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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Beautiful blossoming trees. Pink, purple, and white buds are everywhere. I love it! Spring time really lifts my spirits after a long, cold winter!

2. Softball. Lillian had her second softball/tee-ball practice and "game" this afternoon. Her best friend from across the street is on her team. They have nice yellow jerseys (better quality than any of the Little League jerseys I ever had!) with matching yellow visors. Their team name is the Liberties. Lillian made a yellow rainbow loom bracelet this morning to give to one of her coaches. I saw him wearing it after the game today. :)

It's so much fun to see Lillian play in the field and herd toward the ball whenever it gets hit her way (which has only been a few times). She has a good swing and she knows how to hustle to first base with her hand clamped down on top of her helmet so it doesn't slump down over her eyes or fall off the back of her head. Any time she sees Bobby or me on the sidelines she jumps up and down and waves to us. It makes my heart jump for joy to see her having fun playing a sport that was such a big part of my own childhood. I hope it brings her fun and excitement.

When Lilly turned three I was ambitious and bought her a real, high quality batting tee. It's finally getting some good use.  Bobby is a genius and he rigged up a softball on a rope so Lillian can have batting practice without breaking any windows or losing her ball in the street. He just drilled a hole straight through one of our softballs and threaded a thin rope through the hole. Then he tied a knot in the rope on either side of the ball to keep it in place and tied the other end of the rope around the base of the tee. It works great!! And it's the coolest new toy on the block. The boys from down the street like to take a few hits every time we have it out in the yard. Lillian's swing is getting better every day.  Sydney is also getting some good batting practice... It's never too early to start! :)

3. Brinner... Breakfast for dinner. Bobby is on call today and tonight. The afternoon was pretty quiet so he was able to see Lilly's softball game and play at home afterwards. When I was about to start making dinner he got called back into the hospital. I decided to ditch nice dinner plans and made chocolate chip pancakes, cheesy eggs, and bacon instead. We love brinner.  Poor Bobby has been swamped ever since. Since he missed eating with us tonight, maybe he can have brinner for breakfast tomorrow morning. Oh, wait. That would be breakfast. Just breakfast.

4. Dance parties. Every where I go I hear kids singing Frozen songs. Especially "Let it Go." I can't get away from that song. So naturally it got stuck in my head today. The only way to get rid of it is to listen to it, so I queued up my Disney kids Pandora station and sure enough it was one of the first songs. We all belted it out along with Ms. Menzel. When the other songs came on Liam asked me to dance with him. How could I refuse that invitation?! Lillian declared an official dance competition so we all busted out our best moves on the living room floor. I had so much fun bopping and hopping around with the kids, but I'm glad the curtains were drawn. :)

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.

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.

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!

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.

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). ;-)

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!

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!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. This blog.  I just spent the last hour (I should be getting ready for bed) reading old posts in the blog's archive.  I forgot how far back this goes...all the way to January 2008...that's FIVE years!!  Oh my, how things have changed and evolved since then, and yet some things have stayed the same.  What a wonderful way to archive some of our experiences over the past five years.  It certainly took me on a trip down memory lane and helped me recall some things I would have completely forgotten about had I not written about it.  It reminds me of all the counsel I hear to "keep a record" or a journal of personal experiences and reflections.  It has truly helped me see how far I've progressed through life, what I've accomplished, what I've learned, and how much I've grown.

2. Lemon wedges.  I bought a bag of lemons a while back for some special event (I can't even remember for what) with the intent of putting round lemon slices in a pitcher of water...I was trying to be fancy, I guess.  I totally forgot about them until Sydney saw them yesterday.  She said she wanted one.  I told her she didn't want to eat it because it would be too sour, but she could have one in her cup of water.  That seemed good enough for her, so I cut a lemon wedge and stuck in on the side of her plastic cup.  Lillian saw this and [naturally] wanted one, too.  When I served it up to her she exclaimed with delight, "It's like the grown-ups' water at the restaurant!"  Yes, indeed it is!  I must be fancy after all!

3. Bobby's empathy.  He's on call tonight.  For the next few months he's covering two hospitals that don't normally get a lot of action at night...huge blessing because that means he can catch up on some sleep (and I get to see him more)!  Tonight we were cleaning the kitchen together and talking like a normal married couple about nothing (this is rare for us) when his pager went off.  Dang it!  Some poor lady was waiting in the ER with a horrible wrist fracture.  Instead of complaining about it, which I was half expecting, Bobby expressed concern for her and how uncomfortable she must be feeling.  I was touched by this.  Yes, it stinks that he has to go out and take care of it, but that's his job.  If I were the one waiting in the ER with broken wrist I would want my doctor to have empathy for me, too.  I'm grateful that this is the kind of work Bobby can do and that he has a good attitude about it.

