Today I'm thankful for...

1. The little fat rolls on Cami's wrists. She's the chubbiest baby I've ever had, and I just want to eat her up!

2. Lillian's tennis lessons at the park. We packed a picnic dinner tonight because we had to pick Lilly up from Girl Scouts after school at 5 PM, then be at the park by 6 pm for her tennis. It was too cold and cloudy to eat outside at the picnic tables so we picnicked in the van instead. When Lilly's tennis lesson started, I pushed Sydney and Liam on the swings. Sydney is getting really good at pumping her legs to keep swinging on her own, and she tried to instruct Liam on how to do it...he's slowly getting it. They had so much fun swinging and it made me so happy to hear them laughing and talking together. After the swings we huddled together under a blanket and watched Lillian play her tennis. When a ball would escape, Sydney and Liam would jump up and retrieve it. Cami was a good little sister and stayed asleep all bundled up in her stroller. I look forward to going back next week, I just hope the weather is warmer.









3. Mother's Day Tea Party at Liam's preschool. This is a tradition every year. The moms dress up in flowery dresses and hats and have tea and cookies with their preschoolers. The best part is when all the kids get up and sing a bunch of adorable songs. I loved the enthusiasm Liam had while he was singing. I could tell that he was really excited and proud to be part of the special Mother's Day program for me. He also gave me a flower craft with his picture on it that he made in class. He managed to keep it a secret all week long, which I know was hard for him. He only almost spilled the beans once, but he caught himself in time and said, "Oh wait, I can't say that! That would ruin the surprise!" Then a sheepish grin spread across his face. I love this kid so much and he's getting so big!







4. The official invitation to Bobby's residency graduation ceremony at the end of June. This era is coming to an end and I can't believe it. I'm excited, terrified, relieved, happy, and sad all at the same time. I can't wait to move on to the next phase in our lives, yet I want time to stand still so I can enjoy our last weeks, days and moments here in this place and in this phase before it is over forever. Eventually these last five years of residency and four previous years of med school before that will be a long distant memory, and part of me is struggling to come to terms with that, as this is all I've known for so long. We're about to enter the "real world" and I have no idea what to expect. These have been hard years, yet very precious ones also. I'm glad they're coming to an end, but I will always cherish them.

Therapy is back session

It's time to revive the gratitude blog and its therapeutic qualities in my life. So here goes...

Today I'm grateful for...

1. The miracle of life. Camila Jeanne is one month old today. It has been one of the most difficult, sleep deprived, hormonal, and self-doubting months of my life.  At the same time, it has also been so filled with love, humility, and amazement. I thought that by kid number four I had most things figured out, and I honestly didn't expect things to be too terribly difficult.  But this little one has thrown me a big fat curve ball that I wasn't expecting. She teaches me something new every day, and I'm learning a lot about myself and my capabilities. Despite all the challenges, both physical and emotional, I am certainly grateful for this little girl and the blessing she is in my life and to my family.



2. Paul Cardall and his piano. They have helped many of us fall asleep when sleep
was desperately needed over the course of the past few weeks.

3. Bobby's patience. I've been on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. I'm grateful that he's able to help me endure the ride.

4. Drawings and love notes from Sydney, hugs and "I love you's" from Liam, and Lillian's care and compassion- she has been helping with things like doing laundry, reading with Sydney, packing her own lunch, and holding Cami for me.



5. Pink blossoms on the trees outside our house, and the way they make a carpet of pink when they fall onto the sidewalk.

6. How Lillian still likes to fall asleep in bed next to me. She's growing up so much, but it's moments like this that remind me that she's still my little girl.

Today I'm thankful for....

1. The way Liam says "conscuse me" instead of "excuse me."  It makes me smile and laugh inside every time I hear him say it.  I know I'll miss it when the day comes that he figures out how to say it the right way.

2. Kettlebells.  They make me sore in all the right places.  A few weeks ago I did 500 kettlebell swings during class.  Today we were swinging and squatting, and doing burpees in between.  It feels great!

