Today I'm thankful for . . .
1. The opportunity to pay it forward. Last night a friend of mine did me a huge favor by coming over after the kids were asleep so I could go grocery shopping. Bobby has been working nights, I babysit 2 little girls during the day, and everyone got sick over the past week. It's been hard to get out and do the essentials- like buy milk and bread. It was so helpful to be able to get out for 45 minutes on my own. I was very grateful for her time and service.
Today I had the opportunity to help out another neighbor. She has two kids, a 5-year old girl S and a 2 year-old little boy E. Our kids are friends. She is currently in school for Occupational Therapy and she's in the middle of finals week. She texted me in a panic this morning because her babysitter fell through at the last minute and she needed to study for a practical exam in the afternoon. Could I watch her 2 year-old for a couple of hours so she could study, she asked. I had been planning on running a few errands in the morning, but after I had been helped in my time of need last night, I didn't feel right saying, "I wish I could help, but I'm busy. Sorry." I told her to bring E over for as long as she needed. I can't describe the look of relief on her face when she dropped him off. It reminded me of my own grad school experience and how stressful it was, especially during finals. There were times when all I could think about was studying, eating, or sleeping. It was hard enough, and that was before we had any kids. I can't imagine being in school now with little people who need my time and attention. I commend my friend for her efforts; she is doing a very hard thing.
I decided to take it a step further and I doubled the recipe for chili and cornbread that I was making for dinner. Bobby dropped off the extra batch for her and her family, and she later texted me, "Oh my gosh Amanda, thank you so much!! You probably felt that I'm not cooking anymore lately!! Thank you, this is so much, thank you!" I'm glad I was able to lift that burden for her. Service is good medicine.
2. My guardian angel. I definitely had one watching over me tonight. Our schedule got kind of crazy around 5 pm. The girls had a birthday party to go to and a rehearsal at church for the Christmas pageant tomorrow night. I was running way behind for everything, and when I was parking on the street for the birthday party I nearly took out the rear headlight on a sign post. I didn't even see it behind me until it was right next to me- literally centimeters from the side of the van. I don't know how I missed it, but I'm glad I did.
Later, when we were running [late] to get to the church, Sydney started complaining that she was hungry. I explained to her that was because she refused to eat anything at the birthday party and I hadn't packed any snacks so I couldn't do anything about it to help her. Then, in a moment of compassion, I realized that we would be driving right by the house in order to pick up 2 youth on the way to church. I told Sydney that I would run into the house to grab something for her to eat. As soon as I opened the door and stepped inside I smelled gas. I ran into the kitchen and saw that the front burner, the one with the pot of chili on it, was turned to the HI position. There were no flames, just gas coming out. It had probably been like that for about an hour- if it happened right before Bobby left, which I suspect it did- I think he bumped it on his way out the kitchen door to get to his car that was parked in the back. In any case, I quickly turned it off and opened the window to air out the room. If I hadn't gone into the house, it would've been another two hours at least until I would have returned home. I can't imagine how dangerous that would've been. Someone was definitely looking out for us.
3. Liam's ABC's. He sings the song over and over and it just gets cuter and cuter. At the end he says, "Now I know my EFG's, next time won't you sing with me!" I can't bring myself to correct him.
4. Sticky notes. Bobby could tell that I was in a bit of a rush and a funk when I herded everyone out the door this evening. When we got home Lillian and I found sticky notes all over the bathroom mirror. Bobby wrote a little note to each one of us. It brightened up my night. He's a sweet guy.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
My List
Today I'm thankful for . . .
1. The Christmas tree in my living room that is sparkling with lights and hanging with years of memories in ornaments.
2. Christmas songs- can't get enough of 'em! Yay!
3. My wonderful neighbor friends. T came over after the kids were asleep so I could do some much-needed grocery shopping tonight. I'm grateful to have milk in my fridge again, and for friends who are so supportive.
4. Only one [and a half] more shifts of night float this week. Bobby has been working the night shift since Sunday. He comes home in the morning and sleeps all day until he has to get up to go right back to the hospital. It's a pretty miserable schedule. Tomorrow night will be the last shift- wahoo!- until he has to do it again at the end of the month. :-/
5. Antibiotics. Liam got a wicked ear infection over Thanksgiving break and had a high fever for five days. His antibiotics are finally starting to kick in and he's getting back to his normal self. Thank goodness. Now I'm ready for my head cold and sinus pressure to go away.
6. My new nieces!! Bobby's sister had a baby girl a few days before Thanksgiving. Her name is Piper and she's adorable! Then, on Thanksgiving day, my brother and his wife welcomed the long-awaited arrival of Baby Jane into their sweet little family. I'm grateful that everyone is healthy and doing well!
7. A clean kitchen. Unfortunately my kitchen is NOT clean at the moment. There are dishes piled in the sink and dried up apple peels from lunch on the counter. But when it is clean I always take an extra moment to enjoy it. Because I know it won't last very long. Now I'm going to leave my messy kitchen and go to bed. Maybe the cleaning fairy will visit while I'm sleeping.
1. The Christmas tree in my living room that is sparkling with lights and hanging with years of memories in ornaments.
2. Christmas songs- can't get enough of 'em! Yay!
3. My wonderful neighbor friends. T came over after the kids were asleep so I could do some much-needed grocery shopping tonight. I'm grateful to have milk in my fridge again, and for friends who are so supportive.
4. Only one [and a half] more shifts of night float this week. Bobby has been working the night shift since Sunday. He comes home in the morning and sleeps all day until he has to get up to go right back to the hospital. It's a pretty miserable schedule. Tomorrow night will be the last shift- wahoo!- until he has to do it again at the end of the month. :-/
5. Antibiotics. Liam got a wicked ear infection over Thanksgiving break and had a high fever for five days. His antibiotics are finally starting to kick in and he's getting back to his normal self. Thank goodness. Now I'm ready for my head cold and sinus pressure to go away.
6. My new nieces!! Bobby's sister had a baby girl a few days before Thanksgiving. Her name is Piper and she's adorable! Then, on Thanksgiving day, my brother and his wife welcomed the long-awaited arrival of Baby Jane into their sweet little family. I'm grateful that everyone is healthy and doing well!
7. A clean kitchen. Unfortunately my kitchen is NOT clean at the moment. There are dishes piled in the sink and dried up apple peels from lunch on the counter. But when it is clean I always take an extra moment to enjoy it. Because I know it won't last very long. Now I'm going to leave my messy kitchen and go to bed. Maybe the cleaning fairy will visit while I'm sleeping.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Back to School!
Note: I meant to have pictures in this post, but it's not working. Stay tuned for a photographic update!
Today was the first day of school, and Lillian hit the ground running!
I, on the other hand, was not with the program. I mis-read the bus schedule and thought that the morning bus would arrive TEN minutes LATER than it actually did. I thought I was so prepared, with Lilly's lunch all packed, the stroller ready, and my "time to go to the bus stop" alarm on my phone, but by the time we started walking down the side walk we saw all the other moms and dads walking back to their houses! We totally missed the bus! A nice neighbor friend offered to watch Liam and Sydney while I drove Lillian in to school.
Although it was a first day of school blunder on my part, it turned out to be fun. I enjoyed the extra time with Lillian, and it gave her a chance to watch the video text that Bobby sent for her late last night (that I had forgotten to show her earlier in the morning). We held hands as we walked across the front of the school to the first grade line-up area. As she was getting in line she saw her BFF from kindergarten and they shared a very exuberant reunion. They are in the same class together, which makes me so happy for her.
Lillian was so excited that I don't think she even noticed when I left. What a big girl!
While she was busy learning and making new friends at school, Sydney got her teeth cleaned at the dentist. Another cavity-free visit for her (much better than her older sister)! She sat in the "Muppet/Sesame Street Room" and got to watch Epic while the dental hygienist and the dentist checked her little teeth. Liam wanted to watch, too, so he climbed right up into the chair with her. He's such a cheese ball!
This is Mama Fox's second visit to the dentist. (See this post here for her first visit!)
After a quick visit to the grocery store afterwards (which, by the way, is much easier with 2 kids rather than all 3) and some lunch at home, Liam took a nice nap and I painted Sydney's nails on the front porch. Good mother-daughter bonding time. At some point between all that I managed to knock out some of the heaping pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.
I got my act together by the afternoon and we made it to the bus stop to pick Lillian up with PLENTY of time to spare. She bounced off the bus and ran to give us all hugs. She had a big smile on her face and she said her first day of first grade was, "Perfect!!!" Her teacher is really nice; she sits next to two boys in Row 3, but they are really nice and they don't bother her like _______ did last year; she got to read a book about birds before she got on the bus; there is another Emma in her class, but not the same one that was in her kindergarten class; she showed her friend A where her cubby is; and she has gym class tomorrow so she has to wear tennis shoes. Did ya get all that?
To celebrate the momentous day, we walked to the 7 Eleven down the street with a friend and got Slurpees for everyone.
I'm much more prepared for tomorrow. We shouldn't miss the bus again.
Today was the first day of school, and Lillian hit the ground running!
I, on the other hand, was not with the program. I mis-read the bus schedule and thought that the morning bus would arrive TEN minutes LATER than it actually did. I thought I was so prepared, with Lilly's lunch all packed, the stroller ready, and my "time to go to the bus stop" alarm on my phone, but by the time we started walking down the side walk we saw all the other moms and dads walking back to their houses! We totally missed the bus! A nice neighbor friend offered to watch Liam and Sydney while I drove Lillian in to school.
Although it was a first day of school blunder on my part, it turned out to be fun. I enjoyed the extra time with Lillian, and it gave her a chance to watch the video text that Bobby sent for her late last night (that I had forgotten to show her earlier in the morning). We held hands as we walked across the front of the school to the first grade line-up area. As she was getting in line she saw her BFF from kindergarten and they shared a very exuberant reunion. They are in the same class together, which makes me so happy for her.
Lillian was so excited that I don't think she even noticed when I left. What a big girl!
While she was busy learning and making new friends at school, Sydney got her teeth cleaned at the dentist. Another cavity-free visit for her (much better than her older sister)! She sat in the "Muppet/Sesame Street Room" and got to watch Epic while the dental hygienist and the dentist checked her little teeth. Liam wanted to watch, too, so he climbed right up into the chair with her. He's such a cheese ball!
This is Mama Fox's second visit to the dentist. (See this post here for her first visit!)
After a quick visit to the grocery store afterwards (which, by the way, is much easier with 2 kids rather than all 3) and some lunch at home, Liam took a nice nap and I painted Sydney's nails on the front porch. Good mother-daughter bonding time. At some point between all that I managed to knock out some of the heaping pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.
I got my act together by the afternoon and we made it to the bus stop to pick Lillian up with PLENTY of time to spare. She bounced off the bus and ran to give us all hugs. She had a big smile on her face and she said her first day of first grade was, "Perfect!!!" Her teacher is really nice; she sits next to two boys in Row 3, but they are really nice and they don't bother her like _______ did last year; she got to read a book about birds before she got on the bus; there is another Emma in her class, but not the same one that was in her kindergarten class; she showed her friend A where her cubby is; and she has gym class tomorrow so she has to wear tennis shoes. Did ya get all that?