4. Uncle Pauly.  Today is his birthday so the kids and I shot a quick phone video singing the most beautiful rendition of  Happy Birthday.  He was so nice to reply with "Thank you beautiful ladies" [and gentleman...Liam was in the video, too, but I think he was a bit overshadowed by all the female faces]. We love Uncle Pauly!

5. Kid Writing.  This is the writing curriculum in Lillian's kindergarten classroom.  Every kid has their own book that they draw a picture on one side of the page and on the other they write a sentence about it.  They can write about whatever the heck they want; no writing prompt....what freedom!!  After the kids are done sounding out the words and chewing on their pencil erasers while their little brains try to figure out the ever-so-confusing phonetic system of the English language, then it's time for "Grown-up Writing."  This is when the adult gets to write the child's sentence (with "kindergarten handwriting," mind you) underneath the kid's sentence so they can compare the two...to see what they got right and what they can improve for next time.  The teacher organizes the kids in groups of 4, so she asks for parent volunteers to come in and help.  Of course I signed myself up as soon as I could.  I love any chance to spy on Lillian in class and see what she's up to. ;-)  I go in a couple times a month to help and today was one of them.  Lillian got to be in my group, which was fun.  It's amazing to see her develop so quickly with her writing (and reading, too)!  I was only there for half an hour, but I got a precious little glimpse into what Lillian's afternoons are like.  And some of the kids are starting to refer to me as "Lillian's mom." :)

6. Liam's little hands.  Normally they are pulling at someone's hair, grabbing at something toxic or otherwise dangerous, shoved in his mouth, or wrapped around a choking hazard (if said item isn't already in his mouth)....gee, I sound like a great mom, huh?  Well, tonight Liam put his little hands on either side of my face while I was holding him and singing a bedtime song.  It was so tender.  My mom said he's done that to her, too.

"We are a happy fam-uh-lee!"

HELLOOOO!!!!

Today I'm thankful for...

1. 2013!!  It seriously seems like it was only last night that I was sitting on my couch in our old apartment typing out a blog post about 2012.  Deep down I was dreading the new year and I was trying very hard to focus on all of the things I had to look forward to that 2012 would bring.  Well, I'm happy to report that I survived the year.  Keeping a positive attitude most certainly helped.  There were some difficult and rough spots- a friend died in a tragic car accident in January; then my father-in-law's health quickly declined in March before he passed away; there were lots of long and lonely nights while Bobby was working late or on call....there are more things but what's the point in dwelling on the bad stuff?  There were way more great things about 2012- my niece Nanner was born! (on the same day as Michelle Obama's birthday, which also happens to be the same day I was baptized in 2003...how's that for some random facts for ya?); Lillian started kindergarten; Sydney started a parent co-op preschool that I'm thrilled to be a part of; we moved into a cute little house on a cute little street with awesome neighbors; we've made lots of new friends; Bobby's hours still suck but he gets to do his ortho stuff which he loves and he has home call; we went camping as a family; we hiked around some beautiful waterfalls; we had an awesome vacation at the beach; Liam is growing and babbling and is as cute as ever; I got to spend lots of time with my mom and dad in the beginning of the year when they were living nearby; I still get to hang out with my sister because she lives here, too (but only for a few more months!)...this is how I want to remember 2012.  It was a good year.  It makes me hopeful for 2013.

2. Tight squeezes!  I just love, love, love getting (and giving!) big, tight hugs to my kiddos.  Bobby and I will say, "give me a tight squeeze!" and they'll wrap their arms around our neck and their legs around our waste and squeeze as hard as they can.  Sydney gave me a big hug in the kitchen today and it was especially nice because it was totally out of the blue.  When Lillian walked through the door after school she jumped into my arms and hugged me tight, too.  Then we played ring-around-the-rosy on the floor and Sydney joined in.  Liam just looked at us like we were a bunch of silly girls (which we are).  It's moments like those that I wish I could freeze time and hold onto them for a very long time.

3. Liam's charm.  This boy is cute.  I might just be saying that because he's my little boy, but in any case he's pretty darn adorable.  He'll fold his arms when we say "time to say prayer!"  When we ask, "Liam, do you want to brush your teeth?" he sticks his finger in his mouth and pretends it's a toothbrush.  Ask him, "What does a cow say" and he'll say "Booooo!"  If you say, "Where's Liam?!" he'll put his little hands over his eyes, wait a few seconds, then take them away with a big grin on his face to see who's watching him.  It's the cutest game of peek-a-boo I've ever seen.  He stuffs whole animal crackers in his mouth as if he has to eat them before they get up and run away; he waves at everyone (and I mean everyone) he sees and he'll say "hi, hi" as his arm is flapping up and down; he has a little dimple in his left cheek; he pushes his trucks all over the house...I am in love with this little guy!