3. Summer Vacation!  Lillian had her last day of school yesterday.  She's officially done with second grade!  I'm most excited because I don't have to pack a school lunch for the next two months!  Or go to the bus stop twice a day.  Or remember to sign the homework and reading logs.  Or help with homework, presentations, and writing assignments.  Or remind Lillian to do all of her homework, presentations, and writing assignments. Or drop her snack off at the front office when she forgets it at home.  I LOVE summer vacation!  :-)

And YAY for Lillian for doing an awesome job in second grade!  She learned so much this year. In math- counting money, telling time, adding and subtracting big numbers in a million different ways that I never knew existed (some of which still don't make sense to me...the way they teach math these days is just weird), solving countless word problems about stickers; it's not always her favorite subject, but she does well in math.  In reading she progressed so much.  It's amazing to hear her read out loud, and she even started reading Harry Potter recently.  She also started Spanish this year and was part of a Spanish play called "Animales Internacionales" put on by the entire second grade.  In science she did weight and motion, grew plants, watched caterpillars morph into butterflies, and lots of other stuff.  She really likes doing science experiments and exploring things.  I want to cultivate this interest within her.  In social studies she learned maps just like Grandpa Barker. :-)  She also learned about Harriet Tubman and her work in the underground railroad, and she dressed up as Susan B. Anthony for the Second Grade Wax Museum.  It was a busy, fun, and productive year.  Here's to a wonderful third grade year as well!

4. Swimming at the pool, even though it was freezing.  I packed a picnic dinner and we ate on towels in the grass at pool-side.  The kids were so cold after swimming that Sydney was shaking so hard she could hardly hold her fork still enough to stab her food, and Liam was wrapped up so tight in his blanket that he couldn't get his arms out so I fed him all his food.  Despite the cold they had such a good time.  Lillian even got back in the water twice after drying off.  Liam is still a little fish who loves getting wet and going under water.  He can now float on his back, which he is very proud of.  Sydney was tickled pink that she could touch the bottom with her toes and keep her head above water at the same time.  It's proof that she's growing!  :)  I look forward to getting into the water with them all summer long!

5. Quiet, uninterrupted time to sort through boring stacks of paper.  My desk and the surrounding area are being overrun by papers and clutter piles.  A dear friend watched Sydney and Liam for me while Lillian was at a birthday party so I could sort, file, shred, and organize in peace.

6. Bedtime with Daddy.  Bobby has been away a lot the past two and a half months.  He's rotating in Baltimore again, which means he's only home on weekends (unless he's on call) and maybe one other night during the week.  Last year Lillian had a hard time with this and her stomach would often hurt around bedtime.  This year, it's Sydney's turn to have a hard time.  When she gets sad or upset, she will often burst into tears and cry out, "I want DADDY!!!!"  When she misbehaves or throws a fit, the excuse for her behavior is, "I just miss Daddy," and it's usually accompanied by a very pouty-looking face.  She frequently asks when Daddy will be home or if he's on call.

At bedtime I see it the most.  She feels unsettled, needs a lot of comfort items around her, and makes a lot of requests for things like her special blanket from Grandma BB and Grandma Rita, foot rubs, a back scratch, eye massage, leg rubs because she has growing pains, a drink of water, her Moon Book (that lights up), the lights on more, the lights on less; she wants me to lay with her, sing her a song; she wants to lay in my bed, she has to go to the bathroom.....it takes her for.ev.er to fall asleep.  She used to always be the first one asleep, but since Bobby has been gone she's usually the last.  I guess it could be attributed to her developmental stage and is 'just a part of growing up,' but my hunch is that it's because she misses her daddy.  When he's around she snuggles with him more than she ever has, and I often catch her giving him surprise kisses on his cheeks.  Bobby of course soaks it up as much as he can, which he should.  Winning Sydney's love and affection is no easy task, and it's definitely something to cherish.

7. And speaking of bedtime and children sleeping...I love it when all three of them fall asleep in my bed and when I go in to check on them, they are laying all over the place and all over each other.  Sydney will have a leg draped over Liam, whose head will be on Lillian, whose arm will be across Liam's face.  I don't know how they sleep like that, but it cracks me up.  My little angels asleep in a heap.

Michael Jackson and Tacos

Tonight I'm thankful for...

1. Michael Jackson dance parties with neighborhood friends.

2. The way my kids devour tacos and how Liam gets sour cream on his nose.

3. Holding hands with Lillian while I sing bedtime songs and she drifts off to sleep, then giving her 3 squeezes to say I-Love-You and getting 4 squeezes back to say I-Love-You-Too...our secret little code we've been doing for years.  She's still my little girl.

4. The way Sydney will eat an entire bowl of cherries, and then inevitably have diarrhea later, but how that won't stop her from eating another bowl of cherries tomorrow.