To celebrate the momentous day, we walked to the 7 Eleven down the street with a friend and got Slurpees for everyone.
I'm much more prepared for tomorrow. We shouldn't miss the bus again.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Today's Top Ten
Today I'm thankful for . . .
1. An organized toy room and kids that helped clean it (sort of)
2. Watermelon and cantelope from the Eastern Shore
3. Air conditioning
4. Blooming, Summer flowers
5. Philadelphia
6. My husband who likes to cook and is good at it; who enjoys reading bedtime stories, putting the kids to bed and falling asleep with them; and who devotes his free time to his family, not to TV or video games
7. Scriptures
8. Neighbors
9. A new car battery that was replaced for free because the old one went bad while still under warranty (and for friends who helped me figure out the problem when Bobby was away)
10. Delaware, Maryland, corn fields, tractors, the beach, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the smell of chicken houses and cow farms, home-made creamery ice cream, country roads, old school buses converted into trucks loaded with watermelon fresh-picked from the fields, stars, lightning, the Bay Bridge, rivers . . . The Delmarva Peninsula
1. An organized toy room and kids that helped clean it (sort of)
2. Watermelon and cantelope from the Eastern Shore
3. Air conditioning
4. Blooming, Summer flowers
5. Philadelphia
6. My husband who likes to cook and is good at it; who enjoys reading bedtime stories, putting the kids to bed and falling asleep with them; and who devotes his free time to his family, not to TV or video games
7. Scriptures
8. Neighbors
9. A new car battery that was replaced for free because the old one went bad while still under warranty (and for friends who helped me figure out the problem when Bobby was away)
10. Delaware, Maryland, corn fields, tractors, the beach, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the smell of chicken houses and cow farms, home-made creamery ice cream, country roads, old school buses converted into trucks loaded with watermelon fresh-picked from the fields, stars, lightning, the Bay Bridge, rivers . . . The Delmarva Peninsula
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, Monday
Today I'm thankful for...
1. Diggers and Dump Trucks. Our neighbors are having work done on their driveway. A big backhoe is digging a deep hole and dumping the dirt in the back of a dump truck parked next to it. When Lillian first heard the trucks working, she looked out the window and exclaimed, "LOOK! Everyone come look!" We all gathered round the window to see, and Liam pointed and shouted, "Guck, guck!" [translated: truck, truck!] over and over. The window view soon lost its excitement, so we went outside to watch from the front porch. The kids sat and watched like they were at the movie theater, and Sydney kept asking if she could get down and watch from the driveway. Her cautious mother said no every time she asked. I'm not that into trucks and tractors [definitely not as much as my two boys are-- Bobby and Liam], but I have to admit that it's always neat to watch them work. The construction vehicles are still parked in the driveway, so we have tomorrow to look forward to more work and easy entertainment! :)
2. Bribery. Liam has reached the age of comprehending a good bribe...an important developmental milestone in my opinion. Meal time now often consists of a conversation as follows:
Me: Liam, eat your green beans. [raise the fork with two green beans stabbed on the end toward his mouth]
Liam: No. [clamps his mouth shut tight with his lips pouting out and turns his head away and to the side, making a repulsed face]
Me: Liam, do you want a COOKIE!? [trying to sound as excited as possible]
Liam: [Big smile] Oooh, yah! [Reaches for cookie]
Me: You have to eat your green beans first, ok? [Raise fork with green beans again]
Liam: Ok.
Me: Eat some green beans.
Liam: No.
Me: Do you want THIS? [hold up cookie]
Liam: Yah.
Me: Eat some green beans first [hold up green beans] and then you can have the cookie, ok? [hold up cookie again for emphasis and temptation].
Laim: Ok. [mouth opens, insert green beans, remind him to chew and swallow them, then proceed to give him his cookie reward. Repeat process until green beans are all gone. And just to clarify, I don't give him a WHOLE cookie for each green bean he eats...he gets a little piece of cookie, size depending on how big of a green bean bite he takes]. :)
3. Sydney's fancy hair. Lillian coerced Sydney into letting her do her hair this morning. She said she was doing it a "super fancy way." After a few minutes she gave up and asked me to give her two pigtails. To my surprise Sydney agreed, and she kept them in all morning, which is a long streak in her book. She looked so cute, and it reminded me of when she was younger and her hair was in pigtails a lot more.
4. Liam's words. Here are a few:
Ya-Ya: Lilly
Nee-Nee: Sydney
Guck: Truck
Bee-Bo: Bellybutton (thanks to Sandra Boynton and her "Belly Button Book")
No: No translation needed
Et GO!: Let's GO!
Wawa: Water
Deuce: Juice
Assdint: Accident
Wide: Ride
5. Water. Tonight when I was making dinner I accidentally set a paper towel on fire. I tried blowing it out a few times, but to no avail. In fact, I think it only fed the flames more. Before the heat could get to my fingertips, I dropped the flaming paper towel into the sink and ran water over it. It all happened in a split second, but the girls were at the table watching. When it was over, and impressed Sydney said, "Wow, Mom, you're a fire fighter!" Lillian sort of scoffed and said something about me being a fire starter. What a smart aleck she is....but I was thinking the same thing. :)
6. Good advice and support. I've been struggling lately with the possibility of getting a job to supplement our income. Our budget is so tight and credit cards are making ends meet for us right now. Neither Bobby or I like the idea of accruing credit card debt, so the only way to make things work is to increase our income. I don't see any way we can decrease our spending enough to make up the difference. There's nothing more Bobby can do at the moment, so it would have to come from me. Do I pursue something related to my degree (that I earned six years ago and don't have any 'professional' working experience with...and that would take me away from home and the kids a lot)? Do I try to find some kids to babysit so I can at least be home with my own kids, too? Do I maybe start up a little preschool gig at home- but who do I know who has enough money to spare to make it worth it (but maybe someone does, I don't know, I haven't explored the idea too much)? Do we just keep using the credit cards so I can stay home and we'll worry about paying them off in a few years when income increases? I posed this question to a group of ladies who are in similar financial and life-stage situation as I am. All of their responses were different, but all were supportive and helpful. I'm appreciative to these women who offered their insights and advice. And I'll take any good advice you might have, too! I still haven't decided what I'm going to do, but I have a lot of options to consider and I'm feeling better about it already.
1. Diggers and Dump Trucks. Our neighbors are having work done on their driveway. A big backhoe is digging a deep hole and dumping the dirt in the back of a dump truck parked next to it. When Lillian first heard the trucks working, she looked out the window and exclaimed, "LOOK! Everyone come look!" We all gathered round the window to see, and Liam pointed and shouted, "Guck, guck!" [translated: truck, truck!] over and over. The window view soon lost its excitement, so we went outside to watch from the front porch. The kids sat and watched like they were at the movie theater, and Sydney kept asking if she could get down and watch from the driveway. Her cautious mother said no every time she asked. I'm not that into trucks and tractors [definitely not as much as my two boys are-- Bobby and Liam], but I have to admit that it's always neat to watch them work. The construction vehicles are still parked in the driveway, so we have tomorrow to look forward to more work and easy entertainment! :)
2. Bribery. Liam has reached the age of comprehending a good bribe...an important developmental milestone in my opinion. Meal time now often consists of a conversation as follows:
Me: Liam, eat your green beans. [raise the fork with two green beans stabbed on the end toward his mouth]
Liam: No. [clamps his mouth shut tight with his lips pouting out and turns his head away and to the side, making a repulsed face]
Me: Liam, do you want a COOKIE!? [trying to sound as excited as possible]
Liam: [Big smile] Oooh, yah! [Reaches for cookie]
Me: You have to eat your green beans first, ok? [Raise fork with green beans again]
Liam: Ok.
Me: Eat some green beans.
Liam: No.
Me: Do you want THIS? [hold up cookie]
Liam: Yah.
Me: Eat some green beans first [hold up green beans] and then you can have the cookie, ok? [hold up cookie again for emphasis and temptation].
Laim: Ok. [mouth opens, insert green beans, remind him to chew and swallow them, then proceed to give him his cookie reward. Repeat process until green beans are all gone. And just to clarify, I don't give him a WHOLE cookie for each green bean he eats...he gets a little piece of cookie, size depending on how big of a green bean bite he takes]. :)
3. Sydney's fancy hair. Lillian coerced Sydney into letting her do her hair this morning. She said she was doing it a "super fancy way." After a few minutes she gave up and asked me to give her two pigtails. To my surprise Sydney agreed, and she kept them in all morning, which is a long streak in her book. She looked so cute, and it reminded me of when she was younger and her hair was in pigtails a lot more.
4. Liam's words. Here are a few:
Ya-Ya: Lilly
Nee-Nee: Sydney
Guck: Truck
Bee-Bo: Bellybutton (thanks to Sandra Boynton and her "Belly Button Book")
No: No translation needed
Et GO!: Let's GO!
Wawa: Water
Deuce: Juice
Assdint: Accident
Wide: Ride
5. Water. Tonight when I was making dinner I accidentally set a paper towel on fire. I tried blowing it out a few times, but to no avail. In fact, I think it only fed the flames more. Before the heat could get to my fingertips, I dropped the flaming paper towel into the sink and ran water over it. It all happened in a split second, but the girls were at the table watching. When it was over, and impressed Sydney said, "Wow, Mom, you're a fire fighter!" Lillian sort of scoffed and said something about me being a fire starter. What a smart aleck she is....but I was thinking the same thing. :)
6. Good advice and support. I've been struggling lately with the possibility of getting a job to supplement our income. Our budget is so tight and credit cards are making ends meet for us right now. Neither Bobby or I like the idea of accruing credit card debt, so the only way to make things work is to increase our income. I don't see any way we can decrease our spending enough to make up the difference. There's nothing more Bobby can do at the moment, so it would have to come from me. Do I pursue something related to my degree (that I earned six years ago and don't have any 'professional' working experience with...and that would take me away from home and the kids a lot)? Do I try to find some kids to babysit so I can at least be home with my own kids, too? Do I maybe start up a little preschool gig at home- but who do I know who has enough money to spare to make it worth it (but maybe someone does, I don't know, I haven't explored the idea too much)? Do we just keep using the credit cards so I can stay home and we'll worry about paying them off in a few years when income increases? I posed this question to a group of ladies who are in similar financial and life-stage situation as I am. All of their responses were different, but all were supportive and helpful. I'm appreciative to these women who offered their insights and advice. And I'll take any good advice you might have, too! I still haven't decided what I'm going to do, but I have a lot of options to consider and I'm feeling better about it already.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
The Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked, and Walked, and Walked, and Walked.........
Today I'm thankful for . . .
