So the wedding that will be featured on TLC's "Four Weddings" was last night.
It was SO MUCH FUN!!
I always say that, at a wedding, you know you're having a good time when you're on an air-conditioned dance floor and you're sweating.
The ceremony was perfect. The soloists sounded great. Our pastor officiated. He does a great wedding. He married Jason and me, and so it's always fun to hear him do a wedding again. Brings back memories.
The cocktail hour and seated dinner reception was awesome. There's a formality about that that I love. It's very fancy. But it was done in such a way, that it was also very personal and comfortable.
The couple seemed to make choices for their wedding that made them happy, and I like that.
For example...
During dinner, there were some solos and duets sung by family and friends of the bride and groom.
There was an open bar... at a Baptist wedding. *shock and gasp* :)
The DJ played great music. Everything from oldies to the Blackeyed Peas.
The ance-day oor-flay was packed. (Ance-day Oor-flay. Little shout out to "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It". Another song that was played last night. hahaha)
While the music was going, they had big screens that were showing the accompanying music video to the songs. So if you didn't want to dance, you could just watch the music video and sing along. I don't know if I'm explaining that well, but it was a fun touch.
The food was great. And there was lots of it. Passed appetizers during cocktail hour. Steak and mashed potatoes and salad for dinner. Red velvet cake and homemade cinnamon rolls were the bride and groom's cakes. Served with a shot glass of milk.
Then at 11:00 the waiters came out with french fries and shot glasses filled with chocolate milkshakes. It was super cute!!
It was a par-tay!!!
But enough of all that... Let me fill you in on the TLC situation, in case you're wondering.
There were signs posted outside of the chapel and reception area that let guests know that this was being filmed for a show on TLC and that if we didn't want to be filmed for any reason, we needed to let them know.
Just so you know... I didn't have a problem being filmed. :) hee hee
As luck would have it, the bridesmaids wore dresses similar to mine. Or I guess I should say I wore a dress similar to theirs. Same color anyway. So I joked that, if I picked up a bouquet of flowers, I could shuffle into the mix at the reception and get more on-air time. I didn't. But I considered it.
The only shameful thing I did with the hope of being on camera was that I took a really unnecessarily long route to find my assigned table at the reception. And I just happened--oops--to walk by the table that was being filmed--pardon me--in search of my seat. It's so hard to find table 16. It totally makes sense that I would need to walk from table 4 to table 22 looking for it. ;)
Other than that, if I was filmed, it's just the way it worked out. Not my fault I was sitting on the aisle 6 or 7 rows from the front during the ceremony. *wink, wink*
By the time the reception rolled around, I had forgotten about the film crew. Well, that's not true... But what I mean is... They weren't as conspicuous. They appeared to be like any other videographer. Any other videographer that has a giant microphone on a boom stick. So I really didn't think about them as much.
During the ceremony, however, it took some getting used to right at first. They were front and center at the altar. And they weren't dressed as though they were at a wedding. The camera guy had on an untucked Tshirt and jeans. At first, I was thinking, "C'mon guys. This is someone's wedding. Dress up." But once the ceremony started and the bridal party was in place, the camera guy stood behind the groomsmen and was less visible. That made it much easier to focus on the reason we were all there.
The other 3 brides (who were there to judge Amy's wedding) looked like they were having fun. But word on the street is that the guests who tried to talk to them and make sure they were having a good time found them to be less than friendly. Maybe they just had their game faces on, since they are--after all--competing with Amy for a trip to the Bahamas (or some tropical destination).
The episode will air in October. OCTOBER!!! That seems like a long time for me to have to wait to see if I'm on TV. (Um, I mean, that seems like a long time for Amy to have to wait to watch her big day on TV. Because yesterday was all about the bride. All about the bride. I'm just going to keep reminding myself of that.) :) just kidding! But I'll keep you up to date if you want to tune in.
But all TLC-talk aside... camera crew there or not... whatever... it was an UNBELIEVABLY FUN WEDDING AND PARTY!!! I wish we could all do it again next Friday.
Congrats to the newlyweds!!!!!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Gimme the epidural
My sweet neighbor just had a 9 lb, 2 oz baby boy... naturally. She has been going to work everyday for the last week, dilated to 6 cm, 75% effaced and at a -1 station. (I know that might not mean anything to you if you've never had a baby. But that's nuts-o.) She's a tough lady.
Jason always likes to say that I had the kids naturally. He doesn't know he's saying it wrong. He thinks "natural" means "not a C-section". I always have to remind him that "natural" means "drug free".
To be clear, I did not have any of my kids naturally. I never had any desire.
But when I speak to women who went the natural route, they tell me that it's amazing and that they feel like a rock star afterward.
So the only way I can relate is this... It must be like running a marathon.
It must be a mental game. When I ran my marathon--or even just running a half--you have to get in a mental zone. Block out the pain (because there WILL be pain) and push your body to do what you've trained it to do. If you go into a marathon thinking, "If it starts to hurt, I'll walk," then you'll walk every time. Because it's gonna hurt. I don't care who you are. Mile 19 sucks. But when you finish, the high is unlike any other-- when you sit back and realize you just pushed your body to do things that most people won't ever attempt.
That's gotta be what a natural childbirth is. If you go into labor and delivery thinking that you'll get an epidural if it starts to hurt too bad, then you'll get an epidural every time. Because it's gonna start to hurt pretty bad. I guess you have to block out the pain and get in a mental zone. And when you've got that baby in your arms, there must be an amazing high, knowing that you just pushed your body to do things that most women won't attempt.
I have a lot of respect for women that do it. Congrats to Shirin and Ted (and big sister, Veronica)!
But I gotta say... For me, an epidural was the way to go. I don't regret them at all. Labor was fun. I was able to rest and even play cards while I waited to fully dilate. To each his own. But I think that if painful childbirth was the consequence to Eve's sin in the Garden, then an epidural is God's grace. :) Because epidurals made everything ok.
Jason always likes to say that I had the kids naturally. He doesn't know he's saying it wrong. He thinks "natural" means "not a C-section". I always have to remind him that "natural" means "drug free".
To be clear, I did not have any of my kids naturally. I never had any desire.
But when I speak to women who went the natural route, they tell me that it's amazing and that they feel like a rock star afterward.
So the only way I can relate is this... It must be like running a marathon.
It must be a mental game. When I ran my marathon--or even just running a half--you have to get in a mental zone. Block out the pain (because there WILL be pain) and push your body to do what you've trained it to do. If you go into a marathon thinking, "If it starts to hurt, I'll walk," then you'll walk every time. Because it's gonna hurt. I don't care who you are. Mile 19 sucks. But when you finish, the high is unlike any other-- when you sit back and realize you just pushed your body to do things that most people won't ever attempt.
That's gotta be what a natural childbirth is. If you go into labor and delivery thinking that you'll get an epidural if it starts to hurt too bad, then you'll get an epidural every time. Because it's gonna start to hurt pretty bad. I guess you have to block out the pain and get in a mental zone. And when you've got that baby in your arms, there must be an amazing high, knowing that you just pushed your body to do things that most women won't attempt.
I have a lot of respect for women that do it. Congrats to Shirin and Ted (and big sister, Veronica)!
But I gotta say... For me, an epidural was the way to go. I don't regret them at all. Labor was fun. I was able to rest and even play cards while I waited to fully dilate. To each his own. But I think that if painful childbirth was the consequence to Eve's sin in the Garden, then an epidural is God's grace. :) Because epidurals made everything ok.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
We've got a walker!!
Video will be uploaded soon.
In the last 24 hours, Caroline has really taken off. She now walks WAY more than she crawls. And I'm not counting cruising. I'm talking... letting go and walking from the living room to the kitchen and back to the den, stopping, turning around, the whole nine yards.
This is fun stuff!!
In the last 24 hours, Caroline has really taken off. She now walks WAY more than she crawls. And I'm not counting cruising. I'm talking... letting go and walking from the living room to the kitchen and back to the den, stopping, turning around, the whole nine yards.
This is fun stuff!!
Sarah's Ceiling is Finished--Almost
The ceiling is finished!! (Well, the texture is drying anyway. He'll paint it tonight.)
Refresh your memories by jumping to this post please... and check the date while you're there.
July 14th is when I posted it. Sunday, July 11th is when it all happened and Sarah started sleeping downstairs.
Sarah should be back in her room tomorrow night... July 30th.
This only disrupted our lives for 19 days. Just a shade under a month, too. All right. (** Can anyone name the movie I'm loosely referencing???)
He's getting faster with the repairs. I'm proud of the work he did. Most of the delay was because a) he has other stuff he has to do, like his "real" job, and b) drying time of the joint compound and texture, and c) learning curve.
**The answer is: Tommy Boy.
Tommy: Did you hear I finally graduated?
Richard: Yeah, and just a shade under a decade too. All right.
Tommy: You know a lot of people go to college for seven years.
Richard: I know, they're called doctors.
I love that movie. :)
I live in Texas, and I took 4 years of French...
Maybe I should've taken Spanish in high school. It would certainly have proven to be more useful, but I took 4 years of French. And I had good reasons...
First of all, I love the people I had class with. (Like you, Laura. :) ) French was one of those classes that I looked forward to every day.
I always thought it was a pretty language. Turns out when you have a Texas twang to your voice, it loses a little something. But still.
I initially signed up as freshman because Mrs. Maupin was the teacher to have, in my opinion. I just really liked her. I knew she would be good.
And that first year, we learned a ton. I could conjugate verbs. I could recite the poem "Five Little Pumpkins", which would be extremely useful I'm sure if I was ever stranded in France. I even learned an entire conversation which I still remember...
Bonjour, Laura.
Bonjour, Julie. Ca va?
Oui, ca va. Et toi?
Pas mal.
Man, I was rolling along. "Bilingual"... here I come.
Sophomore year was great too. We even had a French food day. I had to cook something and bring it in. I don't really remember the details, but I know I made some nasty crepes.
Then Mrs. Maupin quit.
This might seem like a no big deal thing. But it was very big deal. We lived in small town Texas. Where the heck are you going to find someone who knows how to speak French that can take over our class???
And most of us were trying to make it through at least 3 (if not) 4 years of French for the GPA credit. Soooo... enter the string of substitutes.
We had some doozies.
One girl who stuck around for a while--I don't know if she was hired for a time and then fired or if she was just a long term sub--but she came to us after a stint as a teacher to prisoners. Do you remember this, Laura?? :)
Let me say that again... She taught French to prisoners (Again, super useful I'm sure. Glad to see our tax dollars at work there.) And she believed in reincarnation. So she wore a locket with her cat's claw inside, hoping that her cat would come back to life through the claw she wore around her neck.
Yeah. She wasn't very stable.
(Speaking of "not very stable", does anyone remember an English teacher that we had Freshman year who was rumored to keep a flask in her desk? I don't know if that was true, and I can't remember her name.)
So the crazy lady made her exit. And in came our permanent teacher. Mr. Tournai. (spelling?) I remember not being very nice to him because I figured he was going to be another sub. I mean, the class had become a joke at this point. We were getting honors credit (because this was year 3 of a foreign language) and not having to learn anything. So when this guy came in, I thought we'd be able to walk all over him.
We couldn't. We tried. But he got really annoyed with us, pretty early on. And he was surprised at how little French we actually knew. He was a Frenchman (in case you couldn't tell from the name.) Thick accent. From France. We were 3rd year students, who at this point, couldn't really read French or speak French... except for that scripted conversation that I typed earlier. Deviate from that conversation and we were screwed.
He did the best he could with us that year. I don't remember learning anything though. I do remember however sitting in his class, listening to OJ Simpson being acquitted over the radio. Weird.
For my fourth year, I only had a semester with him because I had to graduate in December. (Long story for another time.) I ended up being his teacher's aid for another class and he gave me credit as a 4th year student.
So all in all... 4 years of French...
I can still recite "The Five Little Pumpkins." I can still hold a scripted conversation with you. I can sing the days of the week. I can maybe pull the months of the year out of the deep recesses of my brain. And I conjugate the verb "etre"... if you let me sing it to the tune of "The Mexican Hat Dance". (BTW, I think it's weird we learned FRENCH to the tune of "The MEXICAN Hat Dance". Oh well.)
Those were good times, but I'll be forcing my kids to take Spanish.
First of all, I love the people I had class with. (Like you, Laura. :) ) French was one of those classes that I looked forward to every day.
I always thought it was a pretty language. Turns out when you have a Texas twang to your voice, it loses a little something. But still.
I initially signed up as freshman because Mrs. Maupin was the teacher to have, in my opinion. I just really liked her. I knew she would be good.
And that first year, we learned a ton. I could conjugate verbs. I could recite the poem "Five Little Pumpkins", which would be extremely useful I'm sure if I was ever stranded in France. I even learned an entire conversation which I still remember...
Bonjour, Laura.
Bonjour, Julie. Ca va?
Oui, ca va. Et toi?
Pas mal.
Man, I was rolling along. "Bilingual"... here I come.
Sophomore year was great too. We even had a French food day. I had to cook something and bring it in. I don't really remember the details, but I know I made some nasty crepes.
Then Mrs. Maupin quit.
This might seem like a no big deal thing. But it was very big deal. We lived in small town Texas. Where the heck are you going to find someone who knows how to speak French that can take over our class???
And most of us were trying to make it through at least 3 (if not) 4 years of French for the GPA credit. Soooo... enter the string of substitutes.
We had some doozies.
One girl who stuck around for a while--I don't know if she was hired for a time and then fired or if she was just a long term sub--but she came to us after a stint as a teacher to prisoners. Do you remember this, Laura?? :)
Let me say that again... She taught French to prisoners (Again, super useful I'm sure. Glad to see our tax dollars at work there.) And she believed in reincarnation. So she wore a locket with her cat's claw inside, hoping that her cat would come back to life through the claw she wore around her neck.
Yeah. She wasn't very stable.