5. My house.  I have to remind myself how happy and excited I was to move into it three years ago.  Now that we are very settled into it and we've had time to examine and experience every crack and flaw that it has to offer, I have to still be grateful for it.  It's a huge improvement from where we were before (in terms of both space and location), plus it's on an awesome street, and I know I won't live here forever (just one more year, in fact...not that I'm counting down or anything).  So even though it seems like clutter piles are EVERYWHERE and toys are spilling off shelves and laying all over the floors, and sometimes I think I'm going to explode from the chaos that is housed within these walls, I am still grateful to call it home.

6. My malfunctioning endocrine system and the anxiety that it causes.  I'm not actually grateful for this, but I am grateful for my improved ability to identify it, recognize it, and realize that it's not a normal way to feel.  I do not take my "normal days" (which hopefully are more often than not...) for granted, and I've learned to recognize those as well and to savor in the ease and joy that they bring.

Tonight I'm thankful for:

Singing my children to sleep

Christmas lights and how they make me feel warm and cozy inside

The Hanukkah cards Lillian is making for all of her Jewish friends

The way Liam hugs me real right and says, "I LOVE you, Mommy!"

The three different advent calendars that we have counting us down to Christmas

The Christmas songs Sydney has been learning at preschool and how she sings them non-stop around the house

Clean laundry- it's all still in baskets, unfolded and not put away, but still clean none-the-less

Dinners with Bobby, even if they are at 5pm and he has to leave at 6:15pm to work an over-night shift

Piano music from Paul Cardall

Long Overdue List

Today I'm thankful for:

My children, whom I think are the most beautiful little people in the world.

My husband who loves me.

Unseasonably warm weather and a nice walk around the block before going to the bus stop to get Lillian.

Helping Lilly with her math homework.

Playing five rounds of The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel game with Liam and Sydney while I fold laundry in the floor.

The kisses that Liam blows to me when I walk out of his room at bedtime, and how he tells me to have sweet dreams.

The way Sydney bounces and skips everywhere she goes.

How Bobby will stick around to eat dinner with us before he has to leave for his night shift at the hospital, even though it means he'll be a little late.

Audio books that keep me entertained while I clean the kitchen.

Lillian's company. She's my little bff and I'm so grateful for her companionship.

Sydney's Selfie & Other Things To Be Thankful For

Today I'm thankful for . . .

1. Handprint Art.  This afternoon, Sydney and Liam made some pretty awesome works of art for Father's Day.  I would post pictures of their work, but it would spoil the surprise for you-know-who.  I'm under strict orders to keep it confidential.  So stay posted until June 15th...

2. Picnic lunches in the yard.  Sydney and I had lovely picnic lunch in the sunshine this afternoon.  Sydney laid out a big yellow beach towel all by herself, which she was very proud of accomplishing.  It started to get pretty hot in the sunlight, so we fetched our giant umbrella and ate under its shade.  We enjoyed star noodles, cold pizza, grapes, strawberries, cucumbers, and goldfish crackers.  It was quite a feast.

3. Big umbrellas.  Our big umbrella is good for more than keeping us dry during a monsoon or providing shade during a sunny afternoon picnic.  It can also be a big boat, as Sydney showed me.  She sang "Row, row, your boat" as she rocked back and forth inside of it.  She also twirled it around like a baton, and she even stood up on a chair and stretched up high to make the umbrella touch the ceiling.  It kept her quite entertained for a good while.  I just hope that the old superstition isn't true of having bad luck when you open an umbrella indoors- if it is, we're totally doomed.

4.  Sydney's Selfie.  She got a hold of my phone this morning and took about 50 photos around the house- mostly of her toes, the inside of our bedroom closets, and the view looking over the balcony and down the stairs (I don't want to think about how she had to dangle my phone over the edge of the balcony for those photos...)  Of all of them, this one is my favorite.

5. Lots of time with Sydney.  I just realized how much I'm writing about Sydney.  I'm so glad I got to have some one-on-one time with her today.  Liam has been sick with a fever and a cough over the past few days.  Today his fever seemed to hit a peek and he took a very long nap in the morning.  That gave Sydney and me some extra time to spend together.  We had a lot of fun, but I hope Liam hit the worst of it today so he'll be feeling better soon.