1. More songs. I'm in the process of trying to get Liam to sleep. He had a long, late nap this afternoon, so he's not very interested in going to bed right now. I laid him down in my bed, hoping it would calm him down and lull him to sleep better. I tucked him in and sang him a short song. I started to leave when he started saying something that my Mommy brain translated into "temple." He wanted me to sing the "Temple Song," or "I Love to See The Temple," which I usually sing to the kids at bedtime. So I sang him the song and told him to close his eyes and go to sleep. But he started saying something else and when he got his hands free from under the covers, his little fingers were furiously going back and forth making the "more" sign. He wanted more songs!! I couldn't refuse, so I sang him another song. Again, he asked for more. This time I told him that if he could lay in bed quietly with his eyes closed then I would come back and sing him another song. He shut his eyes tight and said, "Ok," in his deep, little man voice. I tiptoed out of the room, heard him cry once, and haven't heard him since. He's such a cute little guy. Love him!
2. Pioneer Day. Last Wednesday, July 24th was Pioneer Day, which commemorates the day that the Mormon Pioneers finally made it to the Salt Lake Valley after traveling nearly 1500 miles from Nauvoo, IL. It's an official state holiday and a big, huge deal in Utah...not so much here on the East Coast, but we celebrated anyway. The kids and I read a story about a pioneer girl who got lost from her wagon train [and then found again...happy ending], making whirly-gig toys out of paper plates, making paper bonnets, and playing pioneer games outside like Shadow Tag, Leap Frog, Blind Man's Bluff, Hopscotch, and Birdie in My Cup. We were going to extend the celebrations today by making ice cream, but I didn't have the right ingredients, so we made paper quilts instead. The girls cut squares out of scrapbook paper and glued them to cardstock. Then Lillian had the idea to laminate them and make them placemats! (She always wants to laminate every.single.art project that she does, which I usually say no to, but this time it was a great idea!!) Their pioneer quilted placemats are so cute, and they used them for dinner tonight!
3. Balloon popping! We took down all of Lillian's birthday decorations, which included a lot of balloons hanging from the ceiling. All three kiddies had a blast popping them. They sat on them, poked them, and cut them with plastic knives. Liam cracked up laughing every time one of them exploded with an ear-deafening pop. The girls bounced endlessly on balloon after balloon until they popped underneath of them. Liam couldn't stop retelling the fun they had; he kept repeating, "bum, bum! POP!!"
4. Long walks. It wasn't too hot this morning and I was dying to get outside for some fresh air. I told the kids we were going for a walk, so we got our tennis shoes on and headed out the door. Sydney and Lillian brought their scooters to ride. A few blocks later Sydney was tired of riding her scooter, so she joined Liam in the stroller. Lillian was still going strong, so I decided to head in the direction of Bobby's hospital. I didn't think we would make it the entire way since it's nearly a mile, but before long we were just a block away. We stopped to rest and play at a fountain in a small park and I called Bobby to see if he was available...he was finishing up a case on a guy who got hit by a car last night. He was done, but there were three other people in the ER that he needed to see. He had a few minutes, though, so he met us outside and brought us to the cafeteria for lunch. The girls were SO excited to dine at "Daddy's Hospital," and I didn't mind because it was pretty cheap. While Bobby reset someone's broken ankle in the ER we ate chicken nuggets and french fries in the cafeteria overlooking the river and watched ospreys fly overhead. The girls chose a table for two in the corner and Liam was my date at a nearby table. Bobby joined us for his lunch before he had to rush off again to take care of someone else. We made the mile trek back home in the heat. My stroller was heavier with three kids and two scooters, but it was still a pleasant walk. We cooled off in our air conditioned apartment and ate ice pops on the porch. Our little adventure this afternoon was fun!
1. More songs. I'm in the process of trying to get Liam to sleep. He had a long, late nap this afternoon, so he's not very interested in going to bed right now. I laid him down in my bed, hoping it would calm him down and lull him to sleep better. I tucked him in and sang him a short song. I started to leave when he started saying something that my Mommy brain translated into "temple." He wanted me to sing the "Temple Song," or "I Love to See The Temple," which I usually sing to the kids at bedtime. So I sang him the song and told him to close his eyes and go to sleep. But he started saying something else and when he got his hands free from under the covers, his little fingers were furiously going back and forth making the "more" sign. He wanted more songs!! I couldn't refuse, so I sang him another song. Again, he asked for more. This time I told him that if he could lay in bed quietly with his eyes closed then I would come back and sing him another song. He shut his eyes tight and said, "Ok," in his deep, little man voice. I tiptoed out of the room, heard him cry once, and haven't heard him since. He's such a cute little guy. Love him!
2. Pioneer Day. Last Wednesday, July 24th was Pioneer Day, which commemorates the day that the Mormon Pioneers finally made it to the Salt Lake Valley after traveling nearly 1500 miles from Nauvoo, IL. It's an official state holiday and a big, huge deal in Utah...not so much here on the East Coast, but we celebrated anyway. The kids and I read a story about a pioneer girl who got lost from her wagon train [and then found again...happy ending], making whirly-gig toys out of paper plates, making paper bonnets, and playing pioneer games outside like Shadow Tag, Leap Frog, Blind Man's Bluff, Hopscotch, and Birdie in My Cup. We were going to extend the celebrations today by making ice cream, but I didn't have the right ingredients, so we made paper quilts instead. The girls cut squares out of scrapbook paper and glued them to cardstock. Then Lillian had the idea to laminate them and make them placemats! (She always wants to laminate every.single.art project that she does, which I usually say no to, but this time it was a great idea!!) Their pioneer quilted placemats are so cute, and they used them for dinner tonight!
3. Balloon popping! We took down all of Lillian's birthday decorations, which included a lot of balloons hanging from the ceiling. All three kiddies had a blast popping them. They sat on them, poked them, and cut them with plastic knives. Liam cracked up laughing every time one of them exploded with an ear-deafening pop. The girls bounced endlessly on balloon after balloon until they popped underneath of them. Liam couldn't stop retelling the fun they had; he kept repeating, "bum, bum! POP!!"
4. Long walks. It wasn't too hot this morning and I was dying to get outside for some fresh air. I told the kids we were going for a walk, so we got our tennis shoes on and headed out the door. Sydney and Lillian brought their scooters to ride. A few blocks later Sydney was tired of riding her scooter, so she joined Liam in the stroller. Lillian was still going strong, so I decided to head in the direction of Bobby's hospital. I didn't think we would make it the entire way since it's nearly a mile, but before long we were just a block away. We stopped to rest and play at a fountain in a small park and I called Bobby to see if he was available...he was finishing up a case on a guy who got hit by a car last night. He was done, but there were three other people in the ER that he needed to see. He had a few minutes, though, so he met us outside and brought us to the cafeteria for lunch. The girls were SO excited to dine at "Daddy's Hospital," and I didn't mind because it was pretty cheap. While Bobby reset someone's broken ankle in the ER we ate chicken nuggets and french fries in the cafeteria overlooking the river and watched ospreys fly overhead. The girls chose a table for two in the corner and Liam was my date at a nearby table. Bobby joined us for his lunch before he had to rush off again to take care of someone else. We made the mile trek back home in the heat. My stroller was heavier with three kids and two scooters, but it was still a pleasant walk. We cooled off in our air conditioned apartment and ate ice pops on the porch. Our little adventure this afternoon was fun!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Birthdays, Teeth, and Smiles
It's been two months to the day!
Today I'm thankful for:
1. Three rounds of birthday celebrations. Lillian has been basking in birthday fun. While on vacation last week with my family we had mini cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday in a large ski resort lodge while the wild bears ran through the backyard. Yesterday was Lilly's actual birthday, so we went to the Salisbury Zoo with some new friends, then had chocolate cupcakes together. Tonight we partied with Bobby's side of the family and had fun with loads of cousins, aunts, and uncles. We're all cup-caked out, but we are so happy to have Lillian in our family and to celebrate her 6th birthday with her!!
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| Cupcakes during Barker vacation in Jimtown |
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Cupcakes with friends!!
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3. Sydney's smile. It melts my heart every time.
4. Silly string!! We had a silly string fight on Lilly's birthday- it was the best 3 bucks I ever spent!
5. Lillian's first missing tooth! It's been lose for about 4 months and it finally popped out yesterday- literally! Bobby was flossing her teeth and she told him that she wanted him to try to pull it out. When he did, it popped right out and flew across the room! She was a brave girl and she's still beaming about it. Now she talks with a little lisp and she sticks her tongue through the little window in her mouth. So cute! The tooth fairy was generous to her, since it was her first tooth AND it came out on her birthday. Lillian missed her baby tooth so much in the morning that she bargained with the tooth fairy and got it back to keep. :)
Friday, May 24, 2013
Joys
Today I'm thankful for...
Rain- it cooled everything off and it thoroughly watered my new hibiscus plant that probably would have shriveled up and died due to my neglect.
Little artists- Lilly and Syd painted some pretty awesome pictures today. A colorful array of rainbows, self-portraits, kangaroos, and birds' nests. I'm glad their creative juices were flowing.
A clean air conditioner- it took me three days, but I managed to scrub, vacuum, and bleach all of the dust and mold out of it, just in time for the weather to cool off! I'll feel much better about breathing in the air it'll be blowing out the next time I turn it on.
My friend Tara- she always makes me feel better, even when she isn't trying to.
Prayer- spilling out all my worries and anxieties to my Heavenly Father helps me feel so much better.
Mani-Pedi parties- the girls and I soaked our feet in warm water with fizzing soap balls, then I gave them foot massages with fancy lotion and painted their toes and fingers. It was a belated Mother's Day activity- a 'thank you for letting me be your mom' celebration. Fun!
Liam's lost ba-boos- he has two pink ones left and we couldn't find them anywhere all day yesterday. I found them both last night, but since he and I survived a 24-hour time period without one, I decided to just keep the trend going. Might as well get the inevitable over with as soon as possible. Day 2 went well also. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Hopeful reminders- I like it when friends finish their residency programs, become board certified, move into fellowships, or enter the world of attending physicians. It helps me remember that residency won't last forever and that there is a light at the end of this [long, sometimes dark and lonely] tunnel. I know it'll go by fast and that someday, somehow I'll actually miss these years.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Christmas and Halloween in May
Liam just finished crying himself to sleep...poor guy. Tonight is a good night to list what I'm thankful for, so here goes:
1. The small, pink flower petals that keep falling off the trees and whirling all around when the wind blows. Everyone's yard is a carpet of pink petals and the sidewalks are lined with piles of little pink confetti. The girls like to pick up handfuls of petals, toss them in the air, and watch them fly around and land in their hair. They squeal with delight each and every time. It's kind of magical to see pink petals falling all around like snow. Love it!
