Note: I meant to have pictures in this post, but it's not working. Stay tuned for a photographic update!
Today was the first day of school, and Lillian hit the ground running!
I, on the other hand, was not with the program. I mis-read the bus schedule and thought that the morning bus would arrive TEN minutes LATER than it actually did. I thought I was so prepared, with Lilly's lunch all packed, the stroller ready, and my "time to go to the bus stop" alarm on my phone, but by the time we started walking down the side walk we saw all the other moms and dads walking back to their houses! We totally missed the bus! A nice neighbor friend offered to watch Liam and Sydney while I drove Lillian in to school.
Although it was a first day of school blunder on my part, it turned out to be fun. I enjoyed the extra time with Lillian, and it gave her a chance to watch the video text that Bobby sent for her late last night (that I had forgotten to show her earlier in the morning). We held hands as we walked across the front of the school to the first grade line-up area. As she was getting in line she saw her BFF from kindergarten and they shared a very exuberant reunion. They are in the same class together, which makes me so happy for her.
Lillian was so excited that I don't think she even noticed when I left. What a big girl!
While she was busy learning and making new friends at school, Sydney got her teeth cleaned at the dentist. Another cavity-free visit for her (much better than her older sister)! She sat in the "Muppet/Sesame Street Room" and got to watch Epic while the dental hygienist and the dentist checked her little teeth. Liam wanted to watch, too, so he climbed right up into the chair with her. He's such a cheese ball!
This is Mama Fox's second visit to the dentist. (See this post here for her first visit!)
After a quick visit to the grocery store afterwards (which, by the way, is much easier with 2 kids rather than all 3) and some lunch at home, Liam took a nice nap and I painted Sydney's nails on the front porch. Good mother-daughter bonding time. At some point between all that I managed to knock out some of the heaping pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.
I got my act together by the afternoon and we made it to the bus stop to pick Lillian up with PLENTY of time to spare. She bounced off the bus and ran to give us all hugs. She had a big smile on her face and she said her first day of first grade was, "Perfect!!!" Her teacher is really nice; she sits next to two boys in Row 3, but they are really nice and they don't bother her like _______ did last year; she got to read a book about birds before she got on the bus; there is another Emma in her class, but not the same one that was in her kindergarten class; she showed her friend A where her cubby is; and she has gym class tomorrow so she has to wear tennis shoes. Did ya get all that?
To celebrate the momentous day, we walked to the 7 Eleven down the street with a friend and got Slurpees for everyone.
I'm much more prepared for tomorrow. We shouldn't miss the bus again.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Today's Top Ten
Today I'm thankful for . . .
1. An organized toy room and kids that helped clean it (sort of)
2. Watermelon and cantelope from the Eastern Shore
3. Air conditioning
4. Blooming, Summer flowers
5. Philadelphia
6. My husband who likes to cook and is good at it; who enjoys reading bedtime stories, putting the kids to bed and falling asleep with them; and who devotes his free time to his family, not to TV or video games
7. Scriptures
8. Neighbors
9. A new car battery that was replaced for free because the old one went bad while still under warranty (and for friends who helped me figure out the problem when Bobby was away)
10. Delaware, Maryland, corn fields, tractors, the beach, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the smell of chicken houses and cow farms, home-made creamery ice cream, country roads, old school buses converted into trucks loaded with watermelon fresh-picked from the fields, stars, lightning, the Bay Bridge, rivers . . . The Delmarva Peninsula
1. An organized toy room and kids that helped clean it (sort of)
2. Watermelon and cantelope from the Eastern Shore
3. Air conditioning
4. Blooming, Summer flowers
5. Philadelphia
6. My husband who likes to cook and is good at it; who enjoys reading bedtime stories, putting the kids to bed and falling asleep with them; and who devotes his free time to his family, not to TV or video games
7. Scriptures
8. Neighbors
9. A new car battery that was replaced for free because the old one went bad while still under warranty (and for friends who helped me figure out the problem when Bobby was away)
10. Delaware, Maryland, corn fields, tractors, the beach, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the smell of chicken houses and cow farms, home-made creamery ice cream, country roads, old school buses converted into trucks loaded with watermelon fresh-picked from the fields, stars, lightning, the Bay Bridge, rivers . . . The Delmarva Peninsula
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, Monday
Today I'm thankful for...