4. Dirty Jobs.  Lillian and Sydney have become obsessed with watching "Dirty Jobs" with Bobby.  Mike Rowe, the host, has become a common household name around here.  I was doing something messy the other day and Lilly said, "Wow, Mom, that's a dirty job!  You should tell Mike Rowe!"  I'm sad that Discovery has canceled the show, but we'll continue to enjoy watching past episodes on Netflix. :)

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Play dates.  Lillian was invited to play at her friend E's house.  She met E in her preschool class last year and they are totally BFF's.  Their friend K was there, too, so it was three times the charm.  Lillian was SO excited about her play date all week long that she told EVERYONE she met about it.  I think the whole neighborhood knew about her play date today.  Shortly after I dropped her off I got this text.  Princesses, indeed!  Thanks, E and K for making Lillian's day awesome!

Princesses!

 2. Close calls.  We've been lucky the last couple of days- Sydney and Liam in particular.  Sydney's little tricycle is on the porch.  The porch is two steps up from the yard, sidewalk, and little garden bed below.  She was riding her bike around the porch while I was inside when I suddenly heard her crying.  When I went out to investigate, I saw Syd's legs sticking up in the air over the side of the porch!  She had accidentally driven off the edge, right into the flower bed.  She escaped the accident with only a little scrape on her arm and a bruise on her leg.  She got pretty lucky in more ways than one- she narrowly missed falling down the hard cement steps and she landed in a way that didn't cause too much trauma like knocked out teeth, banged up head, or broken bones.  Now she is a very cautious tricycle rider.

This morning Liam almost took a nose-dive off the bed onto the hardwood floor.  He was laying on his back wedged between two pillows while I was in the bathroom getting his bottle ready.  Bobby was brushing his teeth and I was letting the water run, waiting for it to warm up.  Bobby gave me his two cents and said he never waits for the water to get warm, he just serves up a cold bottle to Liam and he still guzzles it down.  I was slightly annoyed by him sharing his opinion on a matter that I felt quite experienced with.  However, I was getting impatient and tired (it was 5:00 in the morning), so I just mixed up a cold bottle and headed back into the bedroom.  I saw one pillow shoved to the side and Liam scooching on his belly at the edge of the bed, with his head peeking over the side about to careen down to his doom!  I did an Olympic leap across the room and grabbed him before he toppled over the side.  That's the last time I trust him to stay put on the bed...and he'll probably never get a warm bottle that early in the morning again, it's just too risky.

3. NO cavities!  Lillian had a check-up at the dentist this morning, and for the first time since she started seeing the dentist, she didn't have any cavities!  Wahoo!  All the brushing, flossing, and fluoride is FINALLY paying off!!  Here's my proud girl (and a proud mama behind the camera):

Lilly's holding "Mama Fox" that she got from Ikea for her birthday.  It was Mama Fox's first trip to the dentist, and Lillian helped her not to feel afraid.  I have a sneaky suspicion that Mama Fox helped Lillian not feel afraid, either. :)

4. Birthday money.  Bobby's mom sent Sydney a birthday card this week with a very generous monetary gift tucked inside.  While Lilly was at her play date, Syd and I hit the toy section at Target to spend some of her money.  She calls it her "happy money"...I think she means "happy birthday money", she just forgets the birthday part.  But, heck, it is HAPPY money! :)  She made a b-line for the little shopping cart as soon as she set her eyes on it and her opinion could not be swayed against it.  She pushed it around the store next to my big cart for the rest of the trip.  She couldn't wait to get home to use it.  She's already been on quite a good number of shopping trips.  Our cupboards will be well-stocked.

 

5. Liam's grabby hands.  He tries to grab everything around him- my keys, my dinner plate, my hair, my nose, my phone, the girls' shirts (and their hair), my shopping list...  As soon as he gets whatever he's reaching for into his little hands, he sticks in straight in his mouth and drools all over it.  Today he tried to grab my camera.  But I was too fast!