6. Drawing with Lillian.  Lillian wants to learn how to draw a horse, so we looked up some easy step-by-step instructions online.  We sketched, erased, and resketched together.  We discussed where to draw our lines and we asked each other, "How would Unlce Alan do it?"  In the end, our horses didn't turn out nearly as well as the teacher-illustrator's, and we decided that her instructions weren't ideal (although our ability level is probably some of the blame...at least a little bit). :)  I did a quick search on our library's online catalog and found some books by a guy named Dan Green.  He has a bunch of different books on how to do simple line drawings, geared toward kids- "How to Draw....101 Animals; 101 Monsters; 101 Silly People; 404 Things for Girls; 404 Things for Boys; Dinosaurs and Other Cool Things, 101 Ocean Animals," etc.  I'm hoping we can get our hands on some of these books soon.  Lillian suggested getting them for her birthday...hmmm, good idea!

I love how Lilly drew her horse's mane, and the sun with the squiggly rays coming off of it.  Like it's right out of My Little Pony! 

7. The way Liam says, "I want you" and "I want to hold you!" when he wants me to pick him up and hold him.  If he's talking to someone else and I mistakenly think he's talking to me he'll say, "I'm not talking at you, Mom." His little brain is working so hard trying to master the grammar of the English language!  I love it!

Tigers and Kitties and Native American Princesses...Oh My!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The view out of my bathroom window.

2. When my kids call me "Mama."

3. Face painting!  One of my neighbors painted the kids' faces today.  She is always painting her two little girls' faces and she offered it to Lillian, Sydney, and Liam.  They jumped at the offer and sat completely still while she worked.  Liam was a tiger, Sydney was a pink kitty cat, and Lillian was a Native American Princess.  So cute!

4. Bobby sitting next to me on the couch.  He's been on call today and other than a few hours at the hospital to take care of some things, he's been able to be with us.  We had a great BBQ dinner and he helped get the kids to bed.  He's been able to dodge a few bullets by taking care of phone calls that did not require him to go to the hospital.  I really hope he'll be able to get a good night's rest to start the week off well tomorrow.

Life and Gardening

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The ten dollar bill I found in the dryer this morning.  It's nice to get "paid" for the work I do around the house. :)

2. Lillian's prayer when she said she's grateful for the rain because it helps all the flowers and trees grow.

3. The way Liam holds onto the corner of his pillow as he's falling asleep.

4. Sydney's big, blue eyes with long eyelashes and the freckles on her nose.

5. Flower seeds and gardening.  It's amazing how many parallels and metaphors can be made between planting/growing seeds and life.  Four young women from church came to my house tonight and we planted flower seeds in little clay pots together.  We talked about how growing flowers is like growing faith- they both need specific things in order to grow (flowers need soil, sun and water; faith needs desire, prayer and opportunities to be taught by the Holy Spirit)- they also both need to be nurtured and cared for on a consistent basis.  It's amazing how a seed the size of a pin head can grow into a tall, beautiful, blooming flower- and then that flower can produce lots more teeny tiny seeds that will grow into even more flowers and more seeds....and the cycle goes on forever.  This process of creation reminds me of a quote I heard from a talk a few years ago:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.

Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty..." -President Uchtdorf; "Happiness, Your Heritage"

Cilantro, Dinosaurs, Dogs, & Dinner

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Two little cilantro sprouts!  I'm trying to grow herbs.  My green thumb isn't quite so sure about this endeavor.  A couple of weeks ago, I bought oregano, mint, and basil as little starter plants and transplanted them into cute, colorful pots.  The basil has already died.  The mint looks like it's holding on as best it can, and the oregano is pretty good...I think.  Cilantro is my favorite herb to cook with, but I couldn't get a starter plant so I bought some seeds and started from scratch.  I noticed today that two little sprouts just poked up out of the dirt.  Wish them luck!

2. Dinosaurs.  Sydney wanted to do a "preschool lesson" this morning.  The kitchen sink was piled high with dirty dishes, but I suppressed the urge to go into Crazy-Cleaning-Mama-Mode and instead threw together some activities for the kids.  Liam requested dinosaurs.  We recited poems with hand motions about dinosaurs; pretended to stomp, fly, and run like dinosaurs; learned about herbivores and carnivores; compared Liam's dinosaur toys by color, size, how many legs they walked on, etc; and we looked at pictures of dinosaurs.  The best thing the kids got to do was play with little plastic dinosaurs in play-dough.  I buried them in balls of play dough so they could excavate them like paleontologists.  Then they made fossil footprints in the play dough and Liam pretended that his dinosaurs got stuck in sticky mud and hot lava.  They entertained themselves for almost an hour; it was amazing!

We also read a book called "Chalk" by Bill Thomson...actually, the book has no words so we make up the story every time.  The illustrations are amazing and the kids really like it when I name the three characters in the book after them.  It's basically about three kids who go for a walk in the rain and find a mysterious bag of sidewalk chalk at the park.  The chalk proves to turn a boring rainy afternoon into quite an adventure!  We've gotten this book from the library so many times that I've considered buying it.

