I don’t like the term ‘mommy blogger’ very much because in general I don’t like being pigeon holed into being any one thing. But I think of the 446 keepers and over 2000 trash from last month, like 17 aren’t of my children. Granted it is winter in Montana and I will most definitely be photographing and writing more about gardening and being OUTSIDE and such really really soon…And I have been sewing and cooking but those projects just aren’t as captivating as these two…
And I am warning you that an obscene number of photos follow. But I did miss a week of nuggets and lately there are just so dang many little things to celebrate in our corner of the world.
:: Seriously, how are second children not completely different creatures than first children? Margot never had stars on her head when she napped. She wasn’t sat on daily. She didn’t have bean bag dolls lovingly hucked at her face.
Margot was never given a super special ducky to borrow while her big sister read her story after story after story. Oh my hell it is the THE cutest thing in the whole wide world.
When I see stuff like this I am exquisitely hopeful about humans in general. I mean, if this is the uncultivated inclination of people, then peace is possible.
:: She’s starting to pick out her outfits. I love it.
:: Bug and the chickens have a special relationship. She has conversations in the coop.
Hi Chickens. Doin’? Uh huh. Eggs? Go Away Bossy. GO AWAY. Like this? Good girl. Eggs? Hungry? Thirsty? Good girl! Oh chickens. No Bossy. Don’t think so. Go AWAY. Good girl. Bye bye! See you later.
Ida is our cuddliest hen.
:: Margot likes to wear my shoes. These photos kill me.
:: New shirts in my etsy shop.
And a few answers to some frequently asked questions:
Where do you get your fabrics?
I am always on the hunt for sheets at thrift stores and garage sales. When I buy new, I buy from Selvedge Studio and Jo-Ann’s.
For the love of god will you ever sell skirts again or are you just going to talk about it forever?
I am working on skirts this month and promise to have some in my shop by April!
Do you do other states or only Montana on the t shirts?
I do other states! I have done Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana, Michigan, Washington…
Where do you sell your stuff?
Etsy and Blackbird Kid Shop.
:: 
In other dig business news, I created a facebook page where I will post updates about my shop, sponsor giveaways and promotions, writings and other riveting items. Become a fan if you’d like.
:: I planted spinach and lettuce last Monday! March came in like a lamb, with 60 degree air. A good six inches of soil was thawed and warm in my raised beds so I went for it. To help the seeds along, I covered the beds with 4 mil clear plastic. Should be eating fresh greens by early April!
And how much do I freak out over my kids in the dirt with me?
SO MUCH.
Margot wouldn’t take a nap because she wanted to Plant my own garden. Carrots please. When I told her we were only planting lettuce right now she said, But Margot no like lettuce. Carrots, mama?
I let her skip her nap and, together, we waited for spring.
I wore my flip flops. Notice the evidence of my August pedicure.
:: Margot has been getting a lot of work done lately.
Just a minute. I’m working real quick dad.
:: Lots of walks to parks these days.
I will spare the photos my husband took of me picking up Margot’s poo as I am falling down with laughter. It was really really funny: Ruby strapped to my front, Margot with her pants down in the middle of a school playground, me carefully scooping poop with a small piece of Henry’s homework we dug out of a trash can…yes, this is the kind of stuff I never imagined doing and I do it.
:: Lesson learned: it takes less that 10 seconds to spread cups of flour across a counter, table and person.
:: Ruby’s first time in the backyard swing. Margot wasn’t so happy about it at first.
:: Bleaching diapers covers in the sun. It only takes two hours and they are stain-free.
:: I found a stack of books I bought at a garage sale when I was pregnant with Margot. I remember leaving with them and my big belly wondering how they’d look in our home, who would hold them.
They smell of old stories. They open easily, spines well loved. Margot is enamored with them. My girl loves to read.
:: Sunday walks.
:: Bug.
:: Ruby.
:: And, finally, I took a photo of Ruby yesterday and her body position and spirit instantly reminded me of a photo from the hospital. I took tons of pictures while we were there but haven’t looked at them…I haven’t read any of what I wrote.
It’s not that I am afraid or avoiding. It’s that I don’t need it. I dug through that folder of photos and it felt like someone else’s story…so foreign and foggy. Sure the fog lifts from time to time and I am left with some pretty raw emotion but, for the most part, I am pretty much healed. I am thankful my heart has moved on. I am so thankful for my so healthy red-headed little girl.