6. Boys in a princess tent.  Sydney and Lillian convinced the boys across the street to play in their pink princess tent.  They didn't seem to mind the various shades of pink all around them.  They were fascinated with opening and closing the flap on the door and leaning against the sides so the whole tent tipped over- very boy-ish behavior.  The princesses of the castle put the rowdy boys in order.  Our next door neighbor said he would have to hire knights to guard the castle. :)

7. Bobby's forgetfulness.  He forgot to bring his change of clothes with him this morning.  He had to go right from the hospital to a meeting at a fancy-shmancy restaurant in the city.  So I got to meet him by the Art Museum to hand off his clothes to him.  We got to see him for a few minutes, which was nice, especially for the kids since they were all asleep before he got home.  On Monday night we got a lucky visit from him, too.  He was on call, so he checked with the ER before leaving to make sure there weren't any pending cases that would call him back to the hospital.  It's a 45 minute drive and he would rather stay and wait to take care of something than make it all the way home only to have to turn right back around.  The ER said there was nothing so he came home.  Right before he walked in the door his beeper went off for 2 cases in the ER that needed his attention- clearly no one had actually checked in the ER to see if there was anything that could call him back.  He was quite annoyed about it, but we both were happy for the chance to see each other before he had to go back.  He had time to eat some dinner in the bathroom while I gave the kids baths, help with pj's, and do family home evening with us.  Since it's a long drive there and it was already getting late and he had to be there at 5:30 the next morning, he decided to stay the night at the hospital.  Even though he was gone the rest of the night, I'm grateful that he got to see the kiddies before they went to bed and that we were able to spend some time together as a family.

8. The mouse in our kitchen.  There is a brave little mouse running around in the kitchen.  And the dining room.  And maybe (probably) elsewhere throughout the house.  We want to catch it and dispose of it (sorry animal lovers), but tonight its appearance was helpful.  Bobby has to stay up to study and prepare a presentation for tomorrow.  He was starting to fall asleep at the table when the little rodent ran out.  The wild goose (er, mouse) chase that ensued was enough to thoroughly wake him up.  The little sucker escaped, so the chase is still on.  I will be making a trip to Lowe's tomorrow to buy some big sticky traps (again, sorry animal lovers).

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Blogging.  *Sigh*

2. Our new house!!  Our wonderful neighbors, a dishwasher, 3 bedrooms, a bigger bathroom, a much bigger kitchen, a double sink with a garbage disposal and a sprayer (it's the small things that make me happy), a covered porch strung with Christmas lights, our little yard, the little doggie named Fluffy that lives across the street, all the nannies who take care of the neighbors' kids who I get to hang out with, our little library that's within walking distance, the St. Joseph's University building across that street that we can see from our dining room window that Lillian says looks like a castle, the spider that spun a web in the flower bush by our sidewalk, bookshelves- lots of bookshelves, a fireplace, the nice lady across the street who has four daughters (the youngest is 11) who is off-loading all of her girly toys like tea sets and doll beds to us [where am I going to put it all??], did I mention our awesome neighbors and all the kids that Lillian, Sydney and Liam are becoming friends with?  I love it here.

3. The big hugs and kisses that Sydney and Lillian gave to Daddy when he got home tonight.  He said it melted his heart to see Sydney make the ASL "I love you" sign, then run across the room into his arms.  His little girls are growing up so fast. :)

4. Liam's claps and waves.  He's 8 1/2 months now!  He is a pro at waving hello- his specialty is vigorously waving both arms at the same time while smiling and drooling.  He has perfected his clap so that when he puts his little hands together it now makes a little clapping sound- I think that is one of the most adorable sounds a baby can make.  He's an all-around happy little guy and I love him lots!

5. The Paint Bucket.  My aunt is so creative!  She's been teaching kindergarten for almost 10 years, and she has created her own literacy curriculum with these adorable little "teacher's creatures phonics puppets."  Check them out at her website here: http://www.monacolane.com/.  She has also put together a whole slew of homework kits that, in her own words, "make homework magical for children."  She's sharing the kits on her blog (http://teacherscreaturesphonicspuppets.wordpress.com/), and this month it's the Paint Bucket, which focuses on colors, reading, and math.  She shares PDF files for instructions on making the homework kit, related worksheets, and an activities list so parents know how to use it with their children.  I can't wait to put one together for Lillian and Sydney- they will LOVE it!!

6. My sister and her wonderful friends.  Audrey and her Penn Vet friend Michelle came over for dinner tonight.  Michelle was so nice and all three kids warmed up to her so quickly.  Audrey is such a kind and loving person herself, no wonder her friends are just as great.  I hope they can come again soon.