1. Diggers and Dump Trucks. Our neighbors are having work done on their driveway. A big backhoe is digging a deep hole and dumping the dirt in the back of a dump truck parked next to it. When Lillian first heard the trucks working, she looked out the window and exclaimed, "LOOK! Everyone come look!" We all gathered round the window to see, and Liam pointed and shouted, "Guck, guck!" [translated: truck, truck!] over and over. The window view soon lost its excitement, so we went outside to watch from the front porch. The kids sat and watched like they were at the movie theater, and Sydney kept asking if she could get down and watch from the driveway. Her cautious mother said no every time she asked. I'm not that into trucks and tractors [definitely not as much as my two boys are-- Bobby and Liam], but I have to admit that it's always neat to watch them work. The construction vehicles are still parked in the driveway, so we have tomorrow to look forward to more work and easy entertainment! :)
2. Bribery. Liam has reached the age of comprehending a good bribe...an important developmental milestone in my opinion. Meal time now often consists of a conversation as follows:
Me: Liam, eat your green beans. [raise the fork with two green beans stabbed on the end toward his mouth]
Liam: No. [clamps his mouth shut tight with his lips pouting out and turns his head away and to the side, making a repulsed face]
Me: Liam, do you want a COOKIE!? [trying to sound as excited as possible]
Liam: [Big smile] Oooh, yah! [Reaches for cookie]
Me: You have to eat your green beans first, ok? [Raise fork with green beans again]
Liam: Ok.
Me: Eat some green beans.
Liam: No.
Me: Do you want THIS? [hold up cookie]
Liam: Yah.
Me: Eat some green beans first [hold up green beans] and then you can have the cookie, ok? [hold up cookie again for emphasis and temptation].
Laim: Ok. [mouth opens, insert green beans, remind him to chew and swallow them, then proceed to give him his cookie reward. Repeat process until green beans are all gone. And just to clarify, I don't give him a WHOLE cookie for each green bean he eats...he gets a little piece of cookie, size depending on how big of a green bean bite he takes]. :)
3. Sydney's fancy hair. Lillian coerced Sydney into letting her do her hair this morning. She said she was doing it a "super fancy way." After a few minutes she gave up and asked me to give her two pigtails. To my surprise Sydney agreed, and she kept them in all morning, which is a long streak in her book. She looked so cute, and it reminded me of when she was younger and her hair was in pigtails a lot more.
4. Liam's words. Here are a few:
Ya-Ya: Lilly
Nee-Nee: Sydney
Guck: Truck
Bee-Bo: Bellybutton (thanks to Sandra Boynton and her "Belly Button Book")
No: No translation needed
Et GO!: Let's GO!
Wawa: Water
Deuce: Juice
Assdint: Accident
Wide: Ride
5. Water. Tonight when I was making dinner I accidentally set a paper towel on fire. I tried blowing it out a few times, but to no avail. In fact, I think it only fed the flames more. Before the heat could get to my fingertips, I dropped the flaming paper towel into the sink and ran water over it. It all happened in a split second, but the girls were at the table watching. When it was over, and impressed Sydney said, "Wow, Mom, you're a fire fighter!" Lillian sort of scoffed and said something about me being a fire starter. What a smart aleck she is....but I was thinking the same thing. :)
6. Good advice and support. I've been struggling lately with the possibility of getting a job to supplement our income. Our budget is so tight and credit cards are making ends meet for us right now. Neither Bobby or I like the idea of accruing credit card debt, so the only way to make things work is to increase our income. I don't see any way we can decrease our spending enough to make up the difference. There's nothing more Bobby can do at the moment, so it would have to come from me. Do I pursue something related to my degree (that I earned six years ago and don't have any 'professional' working experience with...and that would take me away from home and the kids a lot)? Do I try to find some kids to babysit so I can at least be home with my own kids, too? Do I maybe start up a little preschool gig at home- but who do I know who has enough money to spare to make it worth it (but maybe someone does, I don't know, I haven't explored the idea too much)? Do we just keep using the credit cards so I can stay home and we'll worry about paying them off in a few years when income increases? I posed this question to a group of ladies who are in similar financial and life-stage situation as I am. All of their responses were different, but all were supportive and helpful. I'm appreciative to these women who offered their insights and advice. And I'll take any good advice you might have, too! I still haven't decided what I'm going to do, but I have a lot of options to consider and I'm feeling better about it already.