(Speaking of "not very stable", does anyone remember an English teacher that we had Freshman year who was rumored to keep a flask in her desk? I don't know if that was true, and I can't remember her name.)
So the crazy lady made her exit. And in came our permanent teacher. Mr. Tournai. (spelling?) I remember not being very nice to him because I figured he was going to be another sub. I mean, the class had become a joke at this point. We were getting honors credit (because this was year 3 of a foreign language) and not having to learn anything. So when this guy came in, I thought we'd be able to walk all over him.
We couldn't. We tried. But he got really annoyed with us, pretty early on. And he was surprised at how little French we actually knew. He was a Frenchman (in case you couldn't tell from the name.) Thick accent. From France. We were 3rd year students, who at this point, couldn't really read French or speak French... except for that scripted conversation that I typed earlier. Deviate from that conversation and we were screwed.
He did the best he could with us that year. I don't remember learning anything though. I do remember however sitting in his class, listening to OJ Simpson being acquitted over the radio. Weird.
For my fourth year, I only had a semester with him because I had to graduate in December. (Long story for another time.) I ended up being his teacher's aid for another class and he gave me credit as a 4th year student.
So all in all... 4 years of French...
I can still recite "The Five Little Pumpkins." I can still hold a scripted conversation with you. I can sing the days of the week. I can maybe pull the months of the year out of the deep recesses of my brain. And I conjugate the verb "etre"... if you let me sing it to the tune of "The Mexican Hat Dance". (BTW, I think it's weird we learned FRENCH to the tune of "The MEXICAN Hat Dance". Oh well.)
Those were good times, but I'll be forcing my kids to take Spanish.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Like Mother Like Son
This will make more sense if you've read the post below.
Jack just played a swordfighting game with Sarah on Wii. Sarah annihilated him. Three rounds in a row.
When the massacre was over, he put the remote down and said, "I quit. This is the worst game EVER!" and stormed off.
I smiled at Jason and said, "He's just like me."
Just then, Sarah said, "It's ok, Jack. It's just a game."
Jason said, "And she's just like me. She has the right attitude. It's just a game."
And I said, "Yeah... She feels that way because she won."
So, just to prove my point to Jason and because sometimes I lack the maturity to see the bigger picture, I picked up Jack's remote and defeated Sarah in the very game that she had just won. She didn't think it was as much fun ending up on the losing end.
Yep, sportsmanship is not going to be a life lesson that I'll be in charge of teaching. :)
Ok, now I'm off to lose a re-match with Sarah--- Sorry for using you to prove a point to Daddy, sweetie.
Jack just played a swordfighting game with Sarah on Wii. Sarah annihilated him. Three rounds in a row.
When the massacre was over, he put the remote down and said, "I quit. This is the worst game EVER!" and stormed off.
I smiled at Jason and said, "He's just like me."
Just then, Sarah said, "It's ok, Jack. It's just a game."
Jason said, "And she's just like me. She has the right attitude. It's just a game."
And I said, "Yeah... She feels that way because she won."
So, just to prove my point to Jason and because sometimes I lack the maturity to see the bigger picture, I picked up Jack's remote and defeated Sarah in the very game that she had just won. She didn't think it was as much fun ending up on the losing end.
Yep, sportsmanship is not going to be a life lesson that I'll be in charge of teaching. :)
Ok, now I'm off to lose a re-match with Sarah--- Sorry for using you to prove a point to Daddy, sweetie.
The Wii
We got a Wii. I've wanted one for a long time, but mostly because I think the Wii Fit looks cool. But with small kids and everything, we didn't want to spend money on something they might break.
Well.... Mom and Dad bought us a Wii 3 days ago. It started out as sort of a birthday present for Sarah but then, realizing she wouldn't know what the heck it was, it became a family present.
We need to buy a few more accessories and more games that are easy for 4 and 5 yr olds to play. But it's FUN!!!! (when I play against the computer). I'm so glad we have it!!
We have the Wii Resort package that it comes with, and Jason and I break out the game when the kids go to bed.
I envisioned it being a different sort of way to spend our time. Just goofing off together and feeling like kids again. A fun little date night thing to do at home.
I am ashamed to admit, however, that this gaming device has awakened a sleeping beast inside of me that is COMPETITIVE. I am one that-- deep down--has a hard time feeling like, "It doesn't matter if I win the game. It's just fun to play."
Who really feels like it's just fun to play? You know who feels like that??? The winner.
It's fun to play the game--if I win. If I lose but come reeeaaally close to winning, I'm ok. But if I'm getting my butt kicked, what's fun about that??? What? Tell me.
I hate losing, especially to Jason!!!! It honestly puts me in a bad mood. And I know that I'm being ridiculous and I try to snap myself out of it. But I can't. I'm a pouty 3 year old when Jason wins. Which is ALL THE TIME.
I start to feel like it's not fair. My irrational train of thought goes like this...
Of course he's gonna be better at video games, he's a guy.
And he's taller. He has a different view of the screen than I do. That's not fair.
And I bet his remote is more accurate than mine.
Plus, let's not forget he's been a hunter since--I don't know--before he was even born or something, and so he has a steadier hand and better hand-eye coordination.
And the more I start to think these thoughts, the more I feel like I'm being bullied by a master gamer. :)
Really. I'll decide the whole game is stacked against me... of course, I'm still playing and losing and getting frustrated about that too... and then I start to think, "What a jerk. I'm a girl. It's not chivalrous of him to win. He's kicking my butt like he doesn't even love me."
I have gone to bed huffy and pissed off over this.
I'm like Monica from Friends.
Two nights ago, after losing 5 games in a row, I seriously almost told him to lace up his running shoes, and we were going to each run a mile. Fastest time wins. Cuz I knew I'd win. By a landslide. And I wanted to crush him. hahaha
I'm honestly not this way with other people. Friends. Family. They can beat me. I'm ok. Jason winning goes all over me.
And the thing is, He's competitive too. And when I tell him that he can ease up a little--he can win without slaughtering me--he looks at me like, "What do you want me to do? Let you win?"
To which I would say, "No, I don't want you to let me win." While actually thinking, "Yes, you idiot. Let me win without letting me know that you're letting me win." How is that so hard to figure out??? ;)
I know, with any character flaw, the first step is recognizing you have a problem.
Hi. My name is Julie and I am a really competitive sore loser when it comes to games with Jason.
I hope step 2 is not "fixing the problem" because that might take a lot of work, and I'm way too tired from playing the Wii to work on anything.
Well.... Mom and Dad bought us a Wii 3 days ago. It started out as sort of a birthday present for Sarah but then, realizing she wouldn't know what the heck it was, it became a family present.
We need to buy a few more accessories and more games that are easy for 4 and 5 yr olds to play. But it's FUN!!!! (when I play against the computer). I'm so glad we have it!!
We have the Wii Resort package that it comes with, and Jason and I break out the game when the kids go to bed.
I envisioned it being a different sort of way to spend our time. Just goofing off together and feeling like kids again. A fun little date night thing to do at home.
I am ashamed to admit, however, that this gaming device has awakened a sleeping beast inside of me that is COMPETITIVE. I am one that-- deep down--has a hard time feeling like, "It doesn't matter if I win the game. It's just fun to play."
Who really feels like it's just fun to play? You know who feels like that??? The winner.
It's fun to play the game--if I win. If I lose but come reeeaaally close to winning, I'm ok. But if I'm getting my butt kicked, what's fun about that??? What? Tell me.
I hate losing, especially to Jason!!!! It honestly puts me in a bad mood. And I know that I'm being ridiculous and I try to snap myself out of it. But I can't. I'm a pouty 3 year old when Jason wins. Which is ALL THE TIME.
I start to feel like it's not fair. My irrational train of thought goes like this...
Of course he's gonna be better at video games, he's a guy.
And he's taller. He has a different view of the screen than I do. That's not fair.
And I bet his remote is more accurate than mine.
Plus, let's not forget he's been a hunter since--I don't know--before he was even born or something, and so he has a steadier hand and better hand-eye coordination.
And the more I start to think these thoughts, the more I feel like I'm being bullied by a master gamer. :)
Really. I'll decide the whole game is stacked against me... of course, I'm still playing and losing and getting frustrated about that too... and then I start to think, "What a jerk. I'm a girl. It's not chivalrous of him to win. He's kicking my butt like he doesn't even love me."
I have gone to bed huffy and pissed off over this.
I'm like Monica from Friends.
Two nights ago, after losing 5 games in a row, I seriously almost told him to lace up his running shoes, and we were going to each run a mile. Fastest time wins. Cuz I knew I'd win. By a landslide. And I wanted to crush him. hahaha
I'm honestly not this way with other people. Friends. Family. They can beat me. I'm ok. Jason winning goes all over me.
And the thing is, He's competitive too. And when I tell him that he can ease up a little--he can win without slaughtering me--he looks at me like, "What do you want me to do? Let you win?"
To which I would say, "No, I don't want you to let me win." While actually thinking, "Yes, you idiot. Let me win without letting me know that you're letting me win." How is that so hard to figure out??? ;)
I know, with any character flaw, the first step is recognizing you have a problem.
Hi. My name is Julie and I am a really competitive sore loser when it comes to games with Jason.
I hope step 2 is not "fixing the problem" because that might take a lot of work, and I'm way too tired from playing the Wii to work on anything.
Sarah's 5th Birthday (Part 2B)
2B was going to be pics of her opening presents and blowing out candles last night, but we videoed it instead of taking still pictures.
So there is no 2B.
Still felt the need to post something though because if you have "Sarah's 5th Birthday (Part 2A)", you have to have "Sarah's 5th Birthday (Part 2B)".
So there is no 2B.
Still felt the need to post something though because if you have "Sarah's 5th Birthday (Part 2A)", you have to have "Sarah's 5th Birthday (Part 2B)".
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sarah's 5th Birthday (Part 2A)
Leaving American Girl with her first ever American Girl doll.
It was hard to find one that looked exactly like her, but this one was close enough. And the fact that she has those 2 weird front teeth (like they all do) doesn't bother me on this one. She's actually pretty cute.
We, of course, got the accessories and a matching nightgown for Sarah.
Thank you, KK, for such a fun day and NICE present!!!
When we had lunch there, Sarah brought Gaga... Gaga is her must-have, sleep-with-every-night doll.
Sarah was 8 months old when we got her.
Gaga sat in her very own high chair at lunch today and helped us pick out the American Girl doll.
When Sarah's new doll was taken out of the box, Gaga was shoved into Caroline's diaper bag so that Sarah could hold her new toy. From a place of honor at the lunch table to the bottom of a diaper bag in one fell swoop.
I told Mom that I kinda felt like Sarah had just gotten Buzz Lightyear and Woody was shoved in a bag. It was kinda sad.
Sarah talked to her new doll all the way home, but as soon as she got out of the car, she asked for Gaga back so that she could "introduce her to the new doll so that they could be friends."
:) Whew. I hope that made Gaga feel better. It sure made me happier. :)
Sarah's 5th Birthday (Part 1)
This will be the written portion of her birthday post.
Part 2 will be pictures.
Part 3 will be her party that's happening on Sunday.
*sigh*
Ok, she's 5 today. That sounds grown up to me. Do you realize this is the last year that we can count her age on one hand? She's halfway to 10. I'm being dramatic. I know. But this one's hitting me hard, y'all.
I got choked up last night when I was saying prayers with her. I thanked God for giving me 5 years with her. I thanked Him for who she is and what she means to me and all the ways she's changed me.
I reminded her that she's my first baby and now she's my first 5 year old. And that she's pretty special.
My hormones are bananas... I won't deny that. But wow... where did the time go?
And then as I was crying last night because I couldn't figure out how to play a game on our Wii (yes, I actually started crying over a video game. hmmm... you think there may be something else going on with me??), I realized that (ok, like I said, my hormones are bananas) but also I'm having a harder time than I'm letting on about Sarah going to school in less than a month.
It's a big step. It's a huge deal. And part of what makes me sad is that--it's not like I'm not a marketing major who's sending my child off to Kindergarten wondering what school will be like. I'm a teacher. An early childhood teacher. Who knows exactly what I'll be missing when I'm not with her.
And I have this weird mix of missing teaching and a little jealousy (maybe) of the fact that someone else will be spending time with her.
I do my fair share of complaining about the down side of staying home. But on the HUGE upside (in my opinion) of staying home, I have been the most influential person in their lives because I spend the most time with them BY FAR. I've written all over my kids. For better or worse. My stamp is on them. And I feel like I'm about to turn Sarah over to someone else and let them write on her for a little while.
It needs to happen. It's good. She'll have a great year. I don't mean to sound like a nut.
But it wasn't until I tucked her in last night that I let it sink in. She's turning 5. 5 = Kindergarten. Kindergarten = new chapter. The foundation has been laid. Not that my job is over. But my time to lay the fundamental groundwork of values and expectations is winding down. Now it's time for someone to build off that foundation.
And as silly and melodramatic as I sound, it's bittersweet to me.
Part 2 will be pictures.
Part 3 will be her party that's happening on Sunday.
*sigh*
Ok, she's 5 today. That sounds grown up to me. Do you realize this is the last year that we can count her age on one hand? She's halfway to 10. I'm being dramatic. I know. But this one's hitting me hard, y'all.
I got choked up last night when I was saying prayers with her. I thanked God for giving me 5 years with her. I thanked Him for who she is and what she means to me and all the ways she's changed me.
I reminded her that she's my first baby and now she's my first 5 year old. And that she's pretty special.
My hormones are bananas... I won't deny that. But wow... where did the time go?
And then as I was crying last night because I couldn't figure out how to play a game on our Wii (yes, I actually started crying over a video game. hmmm... you think there may be something else going on with me??), I realized that (ok, like I said, my hormones are bananas) but also I'm having a harder time than I'm letting on about Sarah going to school in less than a month.