7. Dr. Bobby.  He spends so much time at the hospital taking care of other people who have physical ailments that sometimes he doesn't have the time to be a doctor at home when someone here needs his attention.  But on Monday he pulled a double shift and came straight home from a 12 hour day at the hospital to be Dr. Husband.  I was so sick that day that I actually threw up.  I honestly can't remember the last time I threw up- despite having three pregnancies, various rounds of the flu, stomach virus, etc- it must have been 20 years ago or something.  Anyways, I was feeling really awful and was basically glued to the couch.  Bobby took care of dinner, clean up, baths, family home evening, story time and bed time, and he helped me get to bed, too.  It really cut into his limited study time, but I am so grateful that he was here and that he took care of me.  I'm also grateful to be feeling much, much better.  :)

Today I'm thankful for...

1. The questions that Sydney asks.  Tonight at dinner she asked, "Mommy, do T-Rex eat cheese?"  One of life's important questions, no doubt.

2. The Wii.  Last night we acquired our very first Wii from some friends who were getting rid of theirs.  Lillian and Sydney have already mastered Wii baseball.  They played their first 3-inning game against each other today, taking turns pitching and batting.  The game ended with a 0-0 tie.  There were lots of foul balls, a few good hits, and plenty of strike-outs.  The girls loved it.  It was fun to watch them and to help with their hitting and pitching.  Most of the Wii players were girls- maybe it'll help Lillian warm up to playing real T-ball?

3. Anesthesia.  Although it would be nice to receive some anesthetic meds to knock me out once in a while (j/k!), that's not what I mean by anesthesia.  I'm so grateful that Bobby is on his anesthesia rotation and that it's at the "close hospital" as the girls call it- really close to Lillian's school and close to home.  The schedule is awesome.  I don't understand why he doesn't want to switch his specialty to anesthesia.  ;-)  He doesn't have to leave the house until 8 am, which has allowed him to bring Lillian to school a few times (and I've even slept in- wahoo!).  He gets done early in the afternoons, which has allowed him to pick Lillian up from school, too!  I'm getting spoiled.  We've seen him a lot more and he's been getting much more sleep than he did last month.  It's been a blessing to have this rotation immediately following his general surgery rotation- such a tender mercy to have the time to recover and recuperate after a horrible schedule last month.

4. Catching up.  I have a ton of stuff that I want to post from the past week, but now is not the time to do it.  I need to go to bed.  I'm making the executive decision to ignore the dishes in the sink, the toys on the floor, and the 3 laundry baskets that are stacked in the hallway filled with clean clothes waiting to be put away.  Who knows- maybe the housecleaning fairy will come while I sleep and wave it all away with her magic wand.

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Sydney's generosity.  She is always thinking of others and is willing to share her gum or other precious goodies that she has.  After we brought Lillian to school this morning we went to the drive through window at the bank.  Sydney asked if she was going to get a lollipop.  I asked the nice lady behind the camera if she had any lollipops to give out, and while she went to go look for some, Sydney said, "Get one for Lilly too!"  How nice!

2. Board games.  Lillian wanted to come home before nap time today so I indulged her and picked her up early.  We had a lovely afternoon together.  While Sydney napped we played Curious George's Beach Discovery game, Snail's Pace Race, and two and a half rounds of Candyland (the half round came in when I won, then went back to the start while Lillian continued.  The head start was to help her win the game.)  We had so much fun playing that I put off doing the mountain of dishes in the sink, which pushed back the time I started dinner, which resulted in dinnertime at 7:30 pm- way late for us!!  It was all totally worth it, though.  Bobby was home for dinner and it was nice to have my little family together around the table.

3. The end of this rotation.  Yay!!  The girls made him a big CONGRATS sign and they jumped out from hiding places to say "Surprise!!" when Bobby got home.  I'm so glad it's over.  Tomorrow he starts anesthesia at the hospital close to Lilly's school.  He doesn't have to be there until 7:30 am!  That sure beats getting up at 4 am to be at the hospital by 5 am!  We'll actually get to see him in the mornings.  Awesome!

4. The rug on the floor.  This is the second night in a row that Bobby has passed out on the floor in the middle of getting kids ready for bed.  As I type this he is sprawled out on his back, with his arm over his head and elbow propped up against the toy chest.  His breathing is pretty slow and steady so I think he's in a fairly deep sleep.  Do I just leave him there to get the rest that he so desperately needs?  Or do I wake him up and get him into a comfortable bed? 

5. Peek-a-boo with Liam.  It's his new favorite game.  He likes to sit in my lap facing me.  I hold his hands to help him sit up, then I put our hands in front of my eyes.  When I take them away and say "peek-a-boo!" his eyes get really big and he laughs out loud!  It's the best sound in the world.