2. The way Liam wrapped his little arm around my neck when I held him and sang bedtime songs tonight.
3. The Free Library. I love, love, love getting books from the library. We walked to the local Philly branch after Lilly got off the bus today. We originally went to get a movie for our "movie night," but I ended up with a bag-load of books as well. Walking into the children's section is like an addiction for me. I see one book, then another, and then another and I just can't resist putting it in my bag and taking it home for three weeks. I'm so grateful that it's a free service (even though I often pay my dues in the form of late fees...although I'm doing much better this year!!) I can't wait for the day when I can afford to stock my own home library full of wonderful children's literature. I'm so thankful for the talented writers and illustrators who share their talent and enrich my family's life with wonderful stories and beautiful art.
4. Preschool. There's nothing like herding together four 3-4 year olds for a fun topic about days of the week, months of the year, and the number 2. It was a whirlwind this morning, but super fun to watch them learn and explore!
5. My wonderful neighbors. Many of them know that Bobby hasn't been around much. I was chatting with one of the other moms this afternoon and as we were leaving to go back into our houses she said, "By the way, you are my super hero." When I asked her why she said that I always seem so calm and patient with my kids even though Bobby is gone a lot. It was very nice of her to say, but I hardly feel like a super hero. My house is basically trashed with dishes, toys, laundry, and a dirty bathroom. We've been having movie nights almost every week (even on school nights!!) and the kids have had a lot of pizza, chicken nuggets, pancakes, mac 'n cheese and hot dogs for dinner the past couple of weeks. We're sort of on survival mode, but we're surviving pretty well. In fact, if it weren't for the kids to keep my company and give me something to focus on, then I know I would be much lonelier and a lot worse off. Bobby's schedule definitely stinks, but I know plenty of people whose husbands have to be a lot farther away for a much longer amount of time. I feel pretty lucky to have him only a couple hours away, to see him (either here or there) every weekend, to have awesome friends and neighbors, and also to have supportive extended family close by. I told my neighbor that if I can find joy in this part of our journey, then I'll be that much more capable of finding joy at other points in our journey as well.
6. Eyelashes. I'm sitting here at my [cluttered] desk and in front of me on the wall is a bulletin board tacked with a few of Lillian's works of art that she made for me. As I've been staring at them, I noticed that Lillian has given everyone in the drawings amazingly long eyelashes! Look closely and you'll see purple eyelashes on the butterfly, pink eyelashes on the blonde girl [Lillian] at the bottom, and neon orange lashes on the girls on the purple card [which Lillian made for me during 'play time' at school today...my second card in two days, I feel so loved!] I love Lillian's artistic style and attention to detail...everyone's eyes are blue, too!
7. Daddy's stuffed ducky. A long time ago I gave Bobby a stuffed animal duck. I can't even remember when or why I gave it to him...I'm sure he remembers. Anyway, he took it with him on his two-year mission to Riverside, California and he had it with him every day. It's had a lot of lovin' wear and tear over the years and now it's starting to lose some of its stuffing and it's missing an eyeball. Irregardless, Sydney has taken a special liking to it. She carries it around with her and cuddles with it at night. Daddy must've recently talked to Sydney about his duck, because almost every day this week she has told me, "When I miss Daddy I can cuddle with his ducky because he had it with him every day on his mission." The way she says it in her sweet, tender little voice is so cute. I'm glad Bobby held onto it for so long.
8. I was about to publish the post when I read the title and realized I never explained why it was Christmas and Halloween in May!! Lillian picked Barbie's Christmas Carol for our movie night selection, then she chose a Diego book about bats saving a Halloween party. We had a full range of seasons and holidays today. Thankfully, both the movie and the book are from the library and will have to be returned soon (another perk about the library). ;-)
1. The small, pink flower petals that keep falling off the trees and whirling all around when the wind blows. Everyone's yard is a carpet of pink petals and the sidewalks are lined with piles of little pink confetti. The girls like to pick up handfuls of petals, toss them in the air, and watch them fly around and land in their hair. They squeal with delight each and every time. It's kind of magical to see pink petals falling all around like snow. Love it!
2. The way Liam wrapped his little arm around my neck when I held him and sang bedtime songs tonight.
3. The Free Library. I love, love, love getting books from the library. We walked to the local Philly branch after Lilly got off the bus today. We originally went to get a movie for our "movie night," but I ended up with a bag-load of books as well. Walking into the children's section is like an addiction for me. I see one book, then another, and then another and I just can't resist putting it in my bag and taking it home for three weeks. I'm so grateful that it's a free service (even though I often pay my dues in the form of late fees...although I'm doing much better this year!!) I can't wait for the day when I can afford to stock my own home library full of wonderful children's literature. I'm so thankful for the talented writers and illustrators who share their talent and enrich my family's life with wonderful stories and beautiful art.
4. Preschool. There's nothing like herding together four 3-4 year olds for a fun topic about days of the week, months of the year, and the number 2. It was a whirlwind this morning, but super fun to watch them learn and explore!
5. My wonderful neighbors. Many of them know that Bobby hasn't been around much. I was chatting with one of the other moms this afternoon and as we were leaving to go back into our houses she said, "By the way, you are my super hero." When I asked her why she said that I always seem so calm and patient with my kids even though Bobby is gone a lot. It was very nice of her to say, but I hardly feel like a super hero. My house is basically trashed with dishes, toys, laundry, and a dirty bathroom. We've been having movie nights almost every week (even on school nights!!) and the kids have had a lot of pizza, chicken nuggets, pancakes, mac 'n cheese and hot dogs for dinner the past couple of weeks. We're sort of on survival mode, but we're surviving pretty well. In fact, if it weren't for the kids to keep my company and give me something to focus on, then I know I would be much lonelier and a lot worse off. Bobby's schedule definitely stinks, but I know plenty of people whose husbands have to be a lot farther away for a much longer amount of time. I feel pretty lucky to have him only a couple hours away, to see him (either here or there) every weekend, to have awesome friends and neighbors, and also to have supportive extended family close by. I told my neighbor that if I can find joy in this part of our journey, then I'll be that much more capable of finding joy at other points in our journey as well.
6. Eyelashes. I'm sitting here at my [cluttered] desk and in front of me on the wall is a bulletin board tacked with a few of Lillian's works of art that she made for me. As I've been staring at them, I noticed that Lillian has given everyone in the drawings amazingly long eyelashes! Look closely and you'll see purple eyelashes on the butterfly, pink eyelashes on the blonde girl [Lillian] at the bottom, and neon orange lashes on the girls on the purple card [which Lillian made for me during 'play time' at school today...my second card in two days, I feel so loved!] I love Lillian's artistic style and attention to detail...everyone's eyes are blue, too!
7. Daddy's stuffed ducky. A long time ago I gave Bobby a stuffed animal duck. I can't even remember when or why I gave it to him...I'm sure he remembers. Anyway, he took it with him on his two-year mission to Riverside, California and he had it with him every day. It's had a lot of lovin' wear and tear over the years and now it's starting to lose some of its stuffing and it's missing an eyeball. Irregardless, Sydney has taken a special liking to it. She carries it around with her and cuddles with it at night. Daddy must've recently talked to Sydney about his duck, because almost every day this week she has told me, "When I miss Daddy I can cuddle with his ducky because he had it with him every day on his mission." The way she says it in her sweet, tender little voice is so cute. I'm glad Bobby held onto it for so long.
8. I was about to publish the post when I read the title and realized I never explained why it was Christmas and Halloween in May!! Lillian picked Barbie's Christmas Carol for our movie night selection, then she chose a Diego book about bats saving a Halloween party. We had a full range of seasons and holidays today. Thankfully, both the movie and the book are from the library and will have to be returned soon (another perk about the library). ;-)
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Good Moms
I found this in the dollar bin at Target the other day. If you could see the mountain of dishes in my sink and the endless piles of laundry scattered throughout the house, then you would think that I was an absolutely amazing mother with blissfully joyful children. Which, of course, I am...and I have. ;-)
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Barrack Academy Field Trip
I got to hang out with Lillian and her kindergarten class on their field trip to the Barrack Academy this afternoon. With each change of the season they've visited this Hebrew Academy (a Jewish day school for grades 6-12) in Bryn Mawr in order to learn about nature and how its affected by the change in the weather with the different seasons. Today was the spring trip, but it felt more like summer. The giant thermometer read 92 degrees when we got there!! I don't think it was actually that hot (I think it sat out in the hot sun a little too long), but it was definitely in the mid-80's....hot enough to make me wish I put some sunscreen on my neck and bright enough to remind me that I need to get a pair of sunglasses! :)
I had a fun time riding on the bus with Lillian and 40 other kindergarteners, and watching her plant marigold seeds, draw a beautiful picture of the spring landscape, feed goldfish in the pond, go on a little nature walk, and learn about different habitats. She's a fun girl to be with, and I'm grateful that she wants me to chaperone her field trips. I'm even more grateful that I was able to do it, thanks to my wonderful friend Ruth who watched Sydney and Liam for me while I was gone.
Some photos of our afternoon:
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| Lillian and her classmate F, on the bus on our way to Barrack! F is a quiet, but very sweet little guy. He was in my chaperone group. Totally random note- the kid in the background has his finger in his mouth to wiggle his VERY loose tooth. He did it the whole way there and back and I was worried that he would wiggle the tooth right out and we would have a big bloody mess in the back of the bus. He had at least three toothless gaps in his mouth, which led me to believe that he was a tooth wiggling expert. Despite his best efforts, however, the tooth stayed in for the duration of the trip....thank goodness! |
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| Scooping dirt into her cup to plant marigolds. The girl on the far left is W- she was the other kid in my little group. She was not very impressed with the whole ordeal. She kept trying to jump ship and join another group. Not on my watch, missy!! |
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| Observing nature and learning about habitats. Lillian is third from the left. The guy standing in front of them is their "teacher"....a local high school student. He told the little group of kindergarteners that animals live in habitats and that we have habitats also because we're animals, too. This confused most of the kids. |
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| Feeding the fish in the pond. Each kid was given half a piece of white bread. Some of them broke the bread into huge chunks and threw it all in at once. A few other kids broke off teeny tiny crumb-size pieces and threw them in one by one. At the rate they were going, we would've been there forever if we didn't make them throw in the whole piece so we could go to our next station. |
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| Summer landscape photo that Lillian took during the nature walk. The kids were supposed to use their school-issued iPad to take photos, but Lillian's was dead. Her teacher forgot to charge it. :-/ I let her use my phone instead. |
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| Little artists, busy sketching the landscape foreground and background- that was the assignment, anyway. Most of them just drew whatever the heck they felt like. For example, Lillian drew a whole row of pink flowers (there were none in sight), and one little boy drew a picture of "a man dying of sweat." LOL! |
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| Bus ride on the way back to school. |
Monday, April 1, 2013
Day 1
I'm tired and my brain doesn't have the energy to write anything witty. I just wanted to confirm that the kids and I survived Day 1 of Bobby's trauma rotation.