It's a big step. It's a huge deal. And part of what makes me sad is that--it's not like I'm not a marketing major who's sending my child off to Kindergarten wondering what school will be like. I'm a teacher. An early childhood teacher. Who knows exactly what I'll be missing when I'm not with her.
And I have this weird mix of missing teaching and a little jealousy (maybe) of the fact that someone else will be spending time with her.
I do my fair share of complaining about the down side of staying home. But on the HUGE upside (in my opinion) of staying home, I have been the most influential person in their lives because I spend the most time with them BY FAR. I've written all over my kids. For better or worse. My stamp is on them. And I feel like I'm about to turn Sarah over to someone else and let them write on her for a little while.
It needs to happen. It's good. She'll have a great year. I don't mean to sound like a nut.
But it wasn't until I tucked her in last night that I let it sink in. She's turning 5. 5 = Kindergarten. Kindergarten = new chapter. The foundation has been laid. Not that my job is over. But my time to lay the fundamental groundwork of values and expectations is winding down. Now it's time for someone to build off that foundation.
And as silly and melodramatic as I sound, it's bittersweet to me.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Nursery Schedule
One of the reasons that I'm glad that Caroline is my last baby is that, once she's out of the nursery at church, I won't have to work it any more. I've been on the nursery schedule for the last 5 years. Not my favorite thing.
The best part is when they used to send a cover letter with the schedule where they called us "Nursery Volunteers."
Volunteer? Interesting choice of words. Can you be a volunteer when they require you to work? Let's see what that word means...
Volunteer (v) 1. To perform or offer to perform a service of one's own free will.
Well, then, I certainly am no volunteer.
And then I read the 2nd definition...
Volunteer (v) 2. To do charitable or helpful work without pay.
Never mind. Apparently all I ever do is volunteer.
:)
The best part is when they used to send a cover letter with the schedule where they called us "Nursery Volunteers."
Volunteer? Interesting choice of words. Can you be a volunteer when they require you to work? Let's see what that word means...
Volunteer (v) 1. To perform or offer to perform a service of one's own free will.
Well, then, I certainly am no volunteer.
And then I read the 2nd definition...
Volunteer (v) 2. To do charitable or helpful work without pay.
Never mind. Apparently all I ever do is volunteer.
:)
It's stealthier than nuclear warfare...
I think China, Japan, Taiwan... they're all out to get us.
Not with weapons. Not in combat. But with toys.
It's the perfect plan.
Lead in the paint. Brilliant!
Zhu Zhu pets to make parents go mad. It's working!
Sudoku to suck up Husband's time every. single. night. when he could be having a meaningful conversation with his wife. Done!
The next time your kid is playing with a toy that's driving you nuts, don't lose your cool. Simply flip it over. See where it was made. And take a deep breath. Remember we lose and they win if we go insane.
:)
Not with weapons. Not in combat. But with toys.
It's the perfect plan.
Lead in the paint. Brilliant!
Zhu Zhu pets to make parents go mad. It's working!
Sudoku to suck up Husband's time every. single. night. when he could be having a meaningful conversation with his wife. Done!
The next time your kid is playing with a toy that's driving you nuts, don't lose your cool. Simply flip it over. See where it was made. And take a deep breath. Remember we lose and they win if we go insane.
:)
Making a liar outta me
Well after my kind post about my lovely children, they went and made a liar outta me.
Sarah is super sweet and a people pleaser. Didn't I write that? Wasn't that just yesterday? Hmmm.
Well today she got kicked out of her swim lesson. She has a private 30 minute lesson and 15 minutes in, her teacher stopped teaching. Sarah was refusing to cooperate. She is scared to put her face in the water. She is scared to blow bubbles. I understand. But she downright refused to try. She refused to cooperate. And Ms. Taylor is very patient and makes it a game. She doesn't force their heads under and scare them. She lets them work at their own pace. But this is ridiculous. And Taylor thought so too. Sarah has gone under before. She MUST do it again in order to make progress. She must learn to swim for safety reasons if nothing else.
I was frustrated, embarrassed, shocked... you name it... when a teacher gave me a bad report on Sarah's behavior. I just didn't expect it from her. (Just goes to show you that when you think you have your kids figured out, they'll pull something out of left field.)
So then it was Jack's turn. And I told him that he must be cooperative with Ms. Taylor. He agreed. While I was lecturing Sarah and making her call Jason to let her Daddy know that she had gotten in trouble with her teacher, Jack had his lesson.
I watched as he refused to get his face wet. I watched as Taylor sang songs and played games to make the water fun and he just pouted.
He, too, ended his lesson early.
I was livid with them. This summer they have had way too many choices and not enough structure. They choose what they want to watch on TV, what they want to wear, what snacks they want, etc. Now, apparently, they feel that obedience is a choice. Time for me to take some control back.
I turned off the TV and sent them to their rooms. We had a lunch date and a swim date planned for this afternoon. I canceled both of them. Life's just a little too comfortable for them right now I think.
They were sassy today. They've been sassy before, but only to me. It's unbelievably embarrassing for them to be sassy to someone else. It makes me feel like I don't have control of my kids.
I expected Sarah to get a little attitude once Kindergarten starts. I figure she'll pick up some bad habits from some other kids. And she'll probably be really tired as she adjusts to a 5 day/ all day program. But wow. She pulled it today when she thought I wasn't watching. I mean, if you're gonna misbehave, do it at home. But be good in public and with other adults. Please. Otherwise I look bad. ;)
Anyway.... irritated mom. And as my mom always says... "If your kids are being defiant and sassy, look at them and say--'If only one of us is going to have a good day, it's gonna be me.'"
That's where I am. I'm going to have a good day today, dang it. And too bad for them because it looks like their day is gonna suck. I'm gonna make sure of it. hee hee
Sarah is super sweet and a people pleaser. Didn't I write that? Wasn't that just yesterday? Hmmm.
Well today she got kicked out of her swim lesson. She has a private 30 minute lesson and 15 minutes in, her teacher stopped teaching. Sarah was refusing to cooperate. She is scared to put her face in the water. She is scared to blow bubbles. I understand. But she downright refused to try. She refused to cooperate. And Ms. Taylor is very patient and makes it a game. She doesn't force their heads under and scare them. She lets them work at their own pace. But this is ridiculous. And Taylor thought so too. Sarah has gone under before. She MUST do it again in order to make progress. She must learn to swim for safety reasons if nothing else.
I was frustrated, embarrassed, shocked... you name it... when a teacher gave me a bad report on Sarah's behavior. I just didn't expect it from her. (Just goes to show you that when you think you have your kids figured out, they'll pull something out of left field.)
So then it was Jack's turn. And I told him that he must be cooperative with Ms. Taylor. He agreed. While I was lecturing Sarah and making her call Jason to let her Daddy know that she had gotten in trouble with her teacher, Jack had his lesson.
I watched as he refused to get his face wet. I watched as Taylor sang songs and played games to make the water fun and he just pouted.
He, too, ended his lesson early.
I was livid with them. This summer they have had way too many choices and not enough structure. They choose what they want to watch on TV, what they want to wear, what snacks they want, etc. Now, apparently, they feel that obedience is a choice. Time for me to take some control back.
I turned off the TV and sent them to their rooms. We had a lunch date and a swim date planned for this afternoon. I canceled both of them. Life's just a little too comfortable for them right now I think.
They were sassy today. They've been sassy before, but only to me. It's unbelievably embarrassing for them to be sassy to someone else. It makes me feel like I don't have control of my kids.
I expected Sarah to get a little attitude once Kindergarten starts. I figure she'll pick up some bad habits from some other kids. And she'll probably be really tired as she adjusts to a 5 day/ all day program. But wow. She pulled it today when she thought I wasn't watching. I mean, if you're gonna misbehave, do it at home. But be good in public and with other adults. Please. Otherwise I look bad. ;)
Anyway.... irritated mom. And as my mom always says... "If your kids are being defiant and sassy, look at them and say--'If only one of us is going to have a good day, it's gonna be me.'"
That's where I am. I'm going to have a good day today, dang it. And too bad for them because it looks like their day is gonna suck. I'm gonna make sure of it. hee hee
RSVP
This goes along with saving the date.
If an invitation asks you to RSVP (which I think all of them do. If not, it may be a "Regrets Only" type of thing.) then R.S.V.P.!!
How hard is it really? 2 seconds out of your day. And a lot of invitations now will provide an email address and phone number. So if you're hesitant to call to decline because you feel as though you may have to explain why you're not coming, then email.
Either way, let the person know. There's planning involved in a party. And I, for one, don't know if no response means "yes" or "no". I don't want to have to track you down to figure it out.
It's a courtesy thing.
(In case you can't tell... Sarah's invitations went out for her party. I asked people to save "August 1" and then I've asked them to RSVP. People are failing me on both ends.)
If an invitation asks you to RSVP (which I think all of them do. If not, it may be a "Regrets Only" type of thing.) then R.S.V.P.!!
How hard is it really? 2 seconds out of your day. And a lot of invitations now will provide an email address and phone number. So if you're hesitant to call to decline because you feel as though you may have to explain why you're not coming, then email.
Either way, let the person know. There's planning involved in a party. And I, for one, don't know if no response means "yes" or "no". I don't want to have to track you down to figure it out.
It's a courtesy thing.
(In case you can't tell... Sarah's invitations went out for her party. I asked people to save "August 1" and then I've asked them to RSVP. People are failing me on both ends.)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
What I love about my family... No sarcasm in this post
This post is dedicated to just some of the things that make me proud of my kiddos and my husband.
I feel like at times my blog can take a real cynical turn and that it seems as though I'm complaining about this or that. I don't want to come across that way. 98% of the things I say are said with intended humor. They're real stories, but they're never meant to make fun of my kids or Jason in a mean way or imply that I don't like being a mom.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I just think the stories where things don't go right are funnier. And I use my blog to vent when my frustrations are high. In reality, I'm frustrated < 5% (well maybe <10%) of my day. I type pretty quickly, so I can have something happen and shoot off a post about it in no time flat. So don't think that I've been stewing about something if you read about it. Most of the time, that's not the case at all.
Alright, time for some positivity... (If you find this to be bragging or nauseating in any way, this is exactly why I don't do posts like these very often... So I apologize)
Sarah...
Sarah is super smart. Book smart. She loves learning. She's reading chapter books and can tell time on an analog clock. She can count by 2's, 5's, and 10's and knows her even and odd numbers. Etc. I'm proud of the fact that she's so smart. It's a blessing.
But more than that, I'm proud that she's so sweet. She is a rule follower/people pleaser to the nth degree. She wants you to be happy. She can read people and situations so well and has a great amount of empathy. She doesn't want you to ever be upset... and "you" could be an adult, a peer, a sibling. It really doesn't matter. She has a certain maturity that makes me forget that she's 4.
She's also extremely helpful around the house. She'll do almost anything I ask of her without attitude, which is very much appreciated.
Jack...
Jack has a salesman personality with a heart of gold. He is the master negotiator. He sees things one way and it's hard to make him see it my way. He'll try to "sell" me on his way of doing things. It can be extremely frustrating but as long as it's done respectfully, it might not be such a bad skill for him to develop.
He's so loving. He still will sit in my lap. He's gentle with Caroline. He loves to hold Sarah's hand.
He is a ball of energy and he puts 100% of himself into whatever he's doing.
He's smart, but not necessarily book smart just yet. He doesn't hold a pencil the right way. He has no interest in learning to read. But his memory is insane. He can process things that baffle me. His vocabulary is off the charts, and I can see his little mind working. At times it's like his brain is moving faster than his body or mouth will go.
Caroline...
She's the easiest of my 3 babies... but that's not saying much. She's hard. I can't say it any other way. She is clingy and fussy. But I don't know what it is to have a happy baby. All of my babies have been this way and to be honest, I wouldn't want it another way probably.
Jason likens it to hazing. How a pledge class comes together after months of hazing, and they bond through the rough times. I compare it to breaking a wild horse. (Not that I know anything about horses, but I've seen both "A Man From Snowy River" and "Return to Snowy River"... haha) And I can't remember which movie it is where Jim breaks that stallion in. And the horse fights him and is hard to break. But once that horse is broken, he's the most loyal animal and they have this bond and this respect for each other.
Cheesy as that may sound, that's the relationship I have with Sarah and Jack... and I hope to have with Caroline. They're not the super happy babies that everyone loves. They've broken me... the parts of me that needed to be broken, like my pride. (Which is probably why I'm so free to post the bad days on here. I'm not hiding anything or pretending anymore to have answers I don't have.) They've made me question everything I know or thought I knew about myself and parenthood.
But when the struggle is over... and for Sarah it ended at about 18 mos and for Jack it ended about 6 months ago... we have a bond that is deep. And they know I'm not going anywhere and that I love them no matter what fit they throw or what trouble they cause. They know that I spend every day of my life (seriously) playing with them, spending time with them.
And Caroline will come out of it too. She's already much happier than the other 2 were at this age. She's funny. She's strong... both physically and her will is strong. I can't wait to continue to watch her grow.
Jason...
Jason lets me be me. And all that entails. He lets me ramble. He lets me be messy. He knows that I can't make a point concisely. He knows when I'm going to be grouchy. He knows what sets me off. He knows me better than anyone else. He knows the person that I really am, even when I try to pretend I'm not "that" girl.
He's supportive and forgiving. He believes the best about me. He wants me to do whatever I want to do. Work or stay home. Run a marathon or sit on the couch. He doesn't care. He wants me to do what will make me happy.
He's handy (not quick about it) but handy anyway. He's super smart with computers. I'm really in awe of the things he knows how to do. He's selfless. He puts us ahead of himself every day of the week. He's a great dad, and they LOVE him. And so do I.
Ok. I'm done.
I'll be back to the regular type of blogging that I normally do next time. And while I'm pretty sure y'all know me well enough to know my heart and know my personality and that I'm not a grump, I just wanted to throw in a good ol' sappy post for posterity's sake.