1. Diggers and Dump Trucks. Our neighbors are having work done on their driveway. A big backhoe is digging a deep hole and dumping the dirt in the back of a dump truck parked next to it. When Lillian first heard the trucks working, she looked out the window and exclaimed, "LOOK! Everyone come look!" We all gathered round the window to see, and Liam pointed and shouted, "Guck, guck!" [translated: truck, truck!] over and over. The window view soon lost its excitement, so we went outside to watch from the front porch. The kids sat and watched like they were at the movie theater, and Sydney kept asking if she could get down and watch from the driveway. Her cautious mother said no every time she asked. I'm not that into trucks and tractors [definitely not as much as my two boys are-- Bobby and Liam], but I have to admit that it's always neat to watch them work. The construction vehicles are still parked in the driveway, so we have tomorrow to look forward to more work and easy entertainment! :)
2. Bribery. Liam has reached the age of comprehending a good bribe...an important developmental milestone in my opinion. Meal time now often consists of a conversation as follows:
Me: Liam, eat your green beans. [raise the fork with two green beans stabbed on the end toward his mouth]
Liam: No. [clamps his mouth shut tight with his lips pouting out and turns his head away and to the side, making a repulsed face]
Me: Liam, do you want a COOKIE!? [trying to sound as excited as possible]
Liam: [Big smile] Oooh, yah! [Reaches for cookie]
Me: You have to eat your green beans first, ok? [Raise fork with green beans again]
Liam: Ok.
Me: Eat some green beans.
Liam: No.
Me: Do you want THIS? [hold up cookie]
Liam: Yah.
Me: Eat some green beans first [hold up green beans] and then you can have the cookie, ok? [hold up cookie again for emphasis and temptation].
Laim: Ok. [mouth opens, insert green beans, remind him to chew and swallow them, then proceed to give him his cookie reward. Repeat process until green beans are all gone. And just to clarify, I don't give him a WHOLE cookie for each green bean he eats...he gets a little piece of cookie, size depending on how big of a green bean bite he takes]. :)
3. Sydney's fancy hair. Lillian coerced Sydney into letting her do her hair this morning. She said she was doing it a "super fancy way." After a few minutes she gave up and asked me to give her two pigtails. To my surprise Sydney agreed, and she kept them in all morning, which is a long streak in her book. She looked so cute, and it reminded me of when she was younger and her hair was in pigtails a lot more.
4. Liam's words. Here are a few:
Ya-Ya: Lilly
Nee-Nee: Sydney
Guck: Truck
Bee-Bo: Bellybutton (thanks to Sandra Boynton and her "Belly Button Book")
No: No translation needed
Et GO!: Let's GO!
Wawa: Water
Deuce: Juice
Assdint: Accident
Wide: Ride
5. Water. Tonight when I was making dinner I accidentally set a paper towel on fire. I tried blowing it out a few times, but to no avail. In fact, I think it only fed the flames more. Before the heat could get to my fingertips, I dropped the flaming paper towel into the sink and ran water over it. It all happened in a split second, but the girls were at the table watching. When it was over, and impressed Sydney said, "Wow, Mom, you're a fire fighter!" Lillian sort of scoffed and said something about me being a fire starter. What a smart aleck she is....but I was thinking the same thing. :)
6. Good advice and support. I've been struggling lately with the possibility of getting a job to supplement our income. Our budget is so tight and credit cards are making ends meet for us right now. Neither Bobby or I like the idea of accruing credit card debt, so the only way to make things work is to increase our income. I don't see any way we can decrease our spending enough to make up the difference. There's nothing more Bobby can do at the moment, so it would have to come from me. Do I pursue something related to my degree (that I earned six years ago and don't have any 'professional' working experience with...and that would take me away from home and the kids a lot)? Do I try to find some kids to babysit so I can at least be home with my own kids, too? Do I maybe start up a little preschool gig at home- but who do I know who has enough money to spare to make it worth it (but maybe someone does, I don't know, I haven't explored the idea too much)? Do we just keep using the credit cards so I can stay home and we'll worry about paying them off in a few years when income increases? I posed this question to a group of ladies who are in similar financial and life-stage situation as I am. All of their responses were different, but all were supportive and helpful. I'm appreciative to these women who offered their insights and advice. And I'll take any good advice you might have, too! I still haven't decided what I'm going to do, but I have a lot of options to consider and I'm feeling better about it already.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
The Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked, and Walked, and Walked, and Walked.........
Today I'm thankful for . . .