Why is that a big deal, you ask? Well....Bobby left early this morning for a hospital in Baltimore where he'll be working for the next three months. It's only two hours away, but that's far enough to prevent a daily commute, especially for a guy who normally only gets five hours of sleep every night- you can do the math on how much time that would leave for him to sleep. We'll probably see him every other weekend here at home, and on some special weekends I'll load the kids up so we can stay with some friends who live in the Baltimore area and we'll hang out with Daddy there as much as we can. I keep thinking to myself that the time will go by fast, just like his previous three-month rotation did. I also keep telling myself that by the time he's done this one in June, Lillian would have finished kindergarten, Liam will be a year and a half old, and 2013 will be half-way over. The best part is that we'll be another year done with residency, with only three more left to go (and only six months away from being half-way done!)
To briefly sum up the day, it was a good one, but a little on the emotional side. Lillian had a tearful break down after our Tango (video chat) session with Daddy tonight. We said hello, good night, had a bedtime prayer over the phone, then Bobby sang the kids a song while they were in bed. As soon as I hung up Lillian buried her head in her pillow and started wailing. Then Liam started crying, too. I relocated Lillian to my bed so Sydney could have some peace and quiet. Thank goodness that girl can sleep through anything because Liam made up for the silence of Lillian's absence. After getting Lillian's big blue bunny to cuddle with and reminding her that Daddy is only a couple of hours away and that we get to see him this weekend and that we were very fortunate to be able to talk to him and see him on the phone tonight, she calmed down. What I really wanted to say was quit complaining about it because some kids don't get to see their dads (and/or moms) for months on end because they are entrenched among terrorists in foreign lands or out at see on a Naval military ship....or away at any other number of locations that are thousands of miles away with no cell phone signal. We are pretty fortunate to have him so close and to have easy access to talk and video chat with him. For having him be away, it's not too bad. Not that I would choose for it to be this way instead of having him here, but it could definitely be worse.
Other highlights of the day included getting poked in the eyeball by Liam (totally inadvertently, but nearly 15 hours later it still hurts, is slightly swollen and keeps watering...time to see a dr??). Also, Liam stuck his hand in the trash can (several times...got lucky enough to fish a few things out) and then stuck his hands in the toilet water. EWW!! We were invited to a friends' house for family home evening, where we sang songs in German, learned about Christ's resurrection, and enjoyed cherry and apple danishes. So many friends have already been so supportive of our situation. I'm truly grateful for them.
One day down! Bring on the rest!
Why is that a big deal, you ask? Well....Bobby left early this morning for a hospital in Baltimore where he'll be working for the next three months. It's only two hours away, but that's far enough to prevent a daily commute, especially for a guy who normally only gets five hours of sleep every night- you can do the math on how much time that would leave for him to sleep. We'll probably see him every other weekend here at home, and on some special weekends I'll load the kids up so we can stay with some friends who live in the Baltimore area and we'll hang out with Daddy there as much as we can. I keep thinking to myself that the time will go by fast, just like his previous three-month rotation did. I also keep telling myself that by the time he's done this one in June, Lillian would have finished kindergarten, Liam will be a year and a half old, and 2013 will be half-way over. The best part is that we'll be another year done with residency, with only three more left to go (and only six months away from being half-way done!)
To briefly sum up the day, it was a good one, but a little on the emotional side. Lillian had a tearful break down after our Tango (video chat) session with Daddy tonight. We said hello, good night, had a bedtime prayer over the phone, then Bobby sang the kids a song while they were in bed. As soon as I hung up Lillian buried her head in her pillow and started wailing. Then Liam started crying, too. I relocated Lillian to my bed so Sydney could have some peace and quiet. Thank goodness that girl can sleep through anything because Liam made up for the silence of Lillian's absence. After getting Lillian's big blue bunny to cuddle with and reminding her that Daddy is only a couple of hours away and that we get to see him this weekend and that we were very fortunate to be able to talk to him and see him on the phone tonight, she calmed down. What I really wanted to say was quit complaining about it because some kids don't get to see their dads (and/or moms) for months on end because they are entrenched among terrorists in foreign lands or out at see on a Naval military ship....or away at any other number of locations that are thousands of miles away with no cell phone signal. We are pretty fortunate to have him so close and to have easy access to talk and video chat with him. For having him be away, it's not too bad. Not that I would choose for it to be this way instead of having him here, but it could definitely be worse.
Other highlights of the day included getting poked in the eyeball by Liam (totally inadvertently, but nearly 15 hours later it still hurts, is slightly swollen and keeps watering...time to see a dr??). Also, Liam stuck his hand in the trash can (several times...got lucky enough to fish a few things out) and then stuck his hands in the toilet water. EWW!! We were invited to a friends' house for family home evening, where we sang songs in German, learned about Christ's resurrection, and enjoyed cherry and apple danishes. So many friends have already been so supportive of our situation. I'm truly grateful for them.
One day down! Bring on the rest!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Hello, Spring??
March ushered in the first day of Spring Break with a cold and slushy snow storm. The snowy/rainy mix has been falling in full force since we woke up this morning and it isn't expected to stop until late tonight. The forecast is calling for 2-4 inches. So much for March being "in like a lion and out like a lamb." It's more like in like a lion, linger like a lamb for a few days, then metamorphosize back into a lion again. Poor March is so confused. I think it's about time it spoke to a psychiatrist about the identity crisis it's going through.
We're trying to make the most out of the crazy weather. As soon as the girls got up this morning and looked out the window, they donned their snowsuits, boots, hats, gloves, and scarves and headed out to explore the wintery world outside. Lillian got too cold and retreated back inside before I could finish getting Liam bundled up, so I only got pictures of Sydney and Liam.
Now I'm waiting at the dentist office with the two little kiddies for Lilly to finish her check-up. Keep your fingers crossed for no cavities!
We're trying to make the most out of the crazy weather. As soon as the girls got up this morning and looked out the window, they donned their snowsuits, boots, hats, gloves, and scarves and headed out to explore the wintery world outside. Lillian got too cold and retreated back inside before I could finish getting Liam bundled up, so I only got pictures of Sydney and Liam.
Now I'm waiting at the dentist office with the two little kiddies for Lilly to finish her check-up. Keep your fingers crossed for no cavities!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
"Free Herd Shoop"
Lillian and Sydney have been up to something in the bathroom upstairs. They told me I wasn't allowed to go up and see what they were doing. That either means they're doing something they know they're not supposed to be doing, or they're cooking up some big surprise for me. I decided I didn't have enough energy to go investigate if it was the former, and lucky for me it wasn't!
I just got back from a little spa treatment. When they finally beckoned me upstairs I saw this sign on the bathroom door:
Lillian translated it for me: Free Hair Shop by Lilly and Sydney - Love, The Shop. Then she drew some decorated Easter eggs on it. The girls were dressed in their fancy summer flower girl dresses and they directed me to sit in a little chair that was on the side of the bathtub. They had a little towel to put on my neck under my hair and they wanted me to lean my head over the edge into the tub while they poured a big bucket of water over my hair. Then they would "squeeze the water out of my hair with the towel," as Lillian explained.
I hesitated for a moment, not only because I didn't want to get doused with water all over my head, most of which would undoubtedly land on the floor, but also because I actually took a shower today and already did my hair. Having curly hair, it's kind of an ordeal to get my hair wet because it means I have to style it afterwards (if you have curly hair, you'll totally understand). I explained this to the girls and asked if they could paint my nails instead- I tempted them with the offer by telling them they could even pick out any color they wanted! They were thrilled with the idea, so I sat down in the chair with the little towel in my lap instead of on my shoulders and the girls busily went to work. After a meticulous nail painting session, I feel pretty and pampered, and Lillian says the colors make me ready for Easter!
The picture above is our attempt to take a self portrait- Sydney hit the button for us. Lillian painted my left hand orange and Sydney did my right hand with pink! I'm so lucky to have girls to take care of me!!
Little Email
I just got an email from Lillian, which she sent from my email account. :) This is what it said (with her original spacing):
I Love you Mom Love Lillian
So she doesn't have to hack into my email anymore, Lillian now has her very own email address! LillianDoran@gmail.com Send her a line, and she'll be more than happy to respond to her [fan] mail.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Rocket Ride
This was my conversation with Sydney during lunch today:
Sydney: Mommy, can I go on a rocket someday?
Me: Sure, sweetie.
Sydney: Well, there has to be a buckle so I won't fall out.
Me: Yes, good idea. We don't want you to fall out.
Sydney: Yea.
Sydney: Mommy, can I go on a rocket someday?
Me: Sure, sweetie.
Sydney: Well, there has to be a buckle so I won't fall out.
Me: Yes, good idea. We don't want you to fall out.
Sydney: Yea.
Monday, March 4, 2013
My Funny Kids
Lillian and Sydney have been saying some funny cute things lately.
On Saturday we took a family trip to the Please Touch Museum. I found myself alone with Sydney in the 3 and under play area that's set up like a little town. I had fun watching her play in one of the houses, as she would go up and down the front steps, walk across the little porch and ring the doorbell (which actually rings) and talk to her imaginary friends when they opened the door. Then she found a Sydney-sized wooden push broom and she put herself to work sweeping the front porch. Every time I told her to look up and smile so I could take her picture she would say, "No, Mom, I can't. I'm too busy brooming!" It was so cute!
Tonight I read bedtime books to the kids in my bed. Sydney picked Fancy Nancy "Everyday is Earth Day" (for the fifth night in a row...). Afterwards Lillian and I started talking in British accents, trying to be fancy like Nancy (not that she's British, or that you have to be British to be fancy, but British accents are just fun and you have to admit that they do sound quite fancy). We were cracking each other up and as I was smiling and laughing Lillian looked at me and said, "Your face gets PIMPLES when you smile!" It took me a split second to get what she said, then I asked her, "You mean DIMPLES?" She responded with, "Oops, yeah! Dimples!" She was a little embarrassed by her mistake, but we just laughed at that, too. :)
On Saturday we took a family trip to the Please Touch Museum. I found myself alone with Sydney in the 3 and under play area that's set up like a little town. I had fun watching her play in one of the houses, as she would go up and down the front steps, walk across the little porch and ring the doorbell (which actually rings) and talk to her imaginary friends when they opened the door. Then she found a Sydney-sized wooden push broom and she put herself to work sweeping the front porch. Every time I told her to look up and smile so I could take her picture she would say, "No, Mom, I can't. I'm too busy brooming!" It was so cute!
Tonight I read bedtime books to the kids in my bed. Sydney picked Fancy Nancy "Everyday is Earth Day" (for the fifth night in a row...). Afterwards Lillian and I started talking in British accents, trying to be fancy like Nancy (not that she's British, or that you have to be British to be fancy, but British accents are just fun and you have to admit that they do sound quite fancy). We were cracking each other up and as I was smiling and laughing Lillian looked at me and said, "Your face gets PIMPLES when you smile!" It took me a split second to get what she said, then I asked her, "You mean DIMPLES?" She responded with, "Oops, yeah! Dimples!" She was a little embarrassed by her mistake, but we just laughed at that, too. :)
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice
Today I'm thankful for . . .