Since dinosaur starts with the letter D, I couldn't resist incorporating some Teacher's Creatures in our mini preschool lesson.  I introduced Donald the Dog to the kids. Liam now knows what sound the letter D makes, even though he can't always identify what the letter looks like. :)  At least it's a start....

To go along with our dog and letter D, we read a book about Donald the Dog's friend Marley.  "Bad Dog Marley" is one of Lillian's favorite books.  Her Aunt Sharon gave it to her when she was about 2, along with a stuffed Marley dog from the book/movie "Marley & Me."  Marley is her most beloved stuffed animal.  It is her first choice of snuggle item when she is tired, not feeling well, gets hurt, or needs comfort.  If she can only bring one stuffed animal on a trip, Marley is always the one that gets to come along.  I think her other stuffed animals all have Marley Envy.  Anyways, Marley happens to be a good friend of Donald the Dog, so we read his story today too.  It's a fun story about a family dog who causes lots of trouble but in the end proves that he's right where he belongs.

It was fun, and rewarding, to see the kids learning...and the dishes eventually got cleaned in the afternoon. :)

3. Bobby getting home before we were done eating dinner.  It's such a change from the first three months of the year when he was gone all week long.  I like being able to ask him when he thinks he'll be home and if he'll make it in time for dinner.  He isn't always able to join us at the dinner table, but at least there's a chance he will. 

Grateful Sabbath

Today I'm thankful for...

1. My Savior.  Because of Him I understand that I am a divine daughter with an invaluable sole.  Because of Him I can reach for perfection and become perfected in the process.  Because of Him I don't feel fear or despair when I remember my family members and friends who have passed away.  Instead, I feel a comforting peace and hope in the belief that death is not a dark ending, but rather a beautiful, bright beginning to a new phase of our existence.  Because of Him I know joy.  I know love.   I know.

Easter is over, but this is still a very powerful portrayal of Christ and what he did.  For you, for me, for all of us.  It's only 2 1/2 minutes long, and it's definitely worth watching!

2. BBQ picnics outside on our front porch.  For dinner tonight Bobby grilled his famous chicken and I made our favorite lime-cilantro rice with pineapple (recipe here at Our Best Bites...SO good!).  Bobby also grilled up some teeny-tiny potatoes (real name) from our neighbor along with sweet peppers.  Eaten on a paper plate with the sun on my face, it was the perfect meal!  The kids picnicked on top of the slide while the neighborhood kids lingered around waiting for them to finish so they could have a turn at our new softball-on-a-string batting tee.  After meal time, the neighborhood batting practice session was in full swing (no pun intended).  We sure have some sluggers on our street.  One of my neighbors told me a story about her very first babysitting job when she was 13.  She was watching a little 3 year old.  They were outside in the yard and he had a batting tee like ours.  The first hit he made off the tee sent the ball flying straight through a window in the house!  Imagine that for your first babysitting job!  I didn't ask if she ever babysat for them again.

3. Barbie's new couch.

Barbie is lounging in style.  She doesn't have any kids with messy fingers and leaky sippy cups, so she can enjoy the luxury of white upholstery. :)  I found a really easy tutorial online. (thanks, Pinterest!) All you basically need is an empty tissue box, fabric, tape, and a hot glue gun.  A 4 year-old assistant helps, too.  Sydney sat in my lap during the project, directing where the hot glue should go, giving design advice, and holding fabric in place.  The pillows were entirely her idea and she came up with the designs.  She even helped sew them together!  It was so cute to watch her little delicate fingers work the needle.  I think she has more pillow designs in mind, so the Mom Factory will have to get back to work soon.  The next Barbie furniture project might be bunk beds, so stay tuned.  We're furnishing Barbie's mansion piece-by-cardboard-piece....Barbie has been struck by economic hard times like the rest of us, plus she likes to upcycle her recyclable goods. :)

Spring...almost!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Spring....that ALMOST came this week!  Yesterday it hit 60 degrees...so nice!  We discovered little flower buds poking out of the ground beneath all of the snow in our yard.  It's amazing that they came up under such a freezing cold blanket, and through frozen solid ground!  Today was kind of warm, but with rain and lots of wind.  Temps are plummeting into the 20's at this very moment.  Winter coats, hats and gloves will go back on tomorrow.  :-/  BUT there is still hope for Spring- it's coming!!