I feel like at times my blog can take a real cynical turn and that it seems as though I'm complaining about this or that. I don't want to come across that way. 98% of the things I say are said with intended humor. They're real stories, but they're never meant to make fun of my kids or Jason in a mean way or imply that I don't like being a mom.
Nothing could be further from the truth. I just think the stories where things don't go right are funnier. And I use my blog to vent when my frustrations are high. In reality, I'm frustrated < 5% (well maybe <10%) of my day. I type pretty quickly, so I can have something happen and shoot off a post about it in no time flat. So don't think that I've been stewing about something if you read about it. Most of the time, that's not the case at all.
Alright, time for some positivity... (If you find this to be bragging or nauseating in any way, this is exactly why I don't do posts like these very often... So I apologize)
Sarah...
Sarah is super smart. Book smart. She loves learning. She's reading chapter books and can tell time on an analog clock. She can count by 2's, 5's, and 10's and knows her even and odd numbers. Etc. I'm proud of the fact that she's so smart. It's a blessing.
But more than that, I'm proud that she's so sweet. She is a rule follower/people pleaser to the nth degree. She wants you to be happy. She can read people and situations so well and has a great amount of empathy. She doesn't want you to ever be upset... and "you" could be an adult, a peer, a sibling. It really doesn't matter. She has a certain maturity that makes me forget that she's 4.
She's also extremely helpful around the house. She'll do almost anything I ask of her without attitude, which is very much appreciated.
Jack...
Jack has a salesman personality with a heart of gold. He is the master negotiator. He sees things one way and it's hard to make him see it my way. He'll try to "sell" me on his way of doing things. It can be extremely frustrating but as long as it's done respectfully, it might not be such a bad skill for him to develop.
He's so loving. He still will sit in my lap. He's gentle with Caroline. He loves to hold Sarah's hand.
He is a ball of energy and he puts 100% of himself into whatever he's doing.
He's smart, but not necessarily book smart just yet. He doesn't hold a pencil the right way. He has no interest in learning to read. But his memory is insane. He can process things that baffle me. His vocabulary is off the charts, and I can see his little mind working. At times it's like his brain is moving faster than his body or mouth will go.
Caroline...
She's the easiest of my 3 babies... but that's not saying much. She's hard. I can't say it any other way. She is clingy and fussy. But I don't know what it is to have a happy baby. All of my babies have been this way and to be honest, I wouldn't want it another way probably.
Jason likens it to hazing. How a pledge class comes together after months of hazing, and they bond through the rough times. I compare it to breaking a wild horse. (Not that I know anything about horses, but I've seen both "A Man From Snowy River" and "Return to Snowy River"... haha) And I can't remember which movie it is where Jim breaks that stallion in. And the horse fights him and is hard to break. But once that horse is broken, he's the most loyal animal and they have this bond and this respect for each other.
Cheesy as that may sound, that's the relationship I have with Sarah and Jack... and I hope to have with Caroline. They're not the super happy babies that everyone loves. They've broken me... the parts of me that needed to be broken, like my pride. (Which is probably why I'm so free to post the bad days on here. I'm not hiding anything or pretending anymore to have answers I don't have.) They've made me question everything I know or thought I knew about myself and parenthood.
But when the struggle is over... and for Sarah it ended at about 18 mos and for Jack it ended about 6 months ago... we have a bond that is deep. And they know I'm not going anywhere and that I love them no matter what fit they throw or what trouble they cause. They know that I spend every day of my life (seriously) playing with them, spending time with them.
And Caroline will come out of it too. She's already much happier than the other 2 were at this age. She's funny. She's strong... both physically and her will is strong. I can't wait to continue to watch her grow.
Jason...
Jason lets me be me. And all that entails. He lets me ramble. He lets me be messy. He knows that I can't make a point concisely. He knows when I'm going to be grouchy. He knows what sets me off. He knows me better than anyone else. He knows the person that I really am, even when I try to pretend I'm not "that" girl.
He's supportive and forgiving. He believes the best about me. He wants me to do whatever I want to do. Work or stay home. Run a marathon or sit on the couch. He doesn't care. He wants me to do what will make me happy.
He's handy (not quick about it) but handy anyway. He's super smart with computers. I'm really in awe of the things he knows how to do. He's selfless. He puts us ahead of himself every day of the week. He's a great dad, and they LOVE him. And so do I.
Ok. I'm done.
I'll be back to the regular type of blogging that I normally do next time. And while I'm pretty sure y'all know me well enough to know my heart and know my personality and that I'm not a grump, I just wanted to throw in a good ol' sappy post for posterity's sake.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
About my day...
Story time...
I took the 3 kids to a movie today. They were playing "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" at 10:00. Tickets were $1. Sarah and Jack loved it. I spent the hour and 15 minutes standing about 6 feet away from where S and J were sitting, letting Caroline crawl all over the theater carpet. Ick and double-blech.
But she was NOT going to sit in my lap. That became obvious after about 2 minutes. So what were my options? Pack everyone up and leave or let her roam. I figured I could always bathe her later. Besides I lost my bid for "Mother of the Year" back when all of this happened. :)
The bottoms of her feet were black from where she climbed on the stairs. Disgusting. I really need to remember that she should be wearing shoes now.
I tried to give her some Cheerios and a juice cup, but at one point she started to scream, so I sat in the hallway of the movie theater on the grungy carpet and nursed her. Didn't have anything to cover myself. Pretty humiliating. Thankfully no one saw me... but there's just something really white trash feeling about sitting on the floor of a theater, holding a baby who has black-bottomed feet and shoving my boob in her mouth just to shut her up, without any type of cover or anything else. And I'm really not sure how much milk I'm even making anymore... I kinda think she's just chewing. Which is even grosser and white trashier to me. Eat, don't play. I wanted to shower for a lot of reasons after that.
It's just so wrong. So wrong.
We basically made it through the whole movie, but I was pretty wiped out and my dignity was long gone so I told Jack and Sarah that we were going to leave. They didn't care. They got to sit, pretty much unsupervised, for the entire movie. They were happy.
So we made it all the way out to the car when I realized that I didn't have my wallet.
Great. Everyone turn around. Back in to the theater we go.
It's dark in there b/c the movie was still going on. The seats are black. The floor is black. 10 points to anyone who can guess what color my wallet is. Yay! You win! You're right... BLACK.
So I leave Jack and Sarah away from the row of seats and with Caroline on my hip I crouch down to feel for my wallet. Mind you, there are people on the row behind me, still trying to watch the movie. Didn't want to disrupt.
I didn't immediately feel it in the seats. So I had to do it.... I felt under the seats. I can't even talk about the unspeakable things I touched. So we'll just skip ahead.
I kinda wanted to cry at this point... I'm not gonna lie. I wasn't sure how much longer the movie was gonna last. The whole point to our leaving early was because Caroline was starting to lose it. This was no bueno.
I desperately took off my Timex to see if the Indiglo light would be a sufficient flashlight. FYI: It's not.
I fished through my bag one last time to see if I had missed my wallet somehow. I hadn't, BUT I grabbed my phone. And the light from the screen was enough light to help me find my wallet. HOORAY!
I grabbed it, grabbed the kids, and we headed home.
As we were walking to the car, Jack said, "This has been the most super greatest day ever."
Yeah. Something like that. :)
I took the 3 kids to a movie today. They were playing "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" at 10:00. Tickets were $1. Sarah and Jack loved it. I spent the hour and 15 minutes standing about 6 feet away from where S and J were sitting, letting Caroline crawl all over the theater carpet. Ick and double-blech.
But she was NOT going to sit in my lap. That became obvious after about 2 minutes. So what were my options? Pack everyone up and leave or let her roam. I figured I could always bathe her later. Besides I lost my bid for "Mother of the Year" back when all of this happened. :)
The bottoms of her feet were black from where she climbed on the stairs. Disgusting. I really need to remember that she should be wearing shoes now.
I tried to give her some Cheerios and a juice cup, but at one point she started to scream, so I sat in the hallway of the movie theater on the grungy carpet and nursed her. Didn't have anything to cover myself. Pretty humiliating. Thankfully no one saw me... but there's just something really white trash feeling about sitting on the floor of a theater, holding a baby who has black-bottomed feet and shoving my boob in her mouth just to shut her up, without any type of cover or anything else. And I'm really not sure how much milk I'm even making anymore... I kinda think she's just chewing. Which is even grosser and white trashier to me. Eat, don't play. I wanted to shower for a lot of reasons after that.
It's just so wrong. So wrong.
We basically made it through the whole movie, but I was pretty wiped out and my dignity was long gone so I told Jack and Sarah that we were going to leave. They didn't care. They got to sit, pretty much unsupervised, for the entire movie. They were happy.
So we made it all the way out to the car when I realized that I didn't have my wallet.
Great. Everyone turn around. Back in to the theater we go.
It's dark in there b/c the movie was still going on. The seats are black. The floor is black. 10 points to anyone who can guess what color my wallet is. Yay! You win! You're right... BLACK.
So I leave Jack and Sarah away from the row of seats and with Caroline on my hip I crouch down to feel for my wallet. Mind you, there are people on the row behind me, still trying to watch the movie. Didn't want to disrupt.
I didn't immediately feel it in the seats. So I had to do it.... I felt under the seats. I can't even talk about the unspeakable things I touched. So we'll just skip ahead.
I kinda wanted to cry at this point... I'm not gonna lie. I wasn't sure how much longer the movie was gonna last. The whole point to our leaving early was because Caroline was starting to lose it. This was no bueno.
I desperately took off my Timex to see if the Indiglo light would be a sufficient flashlight. FYI: It's not.
I fished through my bag one last time to see if I had missed my wallet somehow. I hadn't, BUT I grabbed my phone. And the light from the screen was enough light to help me find my wallet. HOORAY!
I grabbed it, grabbed the kids, and we headed home.
As we were walking to the car, Jack said, "This has been the most super greatest day ever."
Yeah. Something like that. :)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Save the Date
Have you ever sent out a "save the date" announcement and gotten the response, "It's on my calendar" from your friends? But then, as the date, that they said they saved, approaches, they can't come?
Yep, that's happened to me a couple of times. And they were legitimate reasons. Sometimes things pop up, but sometimes it's like... Seriously? That was the point of the "Save the Date". When I sent you that card, you were supposed to write down the date. And then... should something else come up later.... you would have to decline the "something else" because you would have saved the date for me.
I also run into this when I try to schedule HOA Board Meetings. Our next one is scheduled for September 11. I got at least three emails (and there are only like 7 board members) that said something to the effect of, "Well, that's a long time from now. Right now I don't have a conflict, so I think I can meet on that day. But I just don't know yet."
Hellooooo... part of the point of scheduling something so far in advance is because there SHOULDN'T be a scheduling conflict yet. Which means that you take your little pen, open up that little calendar, and write "HOA MEETING 2 PM". Then, should something else come up, you say, "Gosh, I can make it, but I might be a little late b/c I have an HOA meeting that day."
I mean, "Save the Date" sounds pretty self-explanatory, but maybe it's more complicated than I realize.
:)
Yep, that's happened to me a couple of times. And they were legitimate reasons. Sometimes things pop up, but sometimes it's like... Seriously? That was the point of the "Save the Date". When I sent you that card, you were supposed to write down the date. And then... should something else come up later.... you would have to decline the "something else" because you would have saved the date for me.
I also run into this when I try to schedule HOA Board Meetings. Our next one is scheduled for September 11. I got at least three emails (and there are only like 7 board members) that said something to the effect of, "Well, that's a long time from now. Right now I don't have a conflict, so I think I can meet on that day. But I just don't know yet."
Hellooooo... part of the point of scheduling something so far in advance is because there SHOULDN'T be a scheduling conflict yet. Which means that you take your little pen, open up that little calendar, and write "HOA MEETING 2 PM". Then, should something else come up, you say, "Gosh, I can make it, but I might be a little late b/c I have an HOA meeting that day."
I mean, "Save the Date" sounds pretty self-explanatory, but maybe it's more complicated than I realize.
:)
QVC and HSN
I've started becoming slightly addicted to QVC and HSN. It's what I watch right before bed almost every night.
I just like the peaceful tone to the ladies' voices. They're not barking at you like someone at a carnival yelling, "Step right up! You gotta see this!" They're really soothing.
And I love that they can talk for hours about nothing. (I can sooo relate to that. hahaha) It's a great way to wind down when I'm trying to get sleepy.
And they always have great things to say because they're trying to get you to buy the product. It's not like watching the news where everything is bad. QVC and HSN is nothing but good news. :)
Plus I'm a good window shopper. I'm very rarely bitten by the "must buy this now" bug. So I can listen about the anti-aging cream and be fascinated by it and then turn off the TV and go to sleep.
My favorite shows are: (1) anytime they're selling makeup (love "before and after" things) and (2) whenever Rachel Zoe is on. She is the cutest, and I love her style.
I just like the peaceful tone to the ladies' voices. They're not barking at you like someone at a carnival yelling, "Step right up! You gotta see this!" They're really soothing.
And I love that they can talk for hours about nothing. (I can sooo relate to that. hahaha) It's a great way to wind down when I'm trying to get sleepy.
And they always have great things to say because they're trying to get you to buy the product. It's not like watching the news where everything is bad. QVC and HSN is nothing but good news. :)
Plus I'm a good window shopper. I'm very rarely bitten by the "must buy this now" bug. So I can listen about the anti-aging cream and be fascinated by it and then turn off the TV and go to sleep.
My favorite shows are: (1) anytime they're selling makeup (love "before and after" things) and (2) whenever Rachel Zoe is on. She is the cutest, and I love her style.
Kids Eat Free
I feel a little slow getting on the bandwagon of finding places where kids eat free. Maybe it's because I cook every night of the week. (It's a rare thing that we go out.) Or maybe it's because I'm just now to the point of ordering food for 2 of my kids... (They used to just eat a little off my plate, and that was good enough.)