1. My organized spice cabinet. I bought these turny-table things the week we moved into this house. That was over SEVEN months ago! Just tonight I FINALLY put them in the cabinet and organized my spices! Have I mentioned how it takes me FOREVER to unpack and get organized?? It's such a relief to have all my little spices in a nice, neat place. They were falling all over the place before and it was a horrible mess. Now I can breathe when I look at it...and I can also find what I'm looking for without having the garlic powder tumble over and land on my head. I should've taken a "before" picture for comparison...
2. Feeling thankful. Gratitude is a blessing. It makes life more pleasant, enjoyable, and worthwhile. It's not easy to be grateful all the time, though...it certainly takes practice and hard work. I try really hard to have a thankful attitude, and I empathize with those who find it difficult. I know that when I'm dealing with depression it's really hard to feel truly thankful. During those times I know that I am thankful, but I don't feel the deep-down gratitude that brings joy and relief into my life. I'm thankful that I'm going through a period in my life when my heart is filled with so much gratitude and happiness.
3. Friends. I went to a baby shower today. I had to bring all three kiddies with me because Bobby was stuck at the hospital waiting for the cardiologist to show up and give the approval for a patient to go to the OR to fix a broken hip. Lillian and Sydney immediately split to go play with the hostess's daughter who is 4 and just as spunky and fun as my girls are. Liam, on the other hand, started wandering around begging for food and looking for trouble. My friends immediately swooped in and got Liam some yummy banana chocolate chip bread to eat, they guarded the basement door so he wouldn't tumble down the stairs, they grabbed him off the upstairs staircase each time he started to climb up, they cleaned up the cup of water he knocked over on the floor, and they carried him down to the basement so he could play with the girls. My friends are awesome!
4. Phone calls. My sister-in-law called today, just to chat. We don't normally do that over the phone. It was nice to talk about random stuff--mostly our kids--and to get caught up on how she's doing. Miraculously, her kids were napping and Lillian and Sydney were entertaining themselves nicely while Liam was napping, too. It was the quietest, most attentive phone conversation I've had in a long time! My mom called me yesterday morning just to see how I was. After Lillian took the phone from me and talked to her for 15 minutes I got some time to talk to her, too, which was nice. This evening my sister called from the airport to say good bye and to schedule a Google Chat session while she's abroad. And not too long ago a friend messaged me on Facebook to say she missed me. It's nice to know that people are thinking about me, and that they take the time to keep in touch. I think about my family and friends all the time, but I'm horrible at contacting them...something I would like to improve.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Valentine's Day Book Review
I just finished teaching Sydney's preschool with her and three other friends. The theme was hearts and Valentine's Day. We had a good time looking at different shaped hearts and finding the BIGGEST one and the smallest one. We also found different colored hearts around the room. At the end of the class we played Heart Bingo and read some "hearty" Valentine books (haha, dorky pun intended). The kids really enjoyed the books so I thought I would write a little review on each of them...making this my Children's Book Review DEBUT! :-D
Little Mouse's Big Valentine by Thacher Hurd-- Little Mouse makes a valentine so big that he's having a hard time finding someone who will accept it. He then embarks on quite an adventure trying to find the right person to give it to, using his great big valentine as various modes of transportation. When he meets another little mouse named Gloria he finds friendship, and together they are able to come up with a solution to his great big valentine predicament. This is a cute story with a nice ending that reminds us that sometimes it takes a long, hard journey to find the right person, but in the end it's worth it.
Valentine Surprise by Corinne DeMas-- Lily is a sweet little girl who is trying to make a Valentine for her mother. Each day of the week she sits at her little craft table by the window with her Valentine's paper and a pair of scissors and she tries to cut out a perfectly shaped heart. Poor Lily finds flaws in each of her hearts- too skinny, too curvy, etc- and she hides them all under her bed. By Valentine's Day she is distraught because she still doesn't have a perfect heart to give to her mom. In the end, Lily learns from her compassionate mother that true perfection comes from within. Very cute story and also lends itself well to teaching about different shapes.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Full Moon, Nice Boots, and Water Heaters
Today I'm thankful for...
1. The big full moon shining in the night sky.
2. Nice compliments. There's a girl at church who is about my same age and she always looks so cute with her clothes, her hair, and her accessories. She's tall and slender and super nice and every time I see her I think, "gee, I wish I had her style." Anyways, she commented on how she liked my skirt and boots today. I was totally flattered, especially since I bought both of them before Lillian was born (heck, I think it was even before Bobby and I got married...they're that old). I guess I've been wearing them long enough for them to go out of style, then come back in style...haha. I felt pretty trendy for the rest of the day...until I got home and changed into comfy sweatpants. :)
3. Renters who seem interested in renewing their lease. That would be such a blessing. Cross your fingers and say a prayer for them to want to stay.
4. Our friend Enrique. The hot water heater at our rental house in Delaware started leaking two weeks ago. We called around to get some estimates on replacing it, and parts and labor totaled over $1000. Eek! Enrique came to the rescue. He knew of a supplier in the area who had a good price on the water heater we needed (even cheaper than buying tax free in DE). Then he spent his entire Saturday helping Bobby remove the old one and install the new one. We saved hundreds of dollars and Bobby was able to get the job done quickly and with good company. He was home in time for dinner AND he was in a good mood when he got here....two things that wouldn't have been possible without Enrique's help. Gracias, amigo!
1. The big full moon shining in the night sky.
2. Nice compliments. There's a girl at church who is about my same age and she always looks so cute with her clothes, her hair, and her accessories. She's tall and slender and super nice and every time I see her I think, "gee, I wish I had her style." Anyways, she commented on how she liked my skirt and boots today. I was totally flattered, especially since I bought both of them before Lillian was born (heck, I think it was even before Bobby and I got married...they're that old). I guess I've been wearing them long enough for them to go out of style, then come back in style...haha. I felt pretty trendy for the rest of the day...until I got home and changed into comfy sweatpants. :)
3. Renters who seem interested in renewing their lease. That would be such a blessing. Cross your fingers and say a prayer for them to want to stay.
4. Our friend Enrique. The hot water heater at our rental house in Delaware started leaking two weeks ago. We called around to get some estimates on replacing it, and parts and labor totaled over $1000. Eek! Enrique came to the rescue. He knew of a supplier in the area who had a good price on the water heater we needed (even cheaper than buying tax free in DE). Then he spent his entire Saturday helping Bobby remove the old one and install the new one. We saved hundreds of dollars and Bobby was able to get the job done quickly and with good company. He was home in time for dinner AND he was in a good mood when he got here....two things that wouldn't have been possible without Enrique's help. Gracias, amigo!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Falling Asleep by the Fire
I grew up in a house with a wood stove. It was used as the primary source of heating, so I watched many winter fires burn through its windows. I always liked it when my parents opened the doors on the stove and put on the grate covering so the burning fire was more visible. I love everything about a wood fire-- the sound of wood crackling and hissing, the look of glowing embers and flames dancing through and around wood logs, the faint smell of smoke, and the burning heat that scorches your face when you lean in close to blow on the embers to rekindle the flame.
One of my favorite things about our little house is that it has a fireplace. We've already used it a good number of times this winter. We don't use it as a primary source of heat; rather as a form of entertainment and to give off a warm cozy (and romantic) glow. Lillian and Sydney frequently ask if we can have a fire and they love to help get it started. Bobby salvaged some big logs from the dump after Hurricane Sandy swept through in October. He spent a couple of afternoons chopping the wood (he called it therapy) and now we have a decent sized stack on our front porch. Lillian and Sydney even swung the ax a few times to split some logs!
Tonight Bobby made a fire. Sydney helped him start it while Lillian and I sat on the couch together reading some poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends." Liam tried to help start the fire, too, but Mommy wouldn't let him get too close. ;) Then we had ice cream and watched Dirty Jobs together while the fire glowed next to us. Sydney was too tired to go upstairs and brush her teeth, so she fell asleep on the couch. When Lillian was ready for bed she wanted to snuggle with Daddy, so the two of them went back downstairs and crashed on the couch with Sydney. After I got Liam to sleep I found all three of them sleeping soundly next to the fire. (There's still a little bit of fire left as I sit on the floor next to it, typing this out).
When Bobby woke up about an hour later he carried the girls upstairs to their beds. As I watched him, I wondered how many times my mom or dad carried me up the stairs to my bed after I fell asleep by the fire.
From this point on in my life, I don't think I can live in a house without a fireplace.
One of my favorite things about our little house is that it has a fireplace. We've already used it a good number of times this winter. We don't use it as a primary source of heat; rather as a form of entertainment and to give off a warm cozy (and romantic) glow. Lillian and Sydney frequently ask if we can have a fire and they love to help get it started. Bobby salvaged some big logs from the dump after Hurricane Sandy swept through in October. He spent a couple of afternoons chopping the wood (he called it therapy) and now we have a decent sized stack on our front porch. Lillian and Sydney even swung the ax a few times to split some logs!
Tonight Bobby made a fire. Sydney helped him start it while Lillian and I sat on the couch together reading some poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends." Liam tried to help start the fire, too, but Mommy wouldn't let him get too close. ;) Then we had ice cream and watched Dirty Jobs together while the fire glowed next to us. Sydney was too tired to go upstairs and brush her teeth, so she fell asleep on the couch. When Lillian was ready for bed she wanted to snuggle with Daddy, so the two of them went back downstairs and crashed on the couch with Sydney. After I got Liam to sleep I found all three of them sleeping soundly next to the fire. (There's still a little bit of fire left as I sit on the floor next to it, typing this out).
When Bobby woke up about an hour later he carried the girls upstairs to their beds. As I watched him, I wondered how many times my mom or dad carried me up the stairs to my bed after I fell asleep by the fire.
From this point on in my life, I don't think I can live in a house without a fireplace.
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| This was in November when Bobby was on vacation and we had a "sleep over" by the fire. The girls loved it! |
- Chopping Firewood with Daddy in October -
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Happy Birthday, Nanner!
Today I'm thankful for...
1. My little niece Nanner's first birthday!! Our whole family Tango-ed with Nanner and her mommy and daddy and sang her Happy Birthday. Then we got to watch Nanner toddle across the floor to her daddy...she'll be running around all over the placewith her parents chasing after her like a couple of chickens with their heads cut off in no time! We're so happy to have little Nanner in our family- she's the kids' first cousin on my side of the family (and my very first niece)!