2. "Smoovies"- I made some smoothies with strawberries, kiwi, and bananas tonight.  Liam called it a "smoovie."  :-)

3. The Huggy Monster.  Lillian and Sydney were invited to their friend's house across the street for a play date late this afternoon, which gave Liam and me some rare one-on-one time.  We played "catch" with a Chicago-style softball, I gave him airplane and rocket rides, and we played tickle monster.  He likes to tackle me to the ground, then hug me tight and say, "I GOTcha!"  I ask him if he his rescuing me or capturing me, and he always says he's rescuing me....my hero. :)  At one point while we were playing I started chasing him around saying I was going to get him.  He got a little scared...I guess I'm scary?  So instead I told him to catch me.  He started chasing me and I played my damsel in distress role by screaming, "Aaah!  Aaah!  Help me!"  Liam suddenly stopped and looked directly at me and said, "No, I not SCARY monster."  I said, "Oh?  Are you a NICE monster?"  To which he replied, "No.  I a HUG monster!"  Then he hugged me really tight and said, "I HAPPY!  I HUGGY monster!"  So we sat there and hugged....while my heart melted.

4. Stories with Big Sister.  Sydney got her fingers slammed in the window by accident.  She's fine, but she was pretty sad about it.  Lillian felt really bad- she was the one closing the window when Syd's fingers were in the way.  Lillian invited Sydney into her bed to read "One Fish, Two Fish..." by Dr. Seuss.  Then she let Sydney fall asleep in her bed next to her.  It was a nice sister-sister moment.

5. A clean van!!  Well, the outside is clean anyway.  The inside is another story.  My neighbor always has a clean car.  (He also doesn't have any kids...just as a side note).  I asked him where he gets his car washed and he recommended this place he goes to all the time.  I thought it was worth a shot.  My van was so crusted over in salt and grime and it was a sad site.  So I took the kids on an adventure to the car wash!  Sydney reminded me of the time Grandma took her to the car wash in Grandma's car.  She prepped us by explaining everything that would happen with the soap, the water, and all the brushes and the drying.  Her favorite part were the "ballerina brushes"....the tall round ones that spin around really fast and look like a tutu twirling around.  My neighbor's recommendation did not disappoint.  The car wash and the attendants did a great job.  Well worth the $11.79 and tip.  All afternoon, Sydney made it a point to show everyone how clean the van is.  Now who wants to vacuum out the inside?  I'm afraid to even look under the kids' car seats.  I'll probably need a bio chem suit to clean under there...

I'm so grEIGHTful!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. My kitchen helper.  Liam helped me make pizza for dinner while the girls were at a friend's house for a play date.  He spread the sauce and [very liberally] sprinkled on the cheese.  We chatted about two year old boy stuff, like how he's a big BOY and Sydney is a big GIRL and Lillian is a big SISTER.  It was so pleasant to have one-on-one time with him.  He is such a good little buddy!

2. Ladybugs and Watermelon.  Sydney and I are SO ready for summer.  While Liam took his afternoon nap we had a little mani-pedi party.  Sydney wanted ladybugs on her fingernails and watermelons on her toenails...no easy feat on her teeny tiny nails (that she has a bad habit of biting down to stubs).  I did the best I could, which I guess was good enough because Sydney was totally thrilled with them when I finished.  She was so excited that she made me send a picture to ALL of her grandmas.  It was so fun to have girly time with her.  I can't wait until all the snow melts outside and it's warm enough for us to sit on the front step and do our nails like we did last summer.

3. Notes for Daddy.  When Bobby leaves early in the morning he usually leaves a note for the kids on their chalkboard.  Sydney decided to write a note for him last night.  She's getting really good at writing her letters- I'm so proud of her!  We took a picture of it and texted it to Bobby.  Lillian wanted to do the same thing so she wrote him a note on a little piece of paper.  They made Bobby so happy!

 

4. The 22 bucks I found in the back pocket of my jeans this morning.  Woohoo!

5. Lillian's stuffed animals, all lined up so nicely at the foot of her bed.  She was very proud of her work.  She said her goal is to keep her room clean and organized.  So far, so good.

6. Liam's new bow-tie.  We won it at a fundraiser at church a few weeks ago.  Another lady we go to church with made it.  It's so stinkin' cute.  Liam loves to wear it and run around.  He says he's so handsome.  Yes, he is!

