant. They don't always make it, but I'm getting better. We don't have a spectacular garden this year, but here are a few pictures of what is growing at our house. P.S. Kudos to anyone who can guess the book quote in the title of this post.

My uncle Kurt and Aunt Val invited us on their family vacation to Topsail Beach where they had a beach house for the week. Tiffani flew to Charlotte and we headed to the beach together last Wednesday. We had a great time reuniting with family and relaxing together on the beach. The house was lovely and we enjoyed our stay. The Stevensons brought boogie boards, so we spent a good portion of the trip trying to catch waves and playing in the ocean. Davin and Deva, my cousin Shellee's daughter, played together like little chums. We loved spending time with the Stevensons and can't wait to see them again soon. Thank you for a great trip!

I was talking to my mom the other day and our conversation went something like this: Katie: blah blah blah. Do not attack my baby! (background noise: thump, thump, clatter, slam) You crazy thing, get away! Ah, ah, ah, away away!!! (background noise: swish, swish) Davin, come here, we need to run inside, hurry, hurry. Mom: What on earth is going on?!! A massive wasp-thing was swarming around Davin as he tried to bat it away. I ran outside with a large broom, trying to swat it away and ultimately grabbed Davin and ran inside. It was by far the largest wasp I have ever seen. I called our pest control company and learned that it is called an Eastern Cicada Killer . Fortunately the wasp is harmless, though I destroyed its nest to encourage it to move elsewhere. I got a picture of the cicada killer attacking a cicada, another large creature, and it was like watching King Kong attack Godzilla. We have plenty of cicadas around the yard. At night, they sing to each other and it is almost deaf...

I am often amazed at the reaction that strangers have to two little boys in a double stroller. Many think they are darling, or at least they say so and perhaps secretly groan when they see us wheeling by. Last week I experienced both ends of the spectrum in terms of kindness to a mom with two small boys. The first experience happened when I went out to eat after picking up my sister, Tiffani, from the airport. We stopped at a pizza place that we recently discovered. The food is decent and the atmosphere is upbeat but nothing too fancy for kids, or at least I thought. Admittedly Davin can be a challenge to keep entertained in a sit-down place. I have learned to ask for the check as soon as the food is served so that we are ready to go when we are done eating. Davin was getting a little restless, as was Rowan, but nothing that was too chaotic beyond our booth. However, I kept getting the vibe that the hostess, a twenty-something female who seemed too busy to understand the meaning of the...

What goes through the brain of a toddler? Scholars, philosophers, artisans, and dreamers have been pondering this question through the ages. I have often riddled over this one for hours, wondering what the motivation is for the latest game. Today in the car (we were driving home from a trip to the beach, so our car trip was over 4 hours), Davin played a game called “I want this, I do not want this.” He was watching Curious George on a lap top and decided that he was done half-way through the movie. I turned off the movie, and then he decided I was being mean and unfair by turning off his movie, thus requesting its revival. When I asked him if he wanted the movie on, he changed his mind and informed us that he didn’t want the movie. This game went on for several minutes and included our first “If you do not stop, I will stop this car!” We did stop the car, but to no avail. The game continued on until Davin passed out from exhaustion. When he awoke 45 minutes later, he started up again a...

It's that time again, folks: football season! Well, it is almost here. We are in a new town and so we thought we would start off the season with a new experience: the local NFL team, the Panther's exhibition game against the Colts. It was our first NFL experience and we were happy to share it with our new friends, the Francoms. The fun Francoms! Pictures courtesy of Charie Francom Davin was bouncing off the walls with excitement to attend the game. However, as we started to make our ascent to the highest realm of stadium seating, the height and the noise got to him. He cried and complained for the first half and we ended up heading home early. At one point during the game, I noticed that Davin had a trickle of blood coming out of his nose. I guess they call them nosebleed seats for a reason. We had a great time despite a few mishaps. It was a lovely evening, perfect for a football game. The view from the high seats was beautiful, and we enjoyed the game with fun friends. I...

After reading my last few blog posts, I realized that perhaps I'm not being entirely accurate in my reporting. Life at the Rees house is not all glossy photographs and pleasant moments. The past few days have been particularly evident of the constant flow of chaos in our house. It all started with Monday morning. I was feeling good about our Monday morning. I got up early and was on my way. We took Chris to the office and I went home with ambitions to get things done. When we got home, Davin objected to getting out of the car. Usually I insist that he gets out, but it was a pleasant morning and I needed to do some gardening outside, so I let him stay in the car. He sat in his seat for quite awhile, just hanging out. A nagging thought popped into my head. I had some quarters in the front; Davin is clever at putting things into slots and I worried that he might try putting the quarters in the vents. I opened the door to find Davin shoving quarters in the cd player instead. "Dav...