***UPDATE*** A dear friend and admitted left-leaning environment-preserver heard my plea for a green card and presented me with a green elephant! Thank you!!!

Last week was Earth Week (when did it change from Earth DAY?) and it got me to thinking. A friend's daughter was even in an Earth Day Musical!  So here is Lisa's Diatribe on Being Green:
     I often joke that I don't recycle because I am a Republican, but it is just a joke. I see the liberals talking, but taking private jets, running massive houses, etc. There have been, in my friend's eloquent words, eleventy billion articles and suggestions lately, so I've evaluated my family's footprint on the earth. I'm pleased with the results. I'm no tree-hugger, so I'll tip my hat to those who are the true movers and shakers, but I don't need my trash company bringing a separate, ginormous smoke machine down my street at my tax expense to pick up a couple soda cans.
- We reuse everything. My fourth son is wearing some of my first son's clothing. We have a LOT of Target bags in this house, and nearly all of them are used for trash, kitty litter, or something. Riley's red car outside was Tal's, and someone else's before. Reagan's red car's ragtop recently tore, so I ordered a replacement and installed it, rather than a new car. Every magazine and book goes to family or friends.
- We take care of things. Our cars are guzzlers, but they are paid for. Tal's Jeep is almost five years old (three kids and still running). Call me cheap, but I call it resourceful.
- We don't spend a lot of time at the pump. About said guzzlers--they don't guzzle often. We bought our homes and leased our office space specifically to have minimal drive times, I work at home, and we looked to be near our parents and church, too. And the new SuperTarget is SuperClose. I only gas up about every three weeks, and mine is the family truckster!
- We heart trees. We're not big nature geeks, but we appreciate our surroundings. Both our houses have been in tree-filled areas (at a premium). Doesn't it seem like the biggest irony to be pushing "green" when the very same people are infiltrating the new, treeless America?
- And other green-ness? We pay out the wazoo for reclaimed water (must maintain lush lawn). We have a terrific in-home water system and minimze water bottle use. This house has a horrific electric bill, so I don't claim to have a tiny footprint, but we do our best to run fans and spend time in the pool to stay cool and minimize our A/C consumption.
- No more paper! Maybe we're the ultimate tree huggers after all--we created Clinician EHR, the paperless medical records system. Now that gives me a terrific marketing idea...

My boys get jammies for Christmas every year. Riley has finally (yes, it is April) decided he will wear his. This year's jammies were fun, navy blue scrubs. They didn't come in Cam size, so he is still in his fab Gap kimonos. This is quite a handsome crew I have here.

This is obviously a horrible Photoshop job. My software crashed, and after the third time, I just stuck the two pictures together and threatened Tal that if he ever made a face at the camera again, I'd just post it

What was up with March? It was awful from start to end, and we were happy to see it go.

We have big expectations for April. We're in the pool full-time. As in, Tal already announced that Daddy is wearing the kids out by making us go every day. Travis asked why on earth I put this horrible hat on Camden for this picture. My answer? Every kid had to do it--we have a pool picture of each baby with a goofy hat, and he isn't exempt.

Overheard in the Bond kitchen:

Reagan:  "I want apple juice."  (This is odd--he ALWAYS asks nicely.)
Me:  "Reagan, ask nicely!  What do you say?"
Reagan:  Long pause, then big smile.  "Shaken, not stirred!"

I have been thinking about these days so much lately, for many reasons (the Rs were 18 months and 6 months here, and in my favorite green outfits):

1. Camden is wearing the Rs' clothes (he gets two rounds of each outfit).
2. Cam is so big, he is wearing the Riley versions of some outfits already, and he is only 14 months.
3. People told me the first year of Irish Twins would be the worst. It really was hard, and suddenly everything is so wonderful about them. I wouldn't change a thing, even though it was so hard. Camden, only two years after Reagan, has been (to quote Courtney) eleventy billion times easier. It is a walk in the park after these two.
4. I never thought Reagan's neck would straighten out. Riley was born looking like Riley, but Reagan has changed so much! Hard to believe it. We had a good prop job going on in this picture, which is one reason I loved it.
5. I finally organized the old clothes. It is a nightmare, since we are doing a good job on the hand-me-downs, and the Rs share clothes (so there must be two of everything in the middle). Some people donate to the church in organized bins. I finally decided that wouldn't happen at this lifestage, so it all got mixed together--good condition with the spit-up stained, all sizes together, you name it, into lawn bags, and flung out to the Salvation Army. They won't mind sorting it, and I've done what I can do. Most importantly, I've culled stuff from the house and made it liveable for all half-dozen of us.