1. More songs. I'm in the process of trying to get Liam to sleep. He had a long, late nap this afternoon, so he's not very interested in going to bed right now. I laid him down in my bed, hoping it would calm him down and lull him to sleep better. I tucked him in and sang him a short song. I started to leave when he started saying something that my Mommy brain translated into "temple." He wanted me to sing the "Temple Song," or "I Love to See The Temple," which I usually sing to the kids at bedtime. So I sang him the song and told him to close his eyes and go to sleep. But he started saying something else and when he got his hands free from under the covers, his little fingers were furiously going back and forth making the "more" sign. He wanted more songs!! I couldn't refuse, so I sang him another song. Again, he asked for more. This time I told him that if he could lay in bed quietly with his eyes closed then I would come back and sing him another song. He shut his eyes tight and said, "Ok," in his deep, little man voice. I tiptoed out of the room, heard him cry once, and haven't heard him since. He's such a cute little guy. Love him!
2. Pioneer Day. Last Wednesday, July 24th was Pioneer Day, which commemorates the day that the Mormon Pioneers finally made it to the Salt Lake Valley after traveling nearly 1500 miles from Nauvoo, IL. It's an official state holiday and a big, huge deal in Utah...not so much here on the East Coast, but we celebrated anyway. The kids and I read a story about a pioneer girl who got lost from her wagon train [and then found again...happy ending], making whirly-gig toys out of paper plates, making paper bonnets, and playing pioneer games outside like Shadow Tag, Leap Frog, Blind Man's Bluff, Hopscotch, and Birdie in My Cup. We were going to extend the celebrations today by making ice cream, but I didn't have the right ingredients, so we made paper quilts instead. The girls cut squares out of scrapbook paper and glued them to cardstock. Then Lillian had the idea to laminate them and make them placemats! (She always wants to laminate every.single.art project that she does, which I usually say no to, but this time it was a great idea!!) Their pioneer quilted placemats are so cute, and they used them for dinner tonight!
3. Balloon popping! We took down all of Lillian's birthday decorations, which included a lot of balloons hanging from the ceiling. All three kiddies had a blast popping them. They sat on them, poked them, and cut them with plastic knives. Liam cracked up laughing every time one of them exploded with an ear-deafening pop. The girls bounced endlessly on balloon after balloon until they popped underneath of them. Liam couldn't stop retelling the fun they had; he kept repeating, "bum, bum! POP!!"
4. Long walks. It wasn't too hot this morning and I was dying to get outside for some fresh air. I told the kids we were going for a walk, so we got our tennis shoes on and headed out the door. Sydney and Lillian brought their scooters to ride. A few blocks later Sydney was tired of riding her scooter, so she joined Liam in the stroller. Lillian was still going strong, so I decided to head in the direction of Bobby's hospital. I didn't think we would make it the entire way since it's nearly a mile, but before long we were just a block away. We stopped to rest and play at a fountain in a small park and I called Bobby to see if he was available...he was finishing up a case on a guy who got hit by a car last night. He was done, but there were three other people in the ER that he needed to see. He had a few minutes, though, so he met us outside and brought us to the cafeteria for lunch. The girls were SO excited to dine at "Daddy's Hospital," and I didn't mind because it was pretty cheap. While Bobby reset someone's broken ankle in the ER we ate chicken nuggets and french fries in the cafeteria overlooking the river and watched ospreys fly overhead. The girls chose a table for two in the corner and Liam was my date at a nearby table. Bobby joined us for his lunch before he had to rush off again to take care of someone else. We made the mile trek back home in the heat. My stroller was heavier with three kids and two scooters, but it was still a pleasant walk. We cooled off in our air conditioned apartment and ate ice pops on the porch. Our little adventure this afternoon was fun!
1. More songs. I'm in the process of trying to get Liam to sleep. He had a long, late nap this afternoon, so he's not very interested in going to bed right now. I laid him down in my bed, hoping it would calm him down and lull him to sleep better. I tucked him in and sang him a short song. I started to leave when he started saying something that my Mommy brain translated into "temple." He wanted me to sing the "Temple Song," or "I Love to See The Temple," which I usually sing to the kids at bedtime. So I sang him the song and told him to close his eyes and go to sleep. But he started saying something else and when he got his hands free from under the covers, his little fingers were furiously going back and forth making the "more" sign. He wanted more songs!! I couldn't refuse, so I sang him another song. Again, he asked for more. This time I told him that if he could lay in bed quietly with his eyes closed then I would come back and sing him another song. He shut his eyes tight and said, "Ok," in his deep, little man voice. I tiptoed out of the room, heard him cry once, and haven't heard him since. He's such a cute little guy. Love him!