Happy hump day out there.
44 Comments
Seriously? My favorite post from you ever (and I like them all). This one? Loved it. Thank you for capturing and sharing such beautiful moments.
This post was absolutely mesmerizing and inspiring. Something very special about this one. Maybe it’s the conversations with the chickens, maybe it’s the sitting on the dog, I don’t know. Just loved it. Happy hump day to you too.
the picture of margot crying at the swing is hilarious. I meant to the tell you months ago that the pic of margot on the pony is by far my fav picture of her. pure joy in her expression!!
where do i start? pics of margot with your shoes are adorable, girl has got some innate fashion sense! ruby is just adorable.
cant wait for a 60 degree day here in michigan so i can sun bleach out cloth diapers…some are starting to look dirty AFTER they are washed.
2nd children i think have to be more chill. love your writing style.
You weren’t kidding.
EPIC FUCKING NUGGETS!!!!
This is going to be a long, long comment because there is SO much I want to say. So, I will letter my thoughts for some form of organization.
A: Was so excited to get nuggets this morning because you told me they were coming. Like poured coffee, peed so I could read in comfort without the nagging bladder, propped a pillow. I knew it’d be good.
B: Reading Nuggs is so much more funny with Lainey reading with me. She knows your girls now. And this is what she said:
“Dat Wuby?”
“Hey, I have doez boots.”
“Dat Mowgo’s chicken?”
“Dat Mowgo’s Doggy?”
“Hey, dat Mowgo’s nose dirty”
and the last one totally made me laugh because we no longer take the time to decrust crusty boogs before pictures either anymore.
C: You weren’t kidding on the crazy parallels. Crazy. No, kindred. lol on “hucking beanbag dolls”
D: Oh, the smell of old book pages. Yum.
E: The last paragraph…First, that forlorn pic of tiny Ruby in the hospital next to that robust one (in the ADORABLE red diapee cover)…And, oh how I know what you mean on pics you took and things you wrote and not looking at them but not because it hurts…because you don’t NEED to. I feel that way a lot about both Lainey’s hospital experience and the painful first days of Nella’s birth. It’s there. I can see it if I need to….if I want to feel that pain. But I don’t need to. I hear ya, sistah.
F: LOVE, love Margot in heels and the, “hey there, mama” look on her face in the mirror. And holy-intent face when she’s typin’ on the puter. Girl needs a 9 to 5er. And melt, melt on Ruby lookin’ at her sister with that smile.
Ugghhhh…it’s too much! I actually got to “F”!!! Longest comment ever, but I had to spew!
Love, Love, you Kindred Spirit.
Oh, this was the greatest nugget from you EVER! The picture of Margot with her pink laptop on top of Alice is hysterical! You must be having a chinook up there…planting and hanging clothes outside already! Love seeing Margot play in the dirt, she looks all business about it too. 🙂 Have a great hump day Cline girls. xo. m.
JUST got the photo fix….wow I can’t wait to get my coffee and come back to feast!
How beautiful! I love your life and your little family. 🙂
Nugget upon nugget upon nugget…
I just told a friend who became a Facebook fan of Dig that you were an awesome blogger/crafter/gardener/chicken-owning mom! (Or something to that effect…) So grateful for the words and pictures you share, you inspire me. 🙂
I am jealous of the lettuce going in. My seeds haven’t been started yet, but I have to build my beds first!
Great pictures! I especially love the striped outfit. That’s pretty much Joey’s standard uniform (and she’s 11!).
You’d better squash that creativity and free thinking early or one day she’ll be making weird monkey videos like mine. 😉
Margot is a crack-up. Can’t wait to see what sort of personality Ruby develops. I’m sure you already see it. Great photos and stories.
Gosh – to see (and remember)Rubes back in early December and then see her today you’d NEVER think it was the same child. Margot using Alice as a chair and her sister as a desk for her ‘puter – hilarious. All of the pics – just too perfect!
Love how you capture your kids in words and pictures.
XO from Colorado, where vegetable seeds are scared of March.