But when you spend $3.99 x 2 on 2 kids meals that are picked at and not eaten, you start to rethink dining out.
And the idea that there are TONS of restaurants that will give you a free kids meal with the purchase on an adult entree is super exciting!!
And good places too... like kids eat free on Sundays at Patrizios. Or kids can have a free brunch on Sundays at Blue Mesa.
So I made a list of all the places I've found so far and am keeping it tucked away in a drawer in my kitchen. I'm looking forward to pulling it out soon.
If you know of any good websites with good deals for families or where kids can eat free on certain nights, let me know! :) Gracias.
But when you spend $3.99 x 2 on 2 kids meals that are picked at and not eaten, you start to rethink dining out.
And the idea that there are TONS of restaurants that will give you a free kids meal with the purchase on an adult entree is super exciting!!
And good places too... like kids eat free on Sundays at Patrizios. Or kids can have a free brunch on Sundays at Blue Mesa.
So I made a list of all the places I've found so far and am keeping it tucked away in a drawer in my kitchen. I'm looking forward to pulling it out soon.
If you know of any good websites with good deals for families or where kids can eat free on certain nights, let me know! :) Gracias.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Like watching sausages being made
I was cutting up a hot dog for Caroline's dinner, and I thought of a phrase my Dad uses sometimes, "It's like watching sausages being made."
Now I haven't googled this, but surely this is an actual saying and not just a Fishero-ism.
But just in case this is something that only my family says, I'll tell you what we mean when we say it.
Sometimes you just don't want to know the inner workings of things (organizations, the church, your neighborhood, etc.) because you'll like it less, as soon as you find out what happens behind closed doors. Knowing too much ruins it for you.
In the same way, you don't want to watch sausages being made or else you'll never want to eat them again. I like hot dogs. I know enough about what goes in them to know that I don't want to watch them being made. If I did, it would ruin it for me.
So the next time you don't want to know the details... you're perfectly content being ignorant and happy... just say, "Don't tell me! That's like watching sausage being made."
Or if you attend a PTA meeting and you find out some things you really wish you didn't know about people that you really liked and you go home and your significant other says, "How was the meeting?", you can groan and say, "Ugh. It was like watching sausages being made."
Now I haven't googled this, but surely this is an actual saying and not just a Fishero-ism.
But just in case this is something that only my family says, I'll tell you what we mean when we say it.
Sometimes you just don't want to know the inner workings of things (organizations, the church, your neighborhood, etc.) because you'll like it less, as soon as you find out what happens behind closed doors. Knowing too much ruins it for you.
In the same way, you don't want to watch sausages being made or else you'll never want to eat them again. I like hot dogs. I know enough about what goes in them to know that I don't want to watch them being made. If I did, it would ruin it for me.
So the next time you don't want to know the details... you're perfectly content being ignorant and happy... just say, "Don't tell me! That's like watching sausage being made."
Or if you attend a PTA meeting and you find out some things you really wish you didn't know about people that you really liked and you go home and your significant other says, "How was the meeting?", you can groan and say, "Ugh. It was like watching sausages being made."
Thanks, friend
Mark Twain is quoted as saying, "It takes an enemy and a friend, working together, to hurt you to the heart. The one to slander you, and the other to get the news to you."
So true.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever had a friend (in a supposed effort to be a "good friend") tell you that people have said hateful things about you?
Don't you just want to say, "Thanks, Friend. I wouldn't have known people were talking about me if it weren't for you." ?
If you're my friend and you hear untrue or mean things about me, just stand up for me. You don't need to then tell me that you stood up for me while people were being mean... because I don't need to know that hurtful things were said.
Or, what about this...
Have you ever had someone apologize to you for something they did, and you didn't know they had done it?
A few years ago, I had someone at church come up to me... after she was surprised to find out she was pregnant with her 2nd child... and tell me that she was sorry for all the things that she had said behind my back when I found out I was pregnant with Jack.
I had been very honest in my Sunday School class that I was freaking out and not ok about having another baby so soon. And, as it turns out, this girl went home and told her husband that she thought I was a terrible person and a horrible mom for reacting the way that I did. A year or more passed and I interacted with this girl. Had NO IDEA she thought those things about me. Then--**BAM**--she has an unplanned pregnancy, felt all of the emotions I felt and could suddenly relate to me... and felt the need to apologize to me.
Those kinds of apologies are selfish, in my opinion. That was about making her feel better, not me. Because, to be honest, I was really mad after her apology because I was just finding out that she had been so rude.
And then today...
I had someone tell me that she did some really back-stabbing things about 8 years ago. And she didn't apologize to me. She was just saying it very matter-of-fact... like, "I know you didn't know this, but it was 8 years ago... so what's the big deal?"
The big deal is that it changes the way I see you. It changes the way I perceive our friendship. And I found myself getting angry, and she's making me feel dumb for having my feelings hurt. She was like... "It was 8 years ago."
Yes, but it's new to me right now. And I have every right to be mad about it. At least that's the way I see it.
Man, I'm feeling a little under attack lately. Maybe I need to cut some people out and do a little friendship overhaul.
I agree, Sheryl Crow... I think a change would do me good. :)
So true.
Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever had a friend (in a supposed effort to be a "good friend") tell you that people have said hateful things about you?
Don't you just want to say, "Thanks, Friend. I wouldn't have known people were talking about me if it weren't for you." ?
If you're my friend and you hear untrue or mean things about me, just stand up for me. You don't need to then tell me that you stood up for me while people were being mean... because I don't need to know that hurtful things were said.
Or, what about this...
Have you ever had someone apologize to you for something they did, and you didn't know they had done it?
A few years ago, I had someone at church come up to me... after she was surprised to find out she was pregnant with her 2nd child... and tell me that she was sorry for all the things that she had said behind my back when I found out I was pregnant with Jack.
I had been very honest in my Sunday School class that I was freaking out and not ok about having another baby so soon. And, as it turns out, this girl went home and told her husband that she thought I was a terrible person and a horrible mom for reacting the way that I did. A year or more passed and I interacted with this girl. Had NO IDEA she thought those things about me. Then--**BAM**--she has an unplanned pregnancy, felt all of the emotions I felt and could suddenly relate to me... and felt the need to apologize to me.
Those kinds of apologies are selfish, in my opinion. That was about making her feel better, not me. Because, to be honest, I was really mad after her apology because I was just finding out that she had been so rude.
And then today...
I had someone tell me that she did some really back-stabbing things about 8 years ago. And she didn't apologize to me. She was just saying it very matter-of-fact... like, "I know you didn't know this, but it was 8 years ago... so what's the big deal?"
The big deal is that it changes the way I see you. It changes the way I perceive our friendship. And I found myself getting angry, and she's making me feel dumb for having my feelings hurt. She was like... "It was 8 years ago."
Yes, but it's new to me right now. And I have every right to be mad about it. At least that's the way I see it.
Man, I'm feeling a little under attack lately. Maybe I need to cut some people out and do a little friendship overhaul.
I agree, Sheryl Crow... I think a change would do me good. :)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
I just wanted to let my kids play at the mall.
I was at the mall with the kids last week letting them play in the play area. Free, air-conditioned entertainment.
It was empty since we had gotten there so early, and the kids pretty much had the run of the place.
Then she showed up.
"She" is some woman (I still don't know her name)with 2 small boys. (I found out later they were 2 and almost 4 yrs old.) She was nice. I didn't pay much attention to her. I was busy making sure that Caroline didn't get into too much trouble.
Within about 10 minutes of her arrival, I saw Jack walk up to her and say, "Um. Excuse me. But my name is Jack. And I'm three. And your little boy just pushed me. And that's not nice."
Immediately I was embarrassed. I can't really explain why, but it was just an awkward situation.
So I pulled Jack over by me and explained to him that if he has a problem, he needs to tell HIS mommy. Don't tattle to someone else's mommy. And then to kinda smooth things over with this mom, I found myself saying, "I'm sorry about that. He's really fine. I'm sure your little boy didn't hurt him. We push him around all the time at home."
What? "We push him around all the time at home"?? For the record, that is not true. Stupid things come out of my mouth when I'm uncomfortable.
But the mom just laughed and said that Jack didn't bother her and that her boys can be rough.
So time passed. The kids kept playing.
Caroline crawled over to where this mom's little boys were playing so she struck up a conversation with me. She said, "Oh is this Caroline?"
I was confused and said, "Yeah"
She said, "She turned one on Tuesday? And had a pink cake with sprinkles?"
Oh my gosh, Jack. How much have you been talking to this woman? Where was I when you were giving a stranger Caroline's life story?
Since I was pretty sure Jack had probably given her our address and social security numbers too :), I felt like I should probably talk to her. We started talking about our kids.
Kids are great conversation starters. If you're looking to meet new people, take a kid to a playground. It's better than taking a dog to a dog park. The thing is... and not to sound like a grump... I really wasn't looking to meet anyone that day. I was just wanting to watch my kids play.
But there I was... Talking to some lady about her 3 boys. (Apparently her oldest one.... a 5 yr old... was at a camp that morning.)
We talked about having 3 kids and the challenges, etc etc.
Right about this time one of her kids was attempting to climb out of the play area. He had one leg on the other side of the wall.
I said, "Do you want me to get him down?"
"Oh. No, it's ok. He probably won't go anywhere."
Ok.
Then she goes on and on about how hard it is having 3 boys.
*** I don't doubt it. Boys are different from girls. However, I soon learned that it might not be so much that having 3 boys is hard, as it is that having 3 boys that you choose not to discipline is hard.***
She asked me if we wanted to go to Barnes and Noble and play with the Thomas the Train table that they have set up in the kids' section. No, actually, I didn't want to, but I said we'd go for a little while.
I told my kids to put on their shoes. I picked up Caroline. I held Jack's right hand. Sarah grabbed his left hand, and we started walking towards the bookstore.
Then here she comes with her 2 boys. Neither of them had their shoes on. The 2 year old was on a leash and was running everywhere so hard and so fast you would think she was walking a Great Dane.
Sort of out of breath from trying to keep up with her (literally) unleashed 4 year old and holding onto her 2 year old, she explained to me why she has the leash. How her 2 year old won't sit in a stroller and hates to be confined in any way... and on and on.
I tried not to stare at her as she was letting her kids run barefoot through the mall, without even attempting to take control of the situation. Just sort of shrugging her shoulders and saying that this is what it is to have 3 small kids.
So when we got to Barnes & Noble, I quickly glanced to see if there was a sign on the window that said, "No shoes, No shirt, No service" so that I could point out that she might want to actually redress her kids, but--alas--there was no such sign. :) So, in they went, with their grubby bare feet to the back of the store.
They pushed. They didn't share the trains. They threw huge fits. And one of them kept standing right next to me. I tried to scoot away from him, for fear that someone might think this terror was mine. I felt like I was playing "Hot Potato" or something... moving around the store so that I was never the last one standing near the screaming child.
Did she discipline her kids then? No. She was too busy telling me that she's enrolled her 5 year old into a private school because he "thinks outside the box" and can't be made to sit in a regular classroom. He's ADHD apparently and needs a smaller learning environment.
**Now, I'm just a teacher, not an ADHD expert. But judging by the way she ALLOWED her other children to behave, I question whether or not he actually needs the medication she said she gives him or if he could simply benefit from a little structure... and D.I.S.C.I.P.L.I.N.E.**
I kept looking at my kids, hoping that they looked bored, so that I wouldn't feel too bad about going home. But Sarah was reading to Jack, and Caroline had found a board book that she was flipping through. And they were being really sweet, so I didn't want to cut their good time short.
This woman, then, told another story about how she was in Walmart 2 weeks ago and her kids started throwing a fit. A woman in the store told her that she needed to control her children because she was ruining the shopping experience for everyone else and that people like her shouldn't have kids.
Ok, now that's WAY harsh. No mom should ever be told that she doesn't deserve to have kids. However... I do believe they probably made quite a spectacle of themselves.
And she said, "I mean, what am I supposed to do? Stores like Walmart set you up to fail. How are you supposed to get through a shopping trip without meltdowns? What was I supposed to do? Leave my cart?"
**Yes, that's exactly what you do. Well, first, you pick a time of day when meltdowns are least likely. Then, should a meltdown start to occur, you distract. Go down the cracker aisle and grab a sack of Goldfish to pacify the child and buy some time. If that doesn't work, then one would hope that you've disciplined them enough at home that you could threaten a consequence and they would straighten up. AND... if all that doesn't work... YES, YOU LEAVE YOUR CART if that's the only way you can take control of the situation. I know I've left a few.**
At this point, the noise from the train table was almost deafening. Her kids were HORRIBLE. And she told me that they just came home from a trip to San Antonio that was so bad they left a day early. She was rolling her eyes, telling me that her kids were a disaster.
Just at that moment, Caroline started to cry. (THANK YOU!! Sheesh... she cries all the time when I don't want her to. But when I'm looking for an "out" to get away from the chaos, she's happy.)
I said, "Well, looks like Caroline's getting tired. Gotta go." And got out of there as fast as I could.
And as I was walking with my children to the parking lot, I said, "Thank you, guys, for being so sweet. You make me so proud."
We've all been there. At our wit's end with our kids and embarrassed by their behavior. And if you haven't then either (a) you're lying, (b) you need to spend more time with your kids, or (c) you don't have a 2 yr old yet. But what was baffling was that she didn't even seem to care.
Not to be too preachy, but I think that if you set your expectations a little higher than rock bottom, you might just be surprised at how your kids will rise to meet them.
Also... Don't be looking for us at the mall in Frisco any time soon. I'm too afraid I might run into them again. :-)
It was empty since we had gotten there so early, and the kids pretty much had the run of the place.
Then she showed up.
