I do have many more photos to post. My camera battery died at the Space and Rocket Center, and I need to charge it before I can upload them. I left it at home, but lucky for me we are meeting Chris in Atlanta tomorrow and he’s bringing it!
We went to the Botanical Gardens today, which was pretty fabulous. Very kid friendly. Their new exhibit is called ‘Big Bugs’ and they are indeed big. Huge wickerish laquered bugs. Gorgeous. I loved the ants best. They were big enough for the kids to walk under….four huge ants marching across a field.
It was really hot, and Celia was being beastly…plus I had baby Allen in the stroller so I missed the dogwood trail and the 120 year old dogwood. Even when they aren’t flowering, I think those trees are beautiful, so I’m a bit sad about that. The path was thick gravel though…and I simply didn’t have the energy to try and push the stroller through that and dead with Ms. Crabby Pants.
They had a vegetable garden with tips for local gardeners (and a community garden next door) both of which I would have loved to spend more time at. I’m WAY into the community garden thing and would love to start one both in my neighborhood and at the CNI in Honduras.
The children’s garden was also lovely and educational. There were several preschool field trips playing there too (plus the oppressive Alabama heat) so we didn’t stay too long there either).
The last stop was the nature center with the butterfly house. It was fabulous, and I could have sat in there for hours. It was the one part of the garden that Celia actually semi-behaved. It had a huge waterfall, all kinds of butterfly friendly plants, tons of butterflies fluttering everywhere, even a window for viewing an active beehive.
I am about at my wits end with Celia today though. I let her stay up late last night to shop with mom and I…oh what a mistake that was. She has just been so…..well….BAD today. First, while I was showering, she threw all of the baby’s stuffed animals in his crib WHILE HE WAS SLEEPING IN IT. Eek. Luckily I heard her going in there and ran in to see what she was doing before anything bad could happen.
Then there was the horrible whining and crabbing at the gardens. We came straight home for lunch and an early nap. I thought maybe she’d be better after nap, but I walked past the stairs just in time to see her opening my brother’s bedroom door (aka, sanctuary of the old crabby cat) and shoving Bennie inside.
Loud fight ensued, I had to chase the dog out of there and sit her in time out again and talk about how badly either of those animals could have been hurt.
Surely after the huge time out for that one she’d be done, right? No. During dinner she got a huge mouthful of food chewed up and rudely (sassily, with purpose) shoved her open mouth in Jordan’s (the queasy kid) face. I made her leave the kitchen until everyone was done eating then go back and eat alone.
She seemed truly repenetent. Like she really changed her attitude. We took the baby outside to experience the pool (he loved it) and after everyone went in, I offered to let her water Aunt Theresa’s flowers with the hose. We reviewed hose etiquiette….no spraying people, the house, the dog, or anything but the flowers. I walked the dog around the yard for a bit and came back to find her watering the bucket of chalk.
I told her to hand over the hose. She turned, looked at me, pointed the hose, and sprayed me.
Nice.
I made her sit in time out on the porch and mulled over it for a while as I finished the flowers…and I decided that the most appropriate solution was to spray her with the hose. Not in the face or anything…just her legs and stuff. Call CPS. She was hysterical. Hated it. We talked all about feelings….how she felt, and how that’s the same way other people feel when she does mean things etc.
I don’t think it made a bit of difference.
I offered to let my mom keep her for the rest of the summer, but I don’t think she’s down with that. Not that I could really do it…I’d miss her terribly. For the most part she’s my little sweetheart and I love her dearly, but days like today…..ugh!
J and C and Me 
I would keep her but you would not get a mile before you came back for her. : )