A one and a two...

We were invited to go to a performance by the Spokane Symphony Orchestra today with some of the students from the school we were at last year. We rarely turn down the opportunity for a field trip so we tagged along. On the way we stopped by the school to pick up three students to help with the carpooling. That made five boys with me in the car. I commented on how quiet they were. A second later, one of them started talking Pokemon with Josh and the conversation continued all the way there. One boy in the way back of the car was very intent on something that I assumed to be a handheld game of some sort. When I looked closer, I was surprised and pleased to see that he was reading the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.

The concert was great. The conductor, with the help of his musicians, introduced each of the instruments and explained how each worked. It was very interesting and held the attention of several hundred students in the audience. I was also impressed by how many students knew the four groups in the orchestra and the names of the instruments.

When we got back in the van, I asked each of the boys which instrument they would like to play.

Josh: "The bassoon."

Z: "The piano." (He already plays.)

Adam: "Drums." (I should have guessed.)

J: "What. Oh, I don't know, I wasn't paying attention." (He was the one with the book.)

And then there was C. When I asked him, he said, "None." "Well, what if you had to?" I asked. "I wouldn't," he answered. "What if you had to either play an instrument or go to prison?" He said, "I'd go to prison." Wouldn't it just be easier to play the triangle?

And by the way, I'd want to play the harp...to go with my angelic personality.

Missed

This morning something happened that a few years ago I thought would never happen to me again. Something that when it happened before was slightly annoying but now I look back on with fond memories. Something that often interrupted my only moment of peace and quiet most days. Something that I didn't know I was missing until it happened again. What could it possibly be you ask? It's tiny little fingers appearing under the bathroom door when I'm in there. Tiny little fingers attached to tiny little arms attached to a tiny little body that, on hands and knees, had followed me down the hall without me knowing. And this morning when I saw those tiny little fingers, do you know what I did? I laughed. I laughed right out loud sitting there. Not for one second was it in the least bit annoying. I just laughed and soaked it in. One, because tiny little fingers are so adorable wherever they are, even peeking under the bathroom door. And two, because I know how quickly those fingers grow and no longer follow me wherever I go.

Now I look forward to the next step which, of course, is little toys flying under the door. With the boys it was plastic lizards and snakes and dinosaurs. What will it be with Jules? Barbie shoes and Polly Pocket pieces and barrettes? Who knows? But when it happens, and it will happen, I'll let you know.

Until then, I'll enjoy moments like these that are oh so fleeting.

37

Two years ago when I turned 35, I wrote this list of 35 things I had learned over my 35 years of life. Here I am two years later turning 37. Two years older and two years smarter. (Well, maybe only a year and a half smarter.) So I thought I'd go back to see if I have any new insights (found in italics) on these things that I have learned. And, of course, add two more things that I've learned over the last two years.

*Sunny days make me feel better than gray days. The sunnier, the better.
*A child’s laughter is the best sound on earth. And it always makes me laugh, too.
*Good meals are best shared with good friends. Especially if it's followed by dessert.
*God’s timing is perfect. But is very rarely my idea of perfect.
*Change little boys’ diapers as fast as possible. And do the same for little girls.
*Father (and Mother) really do know best. And they know not to say, "I told you so."
*It’s fun being married to my childhood sweetheart. Shared memories are a gift.
*Always order the combination plate (and be prepared to share). It takes more than one item to make a combination plate. Always go for at least three.
*God did not give me a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. And the greatest of these is love.
*Wear pajamas as much as possible. Which is one of the great things about homeschooling.
*Summer vacation is best spent on the beach. And with kids.
*A clean house makes me feel good. I wish I had a maid.
*Prayer is my most powerful tool. And my most used tool.
*There’s nothing better than a good nap. Absolutely nothing.
*Sisterhood gets better with age. And is one of my most treasured blessings.
*Marriage to a godly husband is a great gift. Especially in times of trial.
*Bugs aren’t scary at all in the hands of a five year old. Except for spiders.
*Music soothes the savage beast and the grumpy child. Which are often very much alike.
*Going to the movies alone is good. And happens far to infrequently.
*Teaching children (especially my own) is very rewarding. And each moment is priceless.
*Grace is amazing. And makes all the difference.
*Sister-friends are the best friends. Now and always.
*Chasing butterflies is good exercise for body and soul. Especially the soul.
*Sometimes I need help. But don't like to ask for it.
*Motherhood is wonderfully scary. And just gets more wonderful and more scary.
*Health is underrated. Physical, mental, and spiritual.
*The Lord truly works in mysterious ways. Julianna!
*Ice water is my favorite drink. With huckleberry lemonade a close second.
*Laughter really is the best medicine. And the doses are easy to swallow.
*The book is always better than the movie. Always.
*Eating cold watermelon on a hot summer day is the best. Mmm...watermelon.
*Family is why we are here. Family is why I am here.
*God’s ways are best. Amen.
*God’s ways are best. Amen.
*God’s ways are best. Amen.

And now for two new ones:

*Having a baby when you are of advanced maternal age is amazing.
*The Lord works for the good of those who serve him.

Hot!