"She" is some woman (I still don't know her name)with 2 small boys. (I found out later they were 2 and almost 4 yrs old.) She was nice. I didn't pay much attention to her. I was busy making sure that Caroline didn't get into too much trouble.
Within about 10 minutes of her arrival, I saw Jack walk up to her and say, "Um. Excuse me. But my name is Jack. And I'm three. And your little boy just pushed me. And that's not nice."
Immediately I was embarrassed. I can't really explain why, but it was just an awkward situation.
So I pulled Jack over by me and explained to him that if he has a problem, he needs to tell HIS mommy. Don't tattle to someone else's mommy. And then to kinda smooth things over with this mom, I found myself saying, "I'm sorry about that. He's really fine. I'm sure your little boy didn't hurt him. We push him around all the time at home."
What? "We push him around all the time at home"?? For the record, that is not true. Stupid things come out of my mouth when I'm uncomfortable.
But the mom just laughed and said that Jack didn't bother her and that her boys can be rough.
So time passed. The kids kept playing.
Caroline crawled over to where this mom's little boys were playing so she struck up a conversation with me. She said, "Oh is this Caroline?"
I was confused and said, "Yeah"
She said, "She turned one on Tuesday? And had a pink cake with sprinkles?"
Oh my gosh, Jack. How much have you been talking to this woman? Where was I when you were giving a stranger Caroline's life story?
Since I was pretty sure Jack had probably given her our address and social security numbers too :), I felt like I should probably talk to her. We started talking about our kids.
Kids are great conversation starters. If you're looking to meet new people, take a kid to a playground. It's better than taking a dog to a dog park. The thing is... and not to sound like a grump... I really wasn't looking to meet anyone that day. I was just wanting to watch my kids play.
But there I was... Talking to some lady about her 3 boys. (Apparently her oldest one.... a 5 yr old... was at a camp that morning.)
We talked about having 3 kids and the challenges, etc etc.
Right about this time one of her kids was attempting to climb out of the play area. He had one leg on the other side of the wall.
I said, "Do you want me to get him down?"
"Oh. No, it's ok. He probably won't go anywhere."
Ok.
Then she goes on and on about how hard it is having 3 boys.
*** I don't doubt it. Boys are different from girls. However, I soon learned that it might not be so much that having 3 boys is hard, as it is that having 3 boys that you choose not to discipline is hard.***
She asked me if we wanted to go to Barnes and Noble and play with the Thomas the Train table that they have set up in the kids' section. No, actually, I didn't want to, but I said we'd go for a little while.
I told my kids to put on their shoes. I picked up Caroline. I held Jack's right hand. Sarah grabbed his left hand, and we started walking towards the bookstore.
Then here she comes with her 2 boys. Neither of them had their shoes on. The 2 year old was on a leash and was running everywhere so hard and so fast you would think she was walking a Great Dane.
Sort of out of breath from trying to keep up with her (literally) unleashed 4 year old and holding onto her 2 year old, she explained to me why she has the leash. How her 2 year old won't sit in a stroller and hates to be confined in any way... and on and on.
I tried not to stare at her as she was letting her kids run barefoot through the mall, without even attempting to take control of the situation. Just sort of shrugging her shoulders and saying that this is what it is to have 3 small kids.
So when we got to Barnes & Noble, I quickly glanced to see if there was a sign on the window that said, "No shoes, No shirt, No service" so that I could point out that she might want to actually redress her kids, but--alas--there was no such sign. :) So, in they went, with their grubby bare feet to the back of the store.
They pushed. They didn't share the trains. They threw huge fits. And one of them kept standing right next to me. I tried to scoot away from him, for fear that someone might think this terror was mine. I felt like I was playing "Hot Potato" or something... moving around the store so that I was never the last one standing near the screaming child.
Did she discipline her kids then? No. She was too busy telling me that she's enrolled her 5 year old into a private school because he "thinks outside the box" and can't be made to sit in a regular classroom. He's ADHD apparently and needs a smaller learning environment.
**Now, I'm just a teacher, not an ADHD expert. But judging by the way she ALLOWED her other children to behave, I question whether or not he actually needs the medication she said she gives him or if he could simply benefit from a little structure... and D.I.S.C.I.P.L.I.N.E.**
I kept looking at my kids, hoping that they looked bored, so that I wouldn't feel too bad about going home. But Sarah was reading to Jack, and Caroline had found a board book that she was flipping through. And they were being really sweet, so I didn't want to cut their good time short.
This woman, then, told another story about how she was in Walmart 2 weeks ago and her kids started throwing a fit. A woman in the store told her that she needed to control her children because she was ruining the shopping experience for everyone else and that people like her shouldn't have kids.
Ok, now that's WAY harsh. No mom should ever be told that she doesn't deserve to have kids. However... I do believe they probably made quite a spectacle of themselves.
And she said, "I mean, what am I supposed to do? Stores like Walmart set you up to fail. How are you supposed to get through a shopping trip without meltdowns? What was I supposed to do? Leave my cart?"
**Yes, that's exactly what you do. Well, first, you pick a time of day when meltdowns are least likely. Then, should a meltdown start to occur, you distract. Go down the cracker aisle and grab a sack of Goldfish to pacify the child and buy some time. If that doesn't work, then one would hope that you've disciplined them enough at home that you could threaten a consequence and they would straighten up. AND... if all that doesn't work... YES, YOU LEAVE YOUR CART if that's the only way you can take control of the situation. I know I've left a few.**
At this point, the noise from the train table was almost deafening. Her kids were HORRIBLE. And she told me that they just came home from a trip to San Antonio that was so bad they left a day early. She was rolling her eyes, telling me that her kids were a disaster.
Just at that moment, Caroline started to cry. (THANK YOU!! Sheesh... she cries all the time when I don't want her to. But when I'm looking for an "out" to get away from the chaos, she's happy.)
I said, "Well, looks like Caroline's getting tired. Gotta go." And got out of there as fast as I could.
And as I was walking with my children to the parking lot, I said, "Thank you, guys, for being so sweet. You make me so proud."
We've all been there. At our wit's end with our kids and embarrassed by their behavior. And if you haven't then either (a) you're lying, (b) you need to spend more time with your kids, or (c) you don't have a 2 yr old yet. But what was baffling was that she didn't even seem to care.
Not to be too preachy, but I think that if you set your expectations a little higher than rock bottom, you might just be surprised at how your kids will rise to meet them.
Also... Don't be looking for us at the mall in Frisco any time soon. I'm too afraid I might run into them again. :-)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Last Caroline Birthday Post
I forgot to say that she's 20 lbs 15 oz and 27 inches tall.
That puts her at 50% for her weight and 5% for her height.
What does that mean, stupid old man at the park who called her "fat"???
It means, she's average for her age. She only looks pleasantly plump because she's short.
Who else was short at this age (and still is)? Sarah.
Sarah... the one that crazy old man swore would always be smaller than Caroline.
So take THAT, ya old geezer.
Caroline SHOT UP to 20 lbs... which is very normal... and then leveled off. She hasn't gained anything since her 9 mos appointment.
AND... on her birthday...
I also got to add her to the door post.
For those of you who haven't been to my house, I'll quickly fill you in, though it needs little explanantion. We bought this house with the intention (Lord-willing) of living here for the next 20 years.
So when we moved in, we did what works for our family. We chose paint colors that WE like (for those rooms we've redone.) We reconfigured the upstairs in such a way that makes sense for our family. Without doing anything down right kooky, we've chosen to forget about resale all the time.
You can get in those mindframes, you know, where you treat your house ONLY as an asset and refuse to do anything to it that someone else might not like. I say... Go For It! Whatever "it" is. You can repaint in neutral colors when you move, so if you want to paint a room lime green, then do it. It's your house!!!
So this doorframe is in our kitchen. We mark their heights on their birthdays. These are the birthdays they've had in this house. Jack turned 2 and 3 here. Sarah turned 3 and 4 here. Caroline has never known a house other than this one.
This silly piece of wood is one of the most special places in my house. I walk past this everyday and think about how my kids have grown here and can barely remember when they were so small. This is sort of my "look how far we've come" wall. And I love it.
When we move, after the kids are grown and gone, I'll get a sheet of butcher paper and trace over the markings so we can take it with us. And I'll paint over this for the next homeowner. But right now this is our house and our memories, and that's the way I like it. :-)
That puts her at 50% for her weight and 5% for her height.
What does that mean, stupid old man at the park who called her "fat"???
It means, she's average for her age. She only looks pleasantly plump because she's short.
Who else was short at this age (and still is)? Sarah.
Sarah... the one that crazy old man swore would always be smaller than Caroline.
So take THAT, ya old geezer.
Caroline SHOT UP to 20 lbs... which is very normal... and then leveled off. She hasn't gained anything since her 9 mos appointment.
AND... on her birthday...
I also got to add her to the door post.
For those of you who haven't been to my house, I'll quickly fill you in, though it needs little explanantion. We bought this house with the intention (Lord-willing) of living here for the next 20 years.
So when we moved in, we did what works for our family. We chose paint colors that WE like (for those rooms we've redone.) We reconfigured the upstairs in such a way that makes sense for our family. Without doing anything down right kooky, we've chosen to forget about resale all the time.
You can get in those mindframes, you know, where you treat your house ONLY as an asset and refuse to do anything to it that someone else might not like. I say... Go For It! Whatever "it" is. You can repaint in neutral colors when you move, so if you want to paint a room lime green, then do it. It's your house!!!
So this doorframe is in our kitchen. We mark their heights on their birthdays. These are the birthdays they've had in this house. Jack turned 2 and 3 here. Sarah turned 3 and 4 here. Caroline has never known a house other than this one.
This silly piece of wood is one of the most special places in my house. I walk past this everyday and think about how my kids have grown here and can barely remember when they were so small. This is sort of my "look how far we've come" wall. And I love it.
When we move, after the kids are grown and gone, I'll get a sheet of butcher paper and trace over the markings so we can take it with us. And I'll paint over this for the next homeowner. But right now this is our house and our memories, and that's the way I like it. :-)
Friday, July 16, 2010
Sissy
Today I was trying to teach Caroline to say "Sissy" as I was pointing at Sarah. It started out "SaSa", then more of a "SiSi", then "sissy". It was a giant waste of time since Caroline can't talk, but it was fun.
But it made me think of a story...
When I was teaching, I sometimes could be a grouch. Shocking, I know. :)
I feel bad about it, looking back. I know I'd be a much different teacher today than I was before I had kids.
But teachers are only human, not saints. We have bad days and moments that try our patience.
This was one of those moments... at the end of a very long day.
There was a little boy named AJ in my class and he had a sister in Kindergarten. He needed to get a message to her or go get her from her class or something. I forget the details. All I know is that I needed him to tell me her name.
Me: "AJ, what's your sister's name?"
He said, "Sissy."
"No, buddy. That's what you call her. What's her name?"
"Sissy."
(deep breath, speaking slower and enunciating more) "That's not her name. That's what you call her. What did your parents name her?"
"Sissy."
"AJ, you're killing me. Why are you not understanding, sweetheart? What do your parents call her?"
"Sissy."
I was so annoyed at this point. I just called down to the Kindergarten room, and I said, "I have an AJ [last name], he needs his sister. I'm sorry I don't know her name. I keep asking him, and he just says 'Sissy'. Do you have anyone with the same last name in your room?"
The other teacher: "Yeah, Julie, no problem. I'll send her to you."
Me: "Great, thanks. Hey, before you send her, what's her name?"
The other teacher: "Sissy."
Seriously. That WAS her name. What the???
Then, being a mature person, instead of apologizing to AJ for not understanding that he WAS answering my question all along, I was just angry that his parents would name their daughter something so stupid.
Sorry, AJ. Wherever you are. :)
But it made me think of a story...
When I was teaching, I sometimes could be a grouch. Shocking, I know. :)
I feel bad about it, looking back. I know I'd be a much different teacher today than I was before I had kids.
But teachers are only human, not saints. We have bad days and moments that try our patience.
This was one of those moments... at the end of a very long day.
There was a little boy named AJ in my class and he had a sister in Kindergarten. He needed to get a message to her or go get her from her class or something. I forget the details. All I know is that I needed him to tell me her name.
Me: "AJ, what's your sister's name?"
He said, "Sissy."
"No, buddy. That's what you call her. What's her name?"
"Sissy."
(deep breath, speaking slower and enunciating more) "That's not her name. That's what you call her. What did your parents name her?"
"Sissy."
"AJ, you're killing me. Why are you not understanding, sweetheart? What do your parents call her?"
"Sissy."
I was so annoyed at this point. I just called down to the Kindergarten room, and I said, "I have an AJ [last name], he needs his sister. I'm sorry I don't know her name. I keep asking him, and he just says 'Sissy'. Do you have anyone with the same last name in your room?"
The other teacher: "Yeah, Julie, no problem. I'll send her to you."
Me: "Great, thanks. Hey, before you send her, what's her name?"
The other teacher: "Sissy."
Seriously. That WAS her name. What the???
Then, being a mature person, instead of apologizing to AJ for not understanding that he WAS answering my question all along, I was just angry that his parents would name their daughter something so stupid.
Sorry, AJ. Wherever you are. :)
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Four Weddings
Has anyone ever seen that show on TLC "Four Weddings"?
I'll pretend you haven't and give you a 30 second synopsis.
Four brides. They go to each other's weddings. They rank each other from 1 - 10 on food, wedding gown, and overall experience. (There may be another category as well, but I'm not sure.) The bride who gets the highest overall score wins a dream honeymoon to the Caribbean.
And they have some way that they can guarantee it's fair and that the brides don't lowball each other in hopes of winning the competition.
And, as in ALL reality competitions, they have those interviews on the side with each of the brides. You know, the ones where it's just the bride and the camera so that they can be ashateful honest as they want to be.
So it may be like, "I thought her dress was just ok, and the food was nothing special. I can't believe the center pieces.. talk about tacky. And we were bored for most of the reception."