2. Pioneer Day. Last Wednesday, July 24th was Pioneer Day, which commemorates the day that the Mormon Pioneers finally made it to the Salt Lake Valley after traveling nearly 1500 miles from Nauvoo, IL. It's an official state holiday and a big, huge deal in Utah...not so much here on the East Coast, but we celebrated anyway. The kids and I read a story about a pioneer girl who got lost from her wagon train [and then found again...happy ending], making whirly-gig toys out of paper plates, making paper bonnets, and playing pioneer games outside like Shadow Tag, Leap Frog, Blind Man's Bluff, Hopscotch, and Birdie in My Cup. We were going to extend the celebrations today by making ice cream, but I didn't have the right ingredients, so we made paper quilts instead. The girls cut squares out of scrapbook paper and glued them to cardstock. Then Lillian had the idea to laminate them and make them placemats! (She always wants to laminate every.single.art project that she does, which I usually say no to, but this time it was a great idea!!) Their pioneer quilted placemats are so cute, and they used them for dinner tonight!
3. Balloon popping! We took down all of Lillian's birthday decorations, which included a lot of balloons hanging from the ceiling. All three kiddies had a blast popping them. They sat on them, poked them, and cut them with plastic knives. Liam cracked up laughing every time one of them exploded with an ear-deafening pop. The girls bounced endlessly on balloon after balloon until they popped underneath of them. Liam couldn't stop retelling the fun they had; he kept repeating, "bum, bum! POP!!"
4. Long walks. It wasn't too hot this morning and I was dying to get outside for some fresh air. I told the kids we were going for a walk, so we got our tennis shoes on and headed out the door. Sydney and Lillian brought their scooters to ride. A few blocks later Sydney was tired of riding her scooter, so she joined Liam in the stroller. Lillian was still going strong, so I decided to head in the direction of Bobby's hospital. I didn't think we would make it the entire way since it's nearly a mile, but before long we were just a block away. We stopped to rest and play at a fountain in a small park and I called Bobby to see if he was available...he was finishing up a case on a guy who got hit by a car last night. He was done, but there were three other people in the ER that he needed to see. He had a few minutes, though, so he met us outside and brought us to the cafeteria for lunch. The girls were SO excited to dine at "Daddy's Hospital," and I didn't mind because it was pretty cheap. While Bobby reset someone's broken ankle in the ER we ate chicken nuggets and french fries in the cafeteria overlooking the river and watched ospreys fly overhead. The girls chose a table for two in the corner and Liam was my date at a nearby table. Bobby joined us for his lunch before he had to rush off again to take care of someone else. We made the mile trek back home in the heat. My stroller was heavier with three kids and two scooters, but it was still a pleasant walk. We cooled off in our air conditioned apartment and ate ice pops on the porch. Our little adventure this afternoon was fun!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Birthdays, Teeth, and Smiles
It's been two months to the day!
Today I'm thankful for:
1. Three rounds of birthday celebrations. Lillian has been basking in birthday fun. While on vacation last week with my family we had mini cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday in a large ski resort lodge while the wild bears ran through the backyard. Yesterday was Lilly's actual birthday, so we went to the Salisbury Zoo with some new friends, then had chocolate cupcakes together. Tonight we partied with Bobby's side of the family and had fun with loads of cousins, aunts, and uncles. We're all cup-caked out, but we are so happy to have Lillian in our family and to celebrate her 6th birthday with her!!
 |
| Cupcakes during Barker vacation in Jimtown |
 | ||
Cupcakes with friends!!
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3. Sydney's smile. It melts my heart every time.
4. Silly string!! We had a silly string fight on Lilly's birthday- it was the best 3 bucks I ever spent!
5. Lillian's first missing tooth! It's been lose for about 4 months and it finally popped out yesterday- literally! Bobby was flossing her teeth and she told him that she wanted him to try to pull it out. When he did, it popped right out and flew across the room! She was a brave girl and she's still beaming about it. Now she talks with a little lisp and she sticks her tongue through the little window in her mouth. So cute! The tooth fairy was generous to her, since it was her first tooth AND it came out on her birthday. Lillian missed her baby tooth so much in the morning that she bargained with the tooth fairy and got it back to keep. :)
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