2. Chores. Lillian has officially entered the world of chores. She has her own chores chart! Nothing fancy...just a calendar drawn with a bunch of colorful markers designating each day of the week and what the chores are, with little boxes to fill with stickers when she completes the chore. Currently her chores are to help set and clear the table for dinner (reminds me of my chores when I was younger), help Mommy take out the trash (this should really be Daddy's job, but Lillian was excited to do it instead), and line up the shoes by the door ("Nate the great, who lines them up straight!"). She's doing pretty well for her first week, and I have to admit that it has been quite helpful to have her help setting and clearing the table for dinner. She usually enlists Sydney's help, or Sydney volunteers her services, so I get even more help which is awesome. The other day Lillian surprised me by sweeping the dining room floor (a monumental task after any meal Liam takes part in) without being asked. I was so proud of her for seeing a job that needed to be done and doing it! She seemed pretty proud of herself, too...as she should be! :)
3. Sunshine. There hasn't been much of it here lately. Just gray clouds, cold, and some rain. I miss the sun. I'm grateful for when it shines. "Hey Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun....won't you please shine down on me?"
4. Bobby's rendition of "Ferdinand." It's one of Lillian's favorite books and she asked Daddy to read it tonight before bedtime. Bobby was totally smitten that she requested him to read it, and he put on quite a good show. He read it with a lively Spanish accent, complete with corresponding motions and entertaining re-enactments of various scenes. All three kids were completely engulfed in the story and Daddy's performance. Liam gazed up at him with big, excited eyes, like he was the coolest dad in the whole world. Lillian and Sydney laughed and squealed with delight at his performance. Even I couldn't help but join in and laugh along. It was the best book time ever.
1. My little niece Nanner's first birthday!! Our whole family Tango-ed with Nanner and her mommy and daddy and sang her Happy Birthday. Then we got to watch Nanner toddle across the floor to her daddy...she'll be running around all over the place
2. Chores. Lillian has officially entered the world of chores. She has her own chores chart! Nothing fancy...just a calendar drawn with a bunch of colorful markers designating each day of the week and what the chores are, with little boxes to fill with stickers when she completes the chore. Currently her chores are to help set and clear the table for dinner (reminds me of my chores when I was younger), help Mommy take out the trash (this should really be Daddy's job, but Lillian was excited to do it instead), and line up the shoes by the door ("Nate the great, who lines them up straight!"). She's doing pretty well for her first week, and I have to admit that it has been quite helpful to have her help setting and clearing the table for dinner. She usually enlists Sydney's help, or Sydney volunteers her services, so I get even more help which is awesome. The other day Lillian surprised me by sweeping the dining room floor (a monumental task after any meal Liam takes part in) without being asked. I was so proud of her for seeing a job that needed to be done and doing it! She seemed pretty proud of herself, too...as she should be! :)
3. Sunshine. There hasn't been much of it here lately. Just gray clouds, cold, and some rain. I miss the sun. I'm grateful for when it shines. "Hey Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun....won't you please shine down on me?"
4. Bobby's rendition of "Ferdinand." It's one of Lillian's favorite books and she asked Daddy to read it tonight before bedtime. Bobby was totally smitten that she requested him to read it, and he put on quite a good show. He read it with a lively Spanish accent, complete with corresponding motions and entertaining re-enactments of various scenes. All three kids were completely engulfed in the story and Daddy's performance. Liam gazed up at him with big, excited eyes, like he was the coolest dad in the whole world. Lillian and Sydney laughed and squealed with delight at his performance. Even I couldn't help but join in and laugh along. It was the best book time ever.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Today I'm thankful for...
1. Sleepy "I love you's". The kiddies and I had a late night last night. I tried to get them to bed early tonight, and all three of them fell asleep almost instantly. After I finished singing the bedtime songs I laid Liam in his crib and he was totally zonked out. He didn't even roll over when I put him down. Then I went to kiss the girls good night and say, "I love you." On most nights they are still wide awake and they ask me several times what we're going to do the next day or they tell me all the things they want to do and who they want to play with, then they ask if I can lay in bed with them. Not tonight. Both of them were already half asleep and they didn't even open their eyes when I kissed them. What was so tender was that each of them responded with, "I love you too," in a half-awake, half-asleep mumble whisper. It made Mommy's heart melt. :)
2. The law of gravity. Liam has discovered that if he drops something it will hit the ground. He likes to take objects (spoons, cups, stuffed animals, ba-boos, food, anything really) and drop them over the side of the high chair, crib, couch-- any elevated surface-- and watch it fall. Then he will peek over the edge, point to said dropped item, raise his eyebrows and open his eyes big and wide and say, "Uh-ohhh!" until someone picks it up and gives it back to him so he can do it all over again. It's fun to do just to hear him say "uh-ohhh" over and over.
3. Flat Stanley. Lillian read about Flat Stanley in her kindergarten class. She made her own Flat Stanley and shipped him off across the country to her Great Grandma. He was only gone a week, but every day she exclaimed how much she missed Flat Stanley and she couldn't wait for him to come back. She wanted to make a "welcome home" banner for when he returned. ;) We didn't actually make the banner, but he had a warm welcoming when he arrived home safe and sound. Great Gma showed Flat Stanley a great time around town, at her work, and he even got to play with Great Gpa and some cousins. She sent pictures of his adventures and got Lillian a cool sticker. We're so thankful that Great Gma took the time to host Flat Stanley!
4. My memorabilia pack rat tendencies. I used to save every birthday card I ever got. I would even deflate the mylar birthday balloon from my mom each year to save in my "memory box." I'm not quite that bad anymore, but I still save meaningful notes and cards from the people I love. No, they are not in a cute scrapbook or other crafty form of presentation. Rather, they are shoved in a manila envelope and stacked in a closet. Sydney found one of the envelopes today and wanted to see what was inside. She had trouble opening the clasp, and by the time I was able to help her open it she had forgotten about it, but I decided to peek inside anyway. I spent the next few minutes totally engulfed in reading cards and notes from past birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Days, and just random notes of love and support. Most of them were from Bobby. It was a nice reminder to read the tender things he had written over the past few years, and to see how our relationship has developed. He often jokes that he doesn't know how to be romantic anymore because he's always too stressed and sleep deprived. We definitely aren't in the "honeymoon" stage of our marriage anymore (it'll be 8 years in a few weeks!!), and having kids often gets in the way of romantic moments, but he's still my best friend and a great guy and I'm glad that I have him to go through life with. And if he ever really forgets how to be romantic, I can always whip out my memory box full of old cards to remind him of all the mushy romantic things he used to say. ;)
5. Sydney's crown. It says "I am a child of God." She got it in her Sunbeams class at church but she didn't have time to color it, so she finished coloring it at home. I stapled it together and she wore it proudly all morning!
6. Gma and Gpa's surprise visit! The girls put on a pop star show for them, Liam showed off his walking moves, and we all got to send Lillian off at the bus stop. It was a fun morning with them!
7. Cupcakes with Auntie Audrey! Yes, she and Lillian have red dots on their foreheads. No, they are not sniper marks. They are bindis...Lillian wanted to be a princess from India.
1. Sleepy "I love you's". The kiddies and I had a late night last night. I tried to get them to bed early tonight, and all three of them fell asleep almost instantly. After I finished singing the bedtime songs I laid Liam in his crib and he was totally zonked out. He didn't even roll over when I put him down. Then I went to kiss the girls good night and say, "I love you." On most nights they are still wide awake and they ask me several times what we're going to do the next day or they tell me all the things they want to do and who they want to play with, then they ask if I can lay in bed with them. Not tonight. Both of them were already half asleep and they didn't even open their eyes when I kissed them. What was so tender was that each of them responded with, "I love you too," in a half-awake, half-asleep mumble whisper. It made Mommy's heart melt. :)
2. The law of gravity. Liam has discovered that if he drops something it will hit the ground. He likes to take objects (spoons, cups, stuffed animals, ba-boos, food, anything really) and drop them over the side of the high chair, crib, couch-- any elevated surface-- and watch it fall. Then he will peek over the edge, point to said dropped item, raise his eyebrows and open his eyes big and wide and say, "Uh-ohhh!" until someone picks it up and gives it back to him so he can do it all over again. It's fun to do just to hear him say "uh-ohhh" over and over.
3. Flat Stanley. Lillian read about Flat Stanley in her kindergarten class. She made her own Flat Stanley and shipped him off across the country to her Great Grandma. He was only gone a week, but every day she exclaimed how much she missed Flat Stanley and she couldn't wait for him to come back. She wanted to make a "welcome home" banner for when he returned. ;) We didn't actually make the banner, but he had a warm welcoming when he arrived home safe and sound. Great Gma showed Flat Stanley a great time around town, at her work, and he even got to play with Great Gpa and some cousins. She sent pictures of his adventures and got Lillian a cool sticker. We're so thankful that Great Gma took the time to host Flat Stanley!
4. My memorabilia pack rat tendencies. I used to save every birthday card I ever got. I would even deflate the mylar birthday balloon from my mom each year to save in my "memory box." I'm not quite that bad anymore, but I still save meaningful notes and cards from the people I love. No, they are not in a cute scrapbook or other crafty form of presentation. Rather, they are shoved in a manila envelope and stacked in a closet. Sydney found one of the envelopes today and wanted to see what was inside. She had trouble opening the clasp, and by the time I was able to help her open it she had forgotten about it, but I decided to peek inside anyway. I spent the next few minutes totally engulfed in reading cards and notes from past birthdays, anniversaries, Mother's Days, and just random notes of love and support. Most of them were from Bobby. It was a nice reminder to read the tender things he had written over the past few years, and to see how our relationship has developed. He often jokes that he doesn't know how to be romantic anymore because he's always too stressed and sleep deprived. We definitely aren't in the "honeymoon" stage of our marriage anymore (it'll be 8 years in a few weeks!!), and having kids often gets in the way of romantic moments, but he's still my best friend and a great guy and I'm glad that I have him to go through life with. And if he ever really forgets how to be romantic, I can always whip out my memory box full of old cards to remind him of all the mushy romantic things he used to say. ;)
5. Sydney's crown. It says "I am a child of God." She got it in her Sunbeams class at church but she didn't have time to color it, so she finished coloring it at home. I stapled it together and she wore it proudly all morning!
6. Gma and Gpa's surprise visit! The girls put on a pop star show for them, Liam showed off his walking moves, and we all got to send Lillian off at the bus stop. It was a fun morning with them!
7. Cupcakes with Auntie Audrey! Yes, she and Lillian have red dots on their foreheads. No, they are not sniper marks. They are bindis...Lillian wanted to be a princess from India.
8. Silly faces. Uncle Nathan and Aunt Kate had our family for Secret Santa this year. They got us this cool game called About Face. There are different cards of pictures of household items, natural things and other random stuff for hair, eyes, nose and mouth. Lilly and I had a lot of fun putting them together to make some goofy faces!
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| "Christmas Face" |
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| "Shell Face" |
9. The face Liam makes when you tell him, "Say cheese!"
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Today I'm thankful for...
1. An early flight home. Bobby was at a conference this week. He was supposed to fly home this afternoon, but he changed his flight to last night instead. He missed me too much. :) He got home after the kiddos were in bed, and they were excited to see him in the morning. I'm glad he's back because I think the kiddies were starting to get tired of seeing me all the time, and I always stay up way too late when he's gone which has a horrible ripple effect on everyone because I get tired and cranky, then the kids get grumpy because I have no patience, then I get even crankier because the kids are acting up....and the vicious cycle goes on and on. Everything is better when Daddy is home.