7. Snow cream!  For family home evening last night we made snow cream....ice cream except with snow!  It was SOOO good!  All you do is mix half and half or milk with sugar and vanilla, then add in some snow!  We loaded it with tons of toppings like strawberries, mini chocolate chips, Andes mint chips, Heath chips and rainbow sprinkles.  It melted pretty quick, but it was still good to drink right out of the bowl.  It made the extra four inches of snow worth it. :)  If you want to make it, here's a link to the recipe we used http://family.go.com/food/recipe-852461-snow-cream-t/

   

8. PIRATES!!  Aaarrrgghhh!!  Having fun in Michael's!

Tea Parties, Bum Burps, and Hiding Lions

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Good food.  Today was Fast Sunday.  On the first Sunday of every month we fast together as a church.  That usually means skipping two consecutive meals, whether it's dinner the night before and breakfast in the morning, or breakfast and lunch on the same day.  The money that we would have spent on food, we donate into what's called "fast offerings."  This money is used to help those in need to buy food and other necessities.  Fasting is also a special opportunity to pray for something personal, whether it's for an answer to a question, for guidance, strength, or for someone else.  Today I was fasting for a friend and also for inspiration on how to contribute financially to our family without taking too much time away from the kids (I'm down to babysitting one kid instead of two and would like to replace the drop in income).  Our church doesn't start until noon.  We finish at 3pm, but we usually don't get home until 4pm because we stay to talk to friends and on the way home we always stop to visit an elderly couple.  I'm usually pretty hungry by the time we get home and dinner is ready.  Tonight Bobby made one of his childhood favorites- eggs goldenrod.  It's a yummy cheesy and boiled egg mixture eaten over toast.  Lillian has been asking to have it for a few days and we had lots of eggs in the fridge.  After fasting for most of the day, the first bite of whatever I'm eating is so savory.  It doesn't even matter what the food is. I remember one Fast Sunday not long after Bobby and I got married- I broke my fast with a Ritz cracker topped with vanilla yogurt and a slice of fresh peach.  At the time it felt like the most delicious thing my taste buds had ever experienced.  I'm grateful for the food that has always been available in my home and for the reminder that fasting gives me of how fortunate I am to not have to experience hunger on a non-voluntary basis.

2. Bum burps.  When Liam toots (farts, passes gas, lets one rip...) he says his bum just burped.  So funny!

3. Sleeping in.  Bobby let me get "five more minutes" of sleep this morning while he fed the kids breakfast and got them dressed for church.  Those extra five minutes were more like an hour...and what a wonderful hour of sleeping it was. :)

4. How to Hide a Lion written and illustrated by Helen Stephens.  We got this book from the library earlier this week and it's Liam's new favorite book.  We've read it a jillion times already.  It's a cute story about a lion and a little girl named Iris who tries to hide him from her parents and the special friendship they form.  The illustrations are fun colored sketches and the text is short but entertaining.  Perfect for a two year old who loves lions.  I don't mind reading it to him over and over again.

5. Lilly and Sydney's tea parties.  They got dressed up in fancy dresses this afternoon and set up a full tea service on their bedroom floor.  It's so fun to see them play, imagine, and interact with one another.  It just warms my heart to see their friendship grow and blossom.  I'm glad they have each other.  I know they have a lot to give to one another, as well as a lot to learn from each other.  Sisters are just great that way...I'm glad I have a sister of my own to experience it with too.

Zoos, Scooters, School, and Puking

I'm thankful for...

1. Beautiful weather on Saturday and going to the Baltimore Zoo with my kids and husband.  FYI- the zoo in Baltimore has half-off admission during January and February.  If you have a membership to the Philadelphia Zoo (or most any other zoo), you receive half off admission any time.  It was only $35 for our family of five.  We spent three hours there and saw elephants, lions, giraffes, polar bears, chimpanzees (lots of 'em), native Maryland wildlife, otters (from a cool underwater tunnel), bats, a hellbender salamander, arctic foxes, cheetah, leopard, and the official mascots of the Ravens football team- two HUGE ravens named Rise and Conquer.  Apparently, the Baltimore Zoo is the only zoo to house and care for an NFL mascot.  The birds attend every Ravens home game.  How's that for your zoo/NFL trivia?

2. Scooters.  Sydney and Liam wanted to ride scooters today.  30 degrees and windy made it way too cold to do it outside, so I rolled back the carpets in the living room so they could roll across the floor.  Liam doesn't have much scooter experience but he did a pretty good job.  In the afternoon, Sydney bundled up and rode her scooter all the way to Lilly's bus stop.  Her little scooter wheels flashed and blinked the whole way as she scooched and scootered her way up the hill.  We can't wait for spring.