It can get brutal. Especially when you consider that's someone's big day.
Well...
I'm going to a wedding at the end of the month and the bride just found out that she's going to be on the show!!
I can't imagine walking down the aisle, knowing somewhere in the back of your mind that you're being judged... literally. Even if, as a bride, I could put that out of my head, my feelings would undoubtedly be hurt when I watched the episode and heard what the other brides said in their side interviews.
And then, not only do these 3 brides come to YOUR wedding to critique YOU, but then you must go to their weddings as well. And they all happen within about a week of each other. So I would think that it would take away a little bit of that excited "It's all about me. This is the day I've been waiting for" feeling when YOUR big day is sandwiched in between 3 other people's big days... all of whom you just met and none of whom you care about.
It wouldn't be for me. I wouldn't want to put my wedding out there like that.
BUT... as a guest... I'm totally switching sides. :)
I think it's so fun that there's gonna be a camera crew there.
The bride is having a seated dinner and I'm going without Jason. And these 3 brides will go without dates so I've already started wondering if I'll be seated at the same table as these brides. The table that will be filmed! :)
Do you see how bad this is? It totally takes the focus off the bride. I've just found a way to make her wedding about me. Sorry.
Anyway, I don't know how you would feel about having your wedding be a part of a competition. Would it take away from the fun at all?
But you better believe that after the wedding (which is at the end of July) I'll have LOTS to blog about. :)
I'll pretend you haven't and give you a 30 second synopsis.
Four brides. They go to each other's weddings. They rank each other from 1 - 10 on food, wedding gown, and overall experience. (There may be another category as well, but I'm not sure.) The bride who gets the highest overall score wins a dream honeymoon to the Caribbean.
And they have some way that they can guarantee it's fair and that the brides don't lowball each other in hopes of winning the competition.
And, as in ALL reality competitions, they have those interviews on the side with each of the brides. You know, the ones where it's just the bride and the camera so that they can be as
So it may be like, "I thought her dress was just ok, and the food was nothing special. I can't believe the center pieces.. talk about tacky. And we were bored for most of the reception."
It can get brutal. Especially when you consider that's someone's big day.
Well...
I'm going to a wedding at the end of the month and the bride just found out that she's going to be on the show!!
I can't imagine walking down the aisle, knowing somewhere in the back of your mind that you're being judged... literally. Even if, as a bride, I could put that out of my head, my feelings would undoubtedly be hurt when I watched the episode and heard what the other brides said in their side interviews.
And then, not only do these 3 brides come to YOUR wedding to critique YOU, but then you must go to their weddings as well. And they all happen within about a week of each other. So I would think that it would take away a little bit of that excited "It's all about me. This is the day I've been waiting for" feeling when YOUR big day is sandwiched in between 3 other people's big days... all of whom you just met and none of whom you care about.
It wouldn't be for me. I wouldn't want to put my wedding out there like that.
BUT... as a guest... I'm totally switching sides. :)
I think it's so fun that there's gonna be a camera crew there.
The bride is having a seated dinner and I'm going without Jason. And these 3 brides will go without dates so I've already started wondering if I'll be seated at the same table as these brides. The table that will be filmed! :)
Do you see how bad this is? It totally takes the focus off the bride. I've just found a way to make her wedding about me. Sorry.
Anyway, I don't know how you would feel about having your wedding be a part of a competition. Would it take away from the fun at all?
But you better believe that after the wedding (which is at the end of July) I'll have LOTS to blog about. :)
Um, Julie. Bring a towel. We have a little problem...
So Sunday night, I'm minding my own business, relaxing as Jason put the big kids to bed, and enjoying the latest episode of "The Next Food Network Star". Well, I shouldn't really say "enjoying". I'm not really sure I even like that show. But it's a competition and reality TV so my brain is programmed to watch.
But that's neither here nor there... Focus, Julie, focus.
Back to the story, Jason calls down to me from the landing and says, "Um, Julie. Bring a towel. We have a little problem."
I sprung up and grabbed a towel fast because I knew it was not going to be a little problem. How did I know? Because he called me "Julie". That's never a good sign. Everyone has names for each other... "honey", "dear", whatever... Ours is "baby". And if it's not "Hey, baby, could you come here?", but instead it's, "Hey, Julie, can you come here?" then something's really wrong.
Halfway up the stairs I said, "What is it?" (I didn't know if Sarah had gotten sick or what the deal was.)
"There's a leak over her bed."
Sure enough. There it was. A crack in the ceiling and water dripping from the fan on to her bed.
He went up into the attic since we've had so much rain lately to see if we had a leak in the roof or anything. Nope. It was the air conditioning.
Now this is where I start to lose it. (He's explained the problem to me in some great detail no less than 3 times and I still don't really understand. Not because I'm too dumb to understand, but I'm too bored to pay attention.) I know he tunes me out too sometimes. Don't feel sorry for him. ;)
But somehow water drips out of the A/C, which is what it's supposed to do... but the drip pan was overflowing because the PVC was... ah, to heck with it... I don't have a clue what's wrong, but I'll show you what he saw when he went up there. Maybe you'll look at it and say, "Oh I clearly see the problem...." :)
Anyone see the dilemma? Yeah, didn't think so.
Well whatever it was, he fixed it. Good.
Now the sheetrock...or is it drywall...or are those terms interchangeable???
Now the CEILING (I'll use words I know I'm not using incorrectly) has to be fixed.
He said he could cut the damaged part out, screw in the new sheetrock, do the taping and bedding (is that right?) and all that stuff.
He's not sure how to texture but he's heard that, rather than renting a machine, you can just buy a can and spray the texture on.
Good enough for a wall? Probably not.
Good enough for Sarah's ceiling? I think so.
This is a good chance for him to practice texturing as far as I'm concerned. If it's a disaster, who cares? It's a ceiling. We'll scrape it and have it done right when we move in 20 years.
When he went in the attic this morning to start cleaning up the insulation and stuff from the area that he would need to cut out, he realized that a much larger part of the ceiling was saturated than what he had originally thought. It became very obvious that this had been a problem for our previous owner and several crappy patch jobs had been done to sort of gloss over the problem.
Which if that's true and there was a lot of moisture in her ceiling, I wonder if that's part of the reason that Sarah stayed so sick all the time. I'm not saying it was full-on mold, but I wonder if that could have been at least part of her problem. Who knows.
So while I don't understand the pictures that I showed you of what Jason found in the attic, I do understand that there's a giant hole in her ceiling...
Her room from the hallway...
Her room on the inside...
Everything is covered in plastic. I went to get her jammies tonight and her dresser was under a drop cloth. I couldn't get to it. I can't get to her closet. She's been sleeping in the guest room since Sunday night.
This is yet another project. Another thing that I know Jason can handle but is totally disrupting everything. I'm not mad at him. Sooooo not his fault. I'm just OVER it. I want my house back. Clean. Orderly. Mine.
Ok, so it's never really clean and orderly...
but I can handle my messes. This is NUTS. This is disruptive. This is noisy power tools. This is a shop vac in the attic late Sunday night. This is maddening... for both of us, I'm sure.
It can't be helped. And he will fix it and his labor is cheaper than someone else's. But really. I just want things back to normal.
But that's neither here nor there... Focus, Julie, focus.
Back to the story, Jason calls down to me from the landing and says, "Um, Julie. Bring a towel. We have a little problem."
I sprung up and grabbed a towel fast because I knew it was not going to be a little problem. How did I know? Because he called me "Julie". That's never a good sign. Everyone has names for each other... "honey", "dear", whatever... Ours is "baby". And if it's not "Hey, baby, could you come here?", but instead it's, "Hey, Julie, can you come here?" then something's really wrong.
Halfway up the stairs I said, "What is it?" (I didn't know if Sarah had gotten sick or what the deal was.)
"There's a leak over her bed."
Sure enough. There it was. A crack in the ceiling and water dripping from the fan on to her bed.
He went up into the attic since we've had so much rain lately to see if we had a leak in the roof or anything. Nope. It was the air conditioning.
Now this is where I start to lose it. (He's explained the problem to me in some great detail no less than 3 times and I still don't really understand. Not because I'm too dumb to understand, but I'm too bored to pay attention.) I know he tunes me out too sometimes. Don't feel sorry for him. ;)
But somehow water drips out of the A/C, which is what it's supposed to do... but the drip pan was overflowing because the PVC was... ah, to heck with it... I don't have a clue what's wrong, but I'll show you what he saw when he went up there. Maybe you'll look at it and say, "Oh I clearly see the problem...." :)
Anyone see the dilemma? Yeah, didn't think so.
Well whatever it was, he fixed it. Good.
Now the sheetrock...or is it drywall...or are those terms interchangeable???
Now the CEILING (I'll use words I know I'm not using incorrectly) has to be fixed.
He said he could cut the damaged part out, screw in the new sheetrock, do the taping and bedding (is that right?) and all that stuff.
He's not sure how to texture but he's heard that, rather than renting a machine, you can just buy a can and spray the texture on.
Good enough for a wall? Probably not.
Good enough for Sarah's ceiling? I think so.
This is a good chance for him to practice texturing as far as I'm concerned. If it's a disaster, who cares? It's a ceiling. We'll scrape it and have it done right when we move in 20 years.
When he went in the attic this morning to start cleaning up the insulation and stuff from the area that he would need to cut out, he realized that a much larger part of the ceiling was saturated than what he had originally thought. It became very obvious that this had been a problem for our previous owner and several crappy patch jobs had been done to sort of gloss over the problem.
Which if that's true and there was a lot of moisture in her ceiling, I wonder if that's part of the reason that Sarah stayed so sick all the time. I'm not saying it was full-on mold, but I wonder if that could have been at least part of her problem. Who knows.
So while I don't understand the pictures that I showed you of what Jason found in the attic, I do understand that there's a giant hole in her ceiling...
Her room from the hallway...
Her room on the inside...
Everything is covered in plastic. I went to get her jammies tonight and her dresser was under a drop cloth. I couldn't get to it. I can't get to her closet. She's been sleeping in the guest room since Sunday night.
This is yet another project. Another thing that I know Jason can handle but is totally disrupting everything. I'm not mad at him. Sooooo not his fault. I'm just OVER it. I want my house back. Clean. Orderly. Mine.
Ok, so it's never really clean and orderly...
but I can handle my messes. This is NUTS. This is disruptive. This is noisy power tools. This is a shop vac in the attic late Sunday night. This is maddening... for both of us, I'm sure.
It can't be helped. And he will fix it and his labor is cheaper than someone else's. But really. I just want things back to normal.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
About 2 seconds too late...
I wish I had snapped this pic a couple of seconds earlier...
Because, in person, this was a sweet moment. He stayed so still as she pulled up on him. Then she reached for his shirt and he grabbed her hand as she stood to her feet. And she laughed and laughed at him. And he laughed back.
Oh I want them to be good friends. I pray they will be.
Because, in person, this was a sweet moment. He stayed so still as she pulled up on him. Then she reached for his shirt and he grabbed her hand as she stood to her feet. And she laughed and laughed at him. And he laughed back.
Oh I want them to be good friends. I pray they will be.
Caroline's 1st birthday
What a great day!
This morning Caroline played...
Then Sarah gave her the Pooh bear she had gotten when she was 1. It really was a sweet moment and made this Mommy proud.
But in reality, I'm not sure Sarah actually gave it to her. It may have been just a game, like... "Here Caroline, it's your birthday so let's pretend I'm giving this to you."
Time will tell if that was an actual gift from her big sister or if Pooh will be back in Sarah's bed by night fall. :)
Then I walked in on the kids playing with a puzzle together. All of them. Together. Happy and playing.
AND Sarah and Caroline are dressed exactly alike. This is getting easier and easier now that Caroline's walking more. It was a cute idea to dress them in matching dresses for church, but it was so hard on C to crawl in alot of those dresses. So that idea got nixed pretty fast. But, today, they match. I love it! :)
(Half the fun of having 2 girls is dressing them alike. I can get bogged down by the idea of how expensive it's gonna be to have 2 girls down the road. But right now, they're matching and that's all I'm focused on. :) hahaha)
I then loaded up the kids to head to Chuck E Cheese's, where we met my friend, Robyn and her 3 boys. (We had to get a table for Robyn, me, Caroline, and her baby Emerson. And then Chandler, Asher, Sarah, and Jack shared the table right behind us. First time for me to go somewhere and need a separate kids' table. Kinda fun.)
I love that she's looking at Emerson like she's thinking, "Wow, what a little baby.".
Enjoying a goldfish appetizer...
and a pizza entree.
The cake and presents LOL!!!
The cake slopes to the left and has sprinkles to cover some mistakes. The candle is not centered because it's sitting in a hole that I accidentally created. :) Nothin' but the best for my kids.
The presents... Here's the deal with these...
The bath ring I bought at buy buy baby when I was really looking for a couple of booster seats for Jason's car. Impulse buy. Whatever. But she needed it b/c I'm still bathing her in the sink. Jennie, are you still bathing H in the sink??
Anyway, I was about to take it out of the box last night, when I said to Jason, "Hey wait... I could count this as Caroline's present tomorrow. Just wrap it and we're good." He said, "Why are you gonna wrap it? Who cares?" And I was like, "You're right." :)
And then I was cleaning out the closet when I found these little shoes that I bought when she started pulling up b/c I just knew she was going to be walking the very next day (HA! WRONG!). And I thought, "Oh, good, another present."
I'd feel bad that I'm being so nonchalant and low key about her birthday except that this attitude of mine will work in her favor one day. She'll be the one who's going on her first date a couple of years before Sarah was allowed to go. She'll be the one who will get her ears pierced before Sarah could. This "whatever" attitude will all play out nicely for her someday I'm sure. ;)
Yummy Cake!!
Pool Party... Just the 4 of us...
Jason is MIA because he's been dealing with this all day....
He did break for cake though.
I'll post about this disaster tomorrow, I'm sure.