2. One-on-one time with Sydney. When Sydney was born, Lillian became very clingy to me. So while she spent all of her time with me, Sydney got to spend lots of time with Daddy. They became buddies, and Bobby started worrying that Lillian wouldn't want to be with him ever again. Now that Liam is here, the roles have reversed. Sydney now clings to me like there's no tomorrow, and Lillian has taken advantage of the open opportunity to get attention from Daddy. She cuddles with him on the couch, she snuggles with him in bed, and she always chooses to "go with Daddy" when there's an open seat in his car. This morning we had to drive separately to church and Bobby was ready to leave before I was (surprise). Lillian immediately said, "I'm going with Daddy!" and she got her shoes and coat on with lightning speed. Sydney said, "I'm going with Mommy" and she lingered by my side. Bobby took Liam with him, too, which left just me and Syd to finish packing the church bag and picking out snacks together. It was nice to be able to focus 100% on her, even if was just for a little bit. She's such a tender, sweet, and affectionate little girl. She might be quiet and shy at times, but she's actually a total goof-ball (and sometimes a little monster) deep down inside.
3. Tres Leches. We have friends from Honduras and we love being invited to their house to eat their delicious food. Their son's birthday was this weekend so they made tres leches cake and invited us over to have some. If you've never had tres leches, man you don't know what you're missing. It's delicious!
4. Liam's baby steps. He's been taking a few steps here and there for about a month. Over the past couple of days, however, it looks like he's starting to prefer walking to crawling. He's getting up more frequently to toddle around, and when he falls over he gets back up instead of resorting to crawling. It's fun to watch him figure out his balance. He sticks his arms straight out and then he waddle-walks back and forth. He always has such a big smile on his face like he knows he's doing something really awesome!
5. Auntie Audrey's birthday! My sister's birthday is today, so we invited her over last night for cupcakes and dinner (and yes, we had them in that order). ;-) We also had a dance party, a parade, and Lillian and Sydney served us a pretend dinner with fancy desserts on the floor in their bedroom. After los tres ninos went to bed we stayed up for a few hours and had some girl talk. It was awesome! I don't remember the last time I was able to sit down and have some adult conversation in peace and quiet (except for the three times Liam briefly woke up).....and the fact that I was with my sister made it even better. I'm so grateful that she took the time to come hang out with us!
1. An early flight home. Bobby was at a conference this week. He was supposed to fly home this afternoon, but he changed his flight to last night instead. He missed me too much. :) He got home after the kiddos were in bed, and they were excited to see him in the morning. I'm glad he's back because I think the kiddies were starting to get tired of seeing me all the time, and I always stay up way too late when he's gone which has a horrible ripple effect on everyone because I get tired and cranky, then the kids get grumpy because I have no patience, then I get even crankier because the kids are acting up....and the vicious cycle goes on and on. Everything is better when Daddy is home.
2. One-on-one time with Sydney. When Sydney was born, Lillian became very clingy to me. So while she spent all of her time with me, Sydney got to spend lots of time with Daddy. They became buddies, and Bobby started worrying that Lillian wouldn't want to be with him ever again. Now that Liam is here, the roles have reversed. Sydney now clings to me like there's no tomorrow, and Lillian has taken advantage of the open opportunity to get attention from Daddy. She cuddles with him on the couch, she snuggles with him in bed, and she always chooses to "go with Daddy" when there's an open seat in his car. This morning we had to drive separately to church and Bobby was ready to leave before I was (surprise). Lillian immediately said, "I'm going with Daddy!" and she got her shoes and coat on with lightning speed. Sydney said, "I'm going with Mommy" and she lingered by my side. Bobby took Liam with him, too, which left just me and Syd to finish packing the church bag and picking out snacks together. It was nice to be able to focus 100% on her, even if was just for a little bit. She's such a tender, sweet, and affectionate little girl. She might be quiet and shy at times, but she's actually a total goof-ball (and sometimes a little monster) deep down inside.
3. Tres Leches. We have friends from Honduras and we love being invited to their house to eat their delicious food. Their son's birthday was this weekend so they made tres leches cake and invited us over to have some. If you've never had tres leches, man you don't know what you're missing. It's delicious!
4. Liam's baby steps. He's been taking a few steps here and there for about a month. Over the past couple of days, however, it looks like he's starting to prefer walking to crawling. He's getting up more frequently to toddle around, and when he falls over he gets back up instead of resorting to crawling. It's fun to watch him figure out his balance. He sticks his arms straight out and then he waddle-walks back and forth. He always has such a big smile on his face like he knows he's doing something really awesome!
5. Auntie Audrey's birthday! My sister's birthday is today, so we invited her over last night for cupcakes and dinner (and yes, we had them in that order). ;-) We also had a dance party, a parade, and Lillian and Sydney served us a pretend dinner with fancy desserts on the floor in their bedroom. After los tres ninos went to bed we stayed up for a few hours and had some girl talk. It was awesome! I don't remember the last time I was able to sit down and have some adult conversation in peace and quiet (except for the three times Liam briefly woke up).....and the fact that I was with my sister made it even better. I'm so grateful that she took the time to come hang out with us!
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Lots of Little Joys
Today I'm thankful for...
1. Rocking Liam to sleep. Normally Liam likes to be held upright so he can lay his little head on my shoulder. But the past two nights he has let me hold him like a little baby (not that he isn't still a baby, cuz he still is and he'll always by my baby no matter how big he gets). It's been sweet to hold him and rock him and watch him fall asleep. I should probably be letting him learn how to fall asleep on his own in his crib, but I'm a sucker and I like to hold him to help him fall asleep when he's having a hard time and wailing his eyeballs out. I won't be able to hold him forever, so I'm going to take advantage of it and enjoy it while I can.
2. Orion's belt. It was shining brightly above our house the other night when Bobby and I were bringing the kids inside. We took a moment to point it out to the girls, and helped them find the rest of the hunter's constellation. I'm grateful to my dad for taking me out many a-nights to go stargazing and for teaching me where to locate Orion's belt. Every time I see it in the night sky it reminds me of him. And of star-filled skies twinkling over farm fields and cow pastures.
3. Musical talent. No, not mine. I dare say I have very limited (if that, even) musical abilities. I'm just thankful for those who do because I am very much enjoying myself at this moment, sitting on my couch and listening to my Mormon Tabernacle Choir channel on Pandora. It's a good mix of the MoTab singing and hymns played on guitar and piano. There's even some Enya, Josh Groban, and Jim Brickman thrown in there, too. It really invites the Spirit.
4. My big brown boots. They are as high as the entire length of Sydney's legs, but somehow she manages to get them on and tromp around the house in them. Today she was pretending she was a pop star putting on a show. She kept looking at her paper to see what she had to sing. I tried to get her to strike a pop star pose, but she was a little camera shy.
5. Three afternoons. I try to read scriptures with the kids every night. We have scripture books with lots of pictures and very simplified text. Tonight we read from the Old Testament stories about Jonah. When I got to the part about Jonah being swallowed by the big fish, I read, "Jonah stayed in the big fish for three days and three nights!" Lillian piped in and said, "And three afternoons! Three days, three afternoons, and three nights!" She is very detail-oriented...just like her mama. :)
6. Root beer bubbles. I splurged for New Year's Eve and bought fixins' for root beer floats. We still have some Root beer left over in the fridge, so Sydney and I busted it out for lunch yesterday. After Sydney took her first sip she smiled and said, "It's so bubbly in my mouth!" Yay for soda bubblies!
7. Snow. We got a few inches of white stuff a couple weeks ago. Lillian and Sydney were so excited to go outside and play in it. Lillian wanted to make snow angels, build a snowman, and have a snowball fight. Sydney just wanted to eat the snow. Like every good mom does, I warned her about the yellow snow. ;) Liam tried to figure out what all the white stuff was that was falling from the sky. The only view of snow he got last year was from a small opening under blankets in his car seat, and that snow was all crunchy and icy anyway- not big and fluffy like these flakes. It was fun to see the kids have fun playing, and Bobby brought the girls across the street to sled down the neighbor's little hill. I was inside feeding Liam lunch, but I could still hear Lillian squealing with delight every time she went down the hill.
8. Gma and Gpa!!
1. Rocking Liam to sleep. Normally Liam likes to be held upright so he can lay his little head on my shoulder. But the past two nights he has let me hold him like a little baby (not that he isn't still a baby, cuz he still is and he'll always by my baby no matter how big he gets). It's been sweet to hold him and rock him and watch him fall asleep. I should probably be letting him learn how to fall asleep on his own in his crib, but I'm a sucker and I like to hold him to help him fall asleep when he's having a hard time and wailing his eyeballs out. I won't be able to hold him forever, so I'm going to take advantage of it and enjoy it while I can.
2. Orion's belt. It was shining brightly above our house the other night when Bobby and I were bringing the kids inside. We took a moment to point it out to the girls, and helped them find the rest of the hunter's constellation. I'm grateful to my dad for taking me out many a-nights to go stargazing and for teaching me where to locate Orion's belt. Every time I see it in the night sky it reminds me of him. And of star-filled skies twinkling over farm fields and cow pastures.
3. Musical talent. No, not mine. I dare say I have very limited (if that, even) musical abilities. I'm just thankful for those who do because I am very much enjoying myself at this moment, sitting on my couch and listening to my Mormon Tabernacle Choir channel on Pandora. It's a good mix of the MoTab singing and hymns played on guitar and piano. There's even some Enya, Josh Groban, and Jim Brickman thrown in there, too. It really invites the Spirit.
4. My big brown boots. They are as high as the entire length of Sydney's legs, but somehow she manages to get them on and tromp around the house in them. Today she was pretending she was a pop star putting on a show. She kept looking at her paper to see what she had to sing. I tried to get her to strike a pop star pose, but she was a little camera shy.
6. Root beer bubbles. I splurged for New Year's Eve and bought fixins' for root beer floats. We still have some Root beer left over in the fridge, so Sydney and I busted it out for lunch yesterday. After Sydney took her first sip she smiled and said, "It's so bubbly in my mouth!" Yay for soda bubblies!
7. Snow. We got a few inches of white stuff a couple weeks ago. Lillian and Sydney were so excited to go outside and play in it. Lillian wanted to make snow angels, build a snowman, and have a snowball fight. Sydney just wanted to eat the snow. Like every good mom does, I warned her about the yellow snow. ;) Liam tried to figure out what all the white stuff was that was falling from the sky. The only view of snow he got last year was from a small opening under blankets in his car seat, and that snow was all crunchy and icy anyway- not big and fluffy like these flakes. It was fun to see the kids have fun playing, and Bobby brought the girls across the street to sled down the neighbor's little hill. I was inside feeding Liam lunch, but I could still hear Lillian squealing with delight every time she went down the hill.
8. Gma and Gpa!!
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