Home Is....

Last June, we packed up and left Chicago.  We travelled homelessly for six weeks before we finally came to Arkansas and our new home.  Whenever Campbell would feel tired or overwhelmed during that time, she would say "I want a go home!"

Now we've been in our current home for 7 1/2 months.  And still, when she gets tired or frustrated she cries "I want a go home!" Even when we ARE at home. We've tried and tried to explain to her that this is our home. She doesn't seem to want to accept this.

A couple of nights ago Spencer and I both awoke to Campbell's blood-curdling scream.  If it was an intense enough scream to wake Spencer up, you know it was serious!  I ran upstairs to her room and as soon as she saw me she said, "Mama, I want a go home!!!" 

So yesterday, Spencer was playing with her and I was in the kitchen making dinner.  Spencer said, "Campbell, where is your home?"

"I show you!" She said, and hurried off, with purpose and direction in her stride.

"Right.... right....." She said as she walked.

Then she came to the kitchen, wrapped her arms around my leg and said, "It's right here!"

That was one of those moments that make a frustrating day worthwhile.  That make you wish you could promise to have a thousand more frustrating days, ten thousand more meltdowns, a million disappointments, if it would mean you could keep them little like this forever. 

 Campbell's smile, her voice, her slight lisp, her flat "r"s, her sweet little fingers, her excitement, her angry gravelly yell, her giggle, her evil cackle, her need to wear a skirt with every outfit including dresses.  Things I would bottle up if I could.

Pink tutus, Black dog

 Introducing: Mr. Peabody!  Nicknames: Peabs, Agent Peabs, Agent Peanut Butter, Sir Peabs-a-lot, Stinky Dog, Stinker, Holy Cow You Smelly Thing, Little Miss BeePotty (that one is from Campbell, who thinks she's saying his real name). 

Mr. Peabody is a 9-year-old Dachsund mix.  His previous owner loved him dearly, but because of personal circumstances she needed to give him away.  I went over to meet him and consider the idea of having a dog and he loved me, and his previous owner liked that and put him in my car.  So we sort of accidentally took him in. 

He is a really really good dog!  Almost no trouble.  Oh, except that he smells.  He smells SOOO BAD!  I took him to the vet though, and it's just a bacterial skin infection (um, EWWW!), so hopefully with enough pricey dog-prescriptions, he'll clear up and smell like his inner rose. 

He wants needs to be immediately next to me/on me at all times.  He cries and whines and barks if I go upstairs (where he is not allowed to go).  He nuzzles his muzzle up between my arms when we have family prayer. He jumps up to my lap whenever it becomes available, and he watches me constantly, presumably in awe at my goddess-like presence.

 He's so good with the kids.  They try to break him in half, and he's almost always patient and calm about it.  They love him.  He tolerates them.  It works.

Last night the girls put on a show.  They love to stand just out of view (like behind this make-shift curtain) and announce in their best announcer voice, "INTRODUCINNNNNNGGGG......Julia Raisina Clive" or "Julia Cambo Clive" or some other form of Julia.  It's a favorite name around here.

 I loved Campbell's wardrobe malfunction.  I couldn't help myself.  Could you?

 Cadence hogs both microphones.  She's singing along to an Alison Krause song ("Where have you been, my long lost friend, it's good to see you again...)

Life with these kids is such a blur:

 And pretty soon they are going to be all grown up.  Don't.  Please.  Don't.

 Below: They grasp hands, and, as rehearsed and discussed, prepared to jump off at the same time.  Campbell, ever over-zealous, goes for it while Cadence, ever thinking of new opportunities, decides it'd be interesting to pull back instead.  The physics were, indeed, interesting, though confusing for Cam.

 Where was Layla during all of this?  Oh, giving me this look:

 And this one:

 Be still my beating heart!  I fall in love with Little Miss several times a day:

A mess of mesh:

Our lives are filled with beads and bows and ruffles and tutus and costumes and dance parties and productions and twirls and curtsies and pink and purple but mostly pink and pink pink pink.  I can't complain at all.  In fact, I love it!  But it's also filled with dramatic accusations of "You HATE this outfit!!" or "You HATE ME because I chose this outfit!" or "Nobody wants me to have fun in this family!" or "You NEVER let me pick my own clothes!" (Um, pretty much every day she does).  There's also that old familiar deep, gravelly, red-faced scream of Campbell's: "NO!!! I NOT go to time out!!!" Or "NO!!! I NOT SPONCH BUG!!!" (Spencer likes to call her "SpongeBob" to get this reaction out of her.)  And Layla, while she's pretty easy going, makes herself heard as well.  So, girls.  We're dramatic, we're emotional, but we're loads of cute cute fun!

But seriously.  What is your life filled with?