Hint: Fixing the ceiling has been a bigger project than Jason thought it would be... Hmmm. Sound familiar?
This morning Caroline played...
Then Sarah gave her the Pooh bear she had gotten when she was 1. It really was a sweet moment and made this Mommy proud.
But in reality, I'm not sure Sarah actually gave it to her. It may have been just a game, like... "Here Caroline, it's your birthday so let's pretend I'm giving this to you."
Time will tell if that was an actual gift from her big sister or if Pooh will be back in Sarah's bed by night fall. :)
Then I walked in on the kids playing with a puzzle together. All of them. Together. Happy and playing.
AND Sarah and Caroline are dressed exactly alike. This is getting easier and easier now that Caroline's walking more. It was a cute idea to dress them in matching dresses for church, but it was so hard on C to crawl in alot of those dresses. So that idea got nixed pretty fast. But, today, they match. I love it! :)
(Half the fun of having 2 girls is dressing them alike. I can get bogged down by the idea of how expensive it's gonna be to have 2 girls down the road. But right now, they're matching and that's all I'm focused on. :) hahaha)
I then loaded up the kids to head to Chuck E Cheese's, where we met my friend, Robyn and her 3 boys. (We had to get a table for Robyn, me, Caroline, and her baby Emerson. And then Chandler, Asher, Sarah, and Jack shared the table right behind us. First time for me to go somewhere and need a separate kids' table. Kinda fun.)
I love that she's looking at Emerson like she's thinking, "Wow, what a little baby.".
Enjoying a goldfish appetizer...
and a pizza entree.
The cake and presents LOL!!!
The cake slopes to the left and has sprinkles to cover some mistakes. The candle is not centered because it's sitting in a hole that I accidentally created. :) Nothin' but the best for my kids.
The presents... Here's the deal with these...
The bath ring I bought at buy buy baby when I was really looking for a couple of booster seats for Jason's car. Impulse buy. Whatever. But she needed it b/c I'm still bathing her in the sink. Jennie, are you still bathing H in the sink??
Anyway, I was about to take it out of the box last night, when I said to Jason, "Hey wait... I could count this as Caroline's present tomorrow. Just wrap it and we're good." He said, "Why are you gonna wrap it? Who cares?" And I was like, "You're right." :)
And then I was cleaning out the closet when I found these little shoes that I bought when she started pulling up b/c I just knew she was going to be walking the very next day (HA! WRONG!). And I thought, "Oh, good, another present."
I'd feel bad that I'm being so nonchalant and low key about her birthday except that this attitude of mine will work in her favor one day. She'll be the one who's going on her first date a couple of years before Sarah was allowed to go. She'll be the one who will get her ears pierced before Sarah could. This "whatever" attitude will all play out nicely for her someday I'm sure. ;)
Yummy Cake!!
Pool Party... Just the 4 of us...
Jason is MIA because he's been dealing with this all day....
He did break for cake though.
I'll post about this disaster tomorrow, I'm sure.
Hint: Fixing the ceiling has been a bigger project than Jason thought it would be... Hmmm. Sound familiar?
ONE YEAR OLD
Great things about being one year old:
Car seat turns forward. (although it is recommended to stay rear-facing until 2. But to me, that doesn't even make sense. Soon her little feet are going to touch the back of the seat if she remains rear-facing. How can that be any safer?) Plus, she can now watch DVDs with the big kids. (So spoiled!)
Whole milk. Time for an actual cow to feel like a cow and for Mommy to stop sharing my body. It's been a great almost 2 years of giving my body to C, but I'm done now. Thanks.
She's more like a kid and less like a baby.
That is not a sad statement AT ALL for me. Does it get rough around 15-18 mos? Yes. Terrible 2s can start early, and it's not fun.
But it gets REALLY fun when they can talk and make sense and say funny things!! Every day that she changes I know we're getting closer and closer to the stages that I think are awesome.
Her personality is becoming more and more developed. I can't tell who she's going to be yet. As soon as you think you have your baby/toddler figured out, she'll change it up on you. But I can see hints of who she might be.
She's SO close to walking everywhere.. She takes a few steps every day, but refuses to give in and just do the darn thing. Once she starts walking that opens a whole new can o' worms, to a certain extent, and she won't be really good at walking for a few months after she starts. But it's still an exciting milestone.
Some they-may-only-be-fun-to-me facts...
1. She has 10 teeth. My kids get a lot of teeth pretty early on.
2. She hugs us. She'll walk over to me, put her head in my lap, and say, "Awwww..."
3. She dances. She can do the motions to the Monkey Dance on the Wiggles. She'll take a brush and brush her hair. She'll take the phone and hold it up to her ear. Those kinds of things.
4. She can hold her own with the big kids. She is not a meek little wallflower when she feels comfortable. She'll elbow you and I swear she tried to body-check Jack the other day. If you're in her way when she's determined to go somewhere, I'm pretty sure her motto is: move or be moved.
5. She lights up when Sarah walks in the room. Her whole expression changes. I've loved watching a baby who can appreciate having older siblings. (Obviously Sarah's not enough of an older sibling to Jack for him to appreciate her in that way.)
6. And while she LOVES Sarah, she has a thing for Jack that's special. She laughs at him in a way that she doesn't laugh at anyone else. And she wrestles with him. He's so sweet with her. I love that they have this bond starting to form. I think it will only get stronger once Sarah goes to school.
Happy Birthday, Caroline Grace!! Congrats... You've got one year in this crazy family behind you. :) xoxo
Car seat turns forward. (although it is recommended to stay rear-facing until 2. But to me, that doesn't even make sense. Soon her little feet are going to touch the back of the seat if she remains rear-facing. How can that be any safer?) Plus, she can now watch DVDs with the big kids. (So spoiled!)
Whole milk. Time for an actual cow to feel like a cow and for Mommy to stop sharing my body. It's been a great almost 2 years of giving my body to C, but I'm done now. Thanks.
She's more like a kid and less like a baby.
That is not a sad statement AT ALL for me. Does it get rough around 15-18 mos? Yes. Terrible 2s can start early, and it's not fun.
But it gets REALLY fun when they can talk and make sense and say funny things!! Every day that she changes I know we're getting closer and closer to the stages that I think are awesome.
Her personality is becoming more and more developed. I can't tell who she's going to be yet. As soon as you think you have your baby/toddler figured out, she'll change it up on you. But I can see hints of who she might be.
She's SO close to walking everywhere.. She takes a few steps every day, but refuses to give in and just do the darn thing. Once she starts walking that opens a whole new can o' worms, to a certain extent, and she won't be really good at walking for a few months after she starts. But it's still an exciting milestone.
Some they-may-only-be-fun-to-me facts...
1. She has 10 teeth. My kids get a lot of teeth pretty early on.
2. She hugs us. She'll walk over to me, put her head in my lap, and say, "Awwww..."
3. She dances. She can do the motions to the Monkey Dance on the Wiggles. She'll take a brush and brush her hair. She'll take the phone and hold it up to her ear. Those kinds of things.
4. She can hold her own with the big kids. She is not a meek little wallflower when she feels comfortable. She'll elbow you and I swear she tried to body-check Jack the other day. If you're in her way when she's determined to go somewhere, I'm pretty sure her motto is: move or be moved.
5. She lights up when Sarah walks in the room. Her whole expression changes. I've loved watching a baby who can appreciate having older siblings. (Obviously Sarah's not enough of an older sibling to Jack for him to appreciate her in that way.)
6. And while she LOVES Sarah, she has a thing for Jack that's special. She laughs at him in a way that she doesn't laugh at anyone else. And she wrestles with him. He's so sweet with her. I love that they have this bond starting to form. I think it will only get stronger once Sarah goes to school.
Happy Birthday, Caroline Grace!! Congrats... You've got one year in this crazy family behind you. :) xoxo
Monday, July 12, 2010
Kids' Memories
Memories are so funny. Jason swears that every cute "little kid" story he has to tell happened when he was 3. EVERY story of his starts that way. "When I was 3...."
I guess nothing happened before or after that monumental year. :)
I can remember things from when I was 4. But I don't know how much I actually remember or if I've just heard the story a bunch of times and have seen pictures.
So as Sarah gets older, I wonder how much she actually remembers. She's a sharp cookie, so I figured there would be lots of things we've done that she would remember.
Yeah. Not so much.
She'll remember a fun place we went, like Planet Pizza. But she didn't remember her 3 yr old preschool teacher who she saw every Tues/Thurs for 9 mos.
I said something about Ms Carissa (her teacher when she was 3) and she said, "Who's that?" I was so surprised. Her memory of that year was erased and all she could focus on was Ms. Missy, her 4 yr old teacher.
I showed her pictures of her classmates when she was 3, and if they didn't go to the 4 yr old class with her, she has no idea who they are.
I think her long term memory is just now starting to kick in and rev up. But it's like if it happened before Caroline was born, she doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about.
No real point. It's just interesting to me, that's all.
I guess nothing happened before or after that monumental year. :)
I can remember things from when I was 4. But I don't know how much I actually remember or if I've just heard the story a bunch of times and have seen pictures.
So as Sarah gets older, I wonder how much she actually remembers. She's a sharp cookie, so I figured there would be lots of things we've done that she would remember.
Yeah. Not so much.
She'll remember a fun place we went, like Planet Pizza. But she didn't remember her 3 yr old preschool teacher who she saw every Tues/Thurs for 9 mos.
I said something about Ms Carissa (her teacher when she was 3) and she said, "Who's that?" I was so surprised. Her memory of that year was erased and all she could focus on was Ms. Missy, her 4 yr old teacher.
I showed her pictures of her classmates when she was 3, and if they didn't go to the 4 yr old class with her, she has no idea who they are.
I think her long term memory is just now starting to kick in and rev up. But it's like if it happened before Caroline was born, she doesn't have a clue what I'm talking about.
No real point. It's just interesting to me, that's all.
First Birthday Cakes
As part of a tradition, I like to completely screw up my kids' birthday cakes.
Not really.
I don't like to do it, but it seems to happen nevertheless.
Let's take a peek at first birthday cakes from the past...
I wanted to make Sarah a pink cake. I wasn't going to buy a cake. I decided that the tradition would be that at least your first birthday cake is homemade... because really who are you trying to impress on the first birthday. Save your money and the fancy cakes for when you're trying to impress your kids' friends and their parents. :)
The day of her party (mistake #1), I made her cake.
I used a mix. So you would assume that would be a foolproof way to go.
Or maybe not.
It was 2 layers (mistake #2). Keep it simple, stupid.
After baking it and waiting for it to cool (but apparently not waiting long enough) and frosting 2 layers, this is what I got... (this is a bird's eye view)
I bawled. I was 8 mos pregnant and hormones were surging and I was sure I had just ruined my daughter's first birthday.
After I uncurled from the fetal position and picked myself up off the floor :), I went to the store and bought another mix and just kept it simple.
So when Jack turned 1, I already knew what I was going to do. A simple chocolate cake. No layers.
He looks impressed, huh?
But I think part of the above expression on his face is because his first birthday fell on the day of my 10 year high school reunion. I had places to be that day.
So as soon as he woke up that morning, the family went to Chick-Fil-A and met my parents and my sister and her kids and had a family breakfast and let the kids play in the play area.
Then I rushed him home and before his nap, threw a cake in front of him, so that I could take a quick picture and then hop in the shower and get ready for the reunion.
So I think really this look is more of,
"I'm so tired, Mom. I don't care. Just let me nap. I won't even remember this day anyway...."
But Sarah liked it and had fun.
Then today I decided to make Caroline's cake... I used a mix as always... and still it's just not quite right.
What's up with the droopy saggy crater that you see? (The picture really doesn't do it justice.)
Not a huge big deal because I can cover it with icing. But still. The idea is that you add some water, oil, and eggs and bake. That should NEVER come out any way other than PERFECT.
Next time one of my kids has a first birthday, I'm gonna....
Oh wait. :)
Not really.
I don't like to do it, but it seems to happen nevertheless.
Let's take a peek at first birthday cakes from the past...
I wanted to make Sarah a pink cake. I wasn't going to buy a cake. I decided that the tradition would be that at least your first birthday cake is homemade... because really who are you trying to impress on the first birthday. Save your money and the fancy cakes for when you're trying to impress your kids' friends and their parents. :)
The day of her party (mistake #1), I made her cake.
I used a mix. So you would assume that would be a foolproof way to go.
Or maybe not.
It was 2 layers (mistake #2). Keep it simple, stupid.
After baking it and waiting for it to cool (but apparently not waiting long enough) and frosting 2 layers, this is what I got... (this is a bird's eye view)
I bawled. I was 8 mos pregnant and hormones were surging and I was sure I had just ruined my daughter's first birthday.
After I uncurled from the fetal position and picked myself up off the floor :), I went to the store and bought another mix and just kept it simple.
So when Jack turned 1, I already knew what I was going to do. A simple chocolate cake. No layers.
He looks impressed, huh?
But I think part of the above expression on his face is because his first birthday fell on the day of my 10 year high school reunion. I had places to be that day.
So as soon as he woke up that morning, the family went to Chick-Fil-A and met my parents and my sister and her kids and had a family breakfast and let the kids play in the play area.
Then I rushed him home and before his nap, threw a cake in front of him, so that I could take a quick picture and then hop in the shower and get ready for the reunion.
So I think really this look is more of,
"I'm so tired, Mom. I don't care. Just let me nap. I won't even remember this day anyway...."
But Sarah liked it and had fun.
Then today I decided to make Caroline's cake... I used a mix as always... and still it's just not quite right.
What's up with the droopy saggy crater that you see? (The picture really doesn't do it justice.)
Not a huge big deal because I can cover it with icing. But still. The idea is that you add some water, oil, and eggs and bake. That should NEVER come out any way other than PERFECT.
Next time one of my kids has a first birthday, I'm gonna....
Oh wait. :)
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