I love the photos of Margot in the coop. How fun! And the last photos of Ruby…what a gal!! Man oh man, do I wish I had your gardening expertise around here right now. This is my first ‘real’ season of planting and harvesting, and canning (hopefully) for the majority of our food. I’m already overwhelmed 😉
What gorgeous girls!
Your kids are something else. These pics are the great start to my day. Margot and the swing had me laughing out loud. Not something one hears in a Dental office everyday. Ruby looks so much like Andy did at that age, star on the head and all. I need to see her soon. Margot must need new froggy boots by now. I will get her some new ones. Also the Neysa visit story was great. You have no idea how much I look forward to these entries. Thank you thankk you. Kisses all around. See you all soon or I will die.
Beautiful.
great nuggets, just love them!! happy hump day right back at ya …
beauty in words and pictures … can’t wait to see the upcoming spring outdoorsy posts … although i’m pretty convinced that you venture out far more than i am inclined to do at this point. so … yay you!
you take some gorgeous photos, yes you do.
i am so happy that you got a spring-like day to plant spinach.
i’d still like to send you this thing i made, but i need an address of some sort.
kayte8 at g mail dot com
As a second child… I can say with confidence that second born children are very different from first born children.
And 90% of my closest friends are second born children, including my husband… not on purpose, but not a coincidence either.
In fact, you may be my only close first born friend.
Love the photos of your girls and I’ll keep looking if you never put any other kind of photo up.
Love you and your whole family, even you and Margot, you first borners.
Geez, what a great post! You almost captured a picture of my house in your park pictures so now I am officially homesick. Wish I was there to get my gardens going too. But, since I’m off exploring, I’m going to have to live vicariously and happily through you 🙂
By the way, I really need to get a pair of those frog-faced wellies Margot was sporting. So stylish!
hi there. i didn’t realize how much i enjoy your wednesday posts until i got into to work super late and went straight to your blog!
totally know what you mean about the mommy blog thing (not that i even consider myself a “real blogger” anyway, but that’s another topic–one you may have heard g mention as well. we are such dorks).
BUT, you have so much to say, and such a lovely way of saying it with words and photos that I guess it doesn’t matter what kind of blogger you are. of course, i relate to the “mom stuff” perhaps more than the gardening stuff but i like the whole package, as well. you know?
your girls are so divine.
it was hard to look at the hospital photo of ruby. funny, because on my way in to work this morning, i was thinking about when she was in the hospital (totally random, right? was on the bus and staring out the window, totally spacy) and how well she is now and wondering about how it all is for you. glad to hear you feel so healed.
today must be the day for long comments . . . xoxo
Love it when kids get to dress themselves!
Promise us all that you’ll take a moment for yourself and get a pedi soon. Based on all those photos and all that activity, you deserve one.
Hello. 🙂
I noticed among your books The Secret Kitten. We have the original in hard cover, from when I was a child. And now my daughter has it as well. Lovely drawings. Hoping it doesn’t give her any ideas!
Thank you for posting your daughter’s conversation with the chickens. Lovely!
It is snowing here in New England, but your post warms my heart at the promise of spring.
M.
Wonderful post! I too see hope for the world when I watch my 2 yr old. Uncensored and not yet pushed by social construction….sweet, kind, friendly, loving and seeking connection. It is awesome!
I love the dressing herself also. The outfits these 2 year olds come up with are fantastic! What wonderful individuals!
Found you through Twitter and your photos of your family are sooooo beautiful. God is good!
I love your pictures – they’re great! Margot sounds like such a hoot. And I’m so glad to see that Ruby has blossomed into a chunky monkey and you have been able to put that traumatic experience behind you. 🙂 Life is a beautiful thing!
I loved your nuggets! The last two pictures of Ruby were amazing in that they were both heartbreaking and inspiring! I loved Margot sitting on the dog…hilarious.
Wonderful photos; the last set takes my breath away. Love little Ruby, love her red hair & can’t wait to hold her!!
Wonderful photos; the last set takes my breath away. Love little Ruby, love her red hair & can’t wait to hold her!!
Wonderful photos; the last set takes my breath away. Love little Ruby, love her red hair & can’t wait to hold her!!
Wonderful photos; the last set takes my breath away. Love little Ruby, love her red hair & can’t wait to hold her!!