3. Post call.  Bobby was on call yesterday/last night.  He got a total of 5 hours of interrupted sleep...more than most call nights....and he finished rounding earlier than expected in the morning.  Feeling well rested (and homesick) he decided to come home for the rest of the day.  His visit will be less than 24 hours, but it's always nice to have him around.  He surprised the kids and we had a nice afternoon and evening together.  He leaves again very early tomorrow morning.  We'll see him Friday night when he is able to come home for the weekend.

4. Lillian's self-motivation.  I've begun to recognize how little I need to prompt, urge, prod, or nag Lillian to do her homework.  She usually comes home talking about it and she'll jump right into it at the slightest suggestion or reminder.  She gets a weekly packet of a few pages of reading/writing homework and occasionally a page of math homework.  With the packet homework, she'll sit down and do all the pages at once instead of one a night like the teacher suggests.  Her reading and writing abilities have really taken off and she impresses me more every time I hear her read or read what she's written.  I'm so proud of her and how well she is learning, but most importantly, how she seems to enjoy learning.

5. Short puking episodes.  I'm never thankful for puking kids.  But when they have to puke, it's always best when it happens fast and they recover quickly.  Thankfully, that's how we experienced it over the weekend.  Liam woke up on Thursday night and threw up three times.  But in the morning he was totally fine and throughout the day you never would've known he was sick the night before.  On Saturday evening while we were driving down to Baltimore to visit Bobby, Sydney started complaining that her tummy hurt.  I tossed her a plastic bag and told her to puke in it if she had to.  Five minutes later she threw up, and thankfully it all landed in the plastic bag.  After a quick pull-over and damage assessment everything seemed fine and Sydney was feeling much better.  So we continued on our way and had a great weekend!  I don't know if it was some weird strand of a quick GI bug or if it was something they ate, but either way I'm glad it's over and they are feeling better.

Snow, Snow, Go Away

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Temps above freezing and the sound of snow melting.  For a few hours this afternoon the sun was warm enough to melt the snow off the roofs, sidewalks, streets, and everywhere else.  It was music to my ears to hear the drip, drip, drip of melting snow!  I saw the wood floor of my balcony out back for the first time in over a week.  On our way to the bus stop to get Lillian after school I noticed that the snow pile on the edge of the sidewalk is taller than Liam!  Temps are supposed to hit 60 later this week.  Hopefully that will do a doozy on the snow.  It's pretty and all when it's freshly fallen and there's a magical white blanket coating everything with a sparkly shimmer.....but in my opinion there is nothing magical about this much snow.  Nothing.

2.  Play dates.  Sydney spent ALL DAY at a friend's house across the street.  For nearly six hours, her friend's mom said they played so well together and had a great time.  I missed her, but I was able to get so much done while Liam napped in the afternoon!  I'm so glad we have awesome neighbors who are friends with my kids.

3. My clean desk.  All the clutter and paper piles have been removed (or relocated).  I am now ready to tackle our 2013 taxes.  Hooray for me.

4. The 2 hour school delay this morning.  We got more snow last night.  I was not so excited about that, but it was nice to have more time to get up and going before Lillian had to be out the door for school.  I stayed up WAY too late last night watching the Olympics, then I got sucked into watching Jimmy Fallon's first night as host of The Tonight Show.  I'll admit that is was more U2 than Fallon that kept me watching, and it was mostly worth it, but I wouldn't be able to sustain and nightly ritual of watching The Tonight Show...do people really stay up that late every night??  Ha, listen to me...I'm looking at the clock and it's midnight.  Time for me to get my beauty rest.

Grateful Despite the Snow

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The Olympics.  They are so fun to watch!  And it gives me something to do while I fold laundry at night. :)

2. Cousins!  My mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit with her five kids this afternoon.  It was fun to watch all the kids play together.  I'm grateful that we live close enough to family for frequent visits and that our family takes time out of their busy schedules to spend time with us.  Can't wait til we live even closer to them.

3. Calls from Bobby.  He called four times today- every time he had a break between cases or was getting into his car to go somewhere.  I know he's thinking about us during the day and I'm glad he takes the time to check in and see how we're doing.  He's been away for the past six weeks and we only get to see him on weekends.  It's hard for everybody, but he's helping to keep us connected across the distance.

4. My children's smiles.  It warms my heart every time to see their faces light up with a great big grin.  I never get tired of it.

Thankful Thursday

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.

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.

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!