Wonderful photos; the last set takes my breath away. Love little Ruby, love her red hair & can’t wait to hold her!!
And to think, I didn’t realize yesterday was Wednesday! Love, love LOVE all the pics. That little Ruby is getting so big! And Margot is such a good sister. And I beat you by two months, I have a June pedicure.
Why would you have to be labeled as a mommy blogger? You are so much more. We all know this. On any given day we are all *some kind* of blogger, person, writer, photographer. Just depends on what’s catching our eye.
I’m about to be a garden blogger, because shit’s starting to grow, but it’s not always that way.
You know.
Anyway – I love that you let Margot skip her nap so she could contemplate planting carrot seeds. That’s a great reason to skip a nap and go outside!
And OH the photo of her sitting on Alice. Geez I love that dog.
The comparison photo of Ruby? Thoroughly joyous. She looks so incredible – she’s come a long way 🙂
Hello my 3 favorite gals in the whole entire world!
Burb, As you know, I read several Blogs and in my humble observation I see bloggers blogging their passion du jour….even if the title of their blog is….say…“The Perfect Frog ”… their passion in the moment may be their dog or planting flowers or their Margot & Ruby.. I see incorporation in these Blogs around that passion, like I do in yours. i.e.….Fido and baby tree frog now BFFs or finished a new frog pond in rose garden or Margot & Ruby get to kiss their first frog!…… What I am saying is …what I see in your Blog is still SO “Dig This Chick” only SO-SO much more because it is now told as a trio….and what a trio you all are!
Margot Bea, look at you being the best big sissy ever! You can tell Ruby thinks you are pretty cool too. Just remember this adoring way she is looking at you now when you discover she “borrowed” your favorite article of clothing when you were planning on wearing it. Love your fashion sense too!! I remember when I lost the battle of being able to still pick out your mama’s clothes…I think I totally lost it FOREVER when she was in about 4th grade, up until that time I could somewhat convince her that what I picked out for her to wear was HER idea! You are already following in her foot steps, literally, seeing you in heels….your mama LOVES her heels! You even have the right facial attitude to wear them too! I will be curious to see where your ‘puter skills take you…..I love you a Bushel & a Peck!
Sweet little red head Ruby Jane! Seeing you in your “NICU gear”, (your mama said you looked like an astronaut), sends a chill down my spine, no doubt one of the saddest times of my life. Maybe it’s because I don’t get to see you thriving every day like you mama does, but this memory is still so very vivid to me. So is the memory of when you “turned the corner” and we brought you home….no doubt one of the happiest times of my life! I am waiting in the wings to see what great things you have in store for all of us…..maybe from N I C U to N A S A!….You are my Sunshine!
Yes, so true about the second born. It’s a wonder your Uncle Travis can walk from all the “rides” your mama gave him down the stairs zipped in a suitcase…no I did not know about until years later. No sure what she threatened him with to keep him quiet. I know throughout the years I will tell you both many stories about me growing up the youngest of four…I guess the operative words here are “growing up”!
Love each other every day to the fullest; there is nothing better than your family.
xoxo…Love to all, Mom/Grammy~Gram
ps…God I love you Alice!
OMG!!!…after reading my post I have to tell you, Travis was 10 years old when Nici did his “zipped stair rides”…not Ruby’s age! (Hmmmmmm..Does that make it any better?0.
Your pictures and stories are incredible and inspiring. I can never pick a favorite! ! Xoxo
most beautiful babies ever–they make me happy!
Seriously Nici… such a great blog. Love love love your girls, the way you write, the way you shoot. Nice work. I love Margot’s cute outfits she is picking out most of all… precious!
To those who mentioned diaper bleaching in the sun: I do it year-round! It doesn’t need to be warm out. Just sunny. Works like a charm.
Loved the pics. Can’t wait to see you all again. When are you coming to Red Lodge????? You said March when we saw you in Feb and now March is almost half over! Love you..Aunt Deb
oh wow. i’m breathless.
that was a beautiful post.
i could look at photos of your M & R all day. they’re beautiful, inspiring, funny.
i guess you are a “mommy blogger”– but i must say, i don’t like that term, and i read your blog for so much more than mommy stuff.
i’m so glad ruby is all healthy, chubby monkey now!