Update: Julianna is getting better. She had several days of high fever and wanted to do nothing but sleep. The fever finally broke after a few days of antibiotics. Yesterday she was more active and even smiled a little. We were able to take her to church this morning and she did fine other than being a little cranky from missing her morning nap. Now if she'd just start eating again she'll be on her way to her silly little self. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Julianna woke up with a slight fever yesterday morning. After the new tooth, I thought maybe she was getting another. She was warm, kind of sleepy, and didn't eat much all day. Since it was family dinner night at my mom's house and I didn't want to take her in case it was something contagious, Arrty volunteered to stay home with her so that I could take the boys for dinner. When I got home and picked her up, she was burning up. I knew that she was at least 102 degrees. Mom's know these things. When I took her temperature, it was 102.5 under her arm which means you have to add a degree making it 103.5. Yikes! She also had red spots all over her body which I attributed to the fever. I gave her some Tylenol and after a while her fever went down (but not away) and she even got down off my lap to play a little. But all through the night, she was feverish and miserable and didn't sleep much. So this morning when her fever was still between 102 and 103 I decided to take her in to the doctor. He said that the fever, rash, and redness in her eyes made him think it was either a viral infection or a strep infection. (She also has an ear infection in one ear.) So he put her on antibiotics which will hopefully help her get better quickly. He then did something that I wish doctors wouldn't do. He said, "I don't want to worry you but her symptoms are also associated with a rare disease called..." (I don't remember what he said. I was too busy praying.) Why do they do that?!?! If I come back in a few days and she's not better or getting worse, then tell me about the rare disease!

As of now, she has had her first dose of antibiotic and a dose of Tylenol and is finally sleeping peacefully with only a slight fever. And can I just say that there is nothing more worrisome and sad than a sick baby.

Please pray for Julianna over the next few days that the antibiotics work and that she's back to her silly, sweet self soon. Thanks.

Let Her Eat Steak!

Julianna has a tooth!

Finally. I have been looking for it for months because her brothers both had teeth before they were 6 months old. She's 8 1/2 months old. Thursday night she was fussy and crying which isn't like her at all. She is normally really happy and content. She also had a slight fever this week and didn't seem to have as much of an appetite as usual. I've been feeling around on her bottom gums for teeth for awhile and I think she was getting sick of it because most of the time she'd stick her tongue out to push my finger away. But yesterday when she was in the bathtub distracted by the splashing and the floating frog toys, I reached into her cute little mouth and there it was. The tiniest little hint of a toothy ridge. I was so excited and called the rest of the family in to tell them the news. Everyone cheered and smiled.

And once again, Jules was probably wondering what all the fuss was about.

Babyness

I didn't think it would happen so fast. I remembered that it would happen, just not yet. This time of following a baby around the house making sure she doesn't put anything in her mouth that shouldn't be there. Making sure she doesn't pull herself up on something that will tip over with her. Making sure that she is safe in all of her new adventures and wanderings. Julianna started crawling only a few weeks ago and now she is going everywhere. We close all the doors to rooms we don't want her in, but even still she finds plenty to keep the rest of the family hopping to make sure she, and her surroundings, stay safe. At the moment she has pulled herself to standing and is busy pulling dvds off the movie shelf. They were in alphabetical order. Now she's laughing as she drops another. Now she's sitting and shaking a rattle as hard as she can. Now she's crawling toward me...pulling up on the chair...and now I'm back after some snuggling and giggling. So, yes, I know all about the following the baby thing. It just seems that since it was so long ago that my boys were babies, I'm a little surprised when baby things happen. And that they happen so quickly.

Here are some other baby things I've been reminded of lately.

*Cheerios that have been sucked on then dropped in the seat of the high chair stick like they've been super glued.
*Things like magazines or grocery lists will become a mid-morning snack if left in reach of a 8 1/2 month old.
*There's this game called "how many times will mommy pick up the toy I just dropped before she realizes that we're playing this game."
*Babies learn things on their own. For example, Julianna knows not only what dancing is, but how to do it when she hears the word.
*No matter what you put in front of things you don't want a baby to get to, they figure out a way to get there.
*Even if you have a basket full of really fun toys in the living room, baby's favorite toy is the remote control.

And some things I've learned about Julianna in particular.

*She loves music. (It must have been that Def Leppard concert she went to six weeks before she was born.)
*She especially loves the birthday song.
*She loves it when other people clap but she will only clap if no one else is clapping.
*She is ticklish under her arms.
*She loves yogurt but not chicken noodle dinner baby food.
*She enjoys chocolate. (I gave her the tiniest taste of my valentine Hershey bar and she tried to dive out of my arms to get to the rest of it on the table.)
*And just when I thought it wasn't possible, she gets cuter every day.

Heart Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. But this year, I haven't had to spend time this week helping the boys fill out little cards for classmates. I haven't had to fill treat bags with tiny chocolate bars and lollipops. I haven't had to put the names of kindergartners on Care Bear valentines. I haven't had to plan a party that, regardless of the plan, would include 3 1/2 minutes of frantic 5 year olds putting cards in each others decorated kleenex boxes, 6 minutes of oohing and ahhing over said cards, and then 10 minutes of a game I like to call "how much sugar can a kindergartner ingest in one sitting." And I've missed it. I miss days like this when I know that you can feel the excitement. Days that go beyond reading and counting. Days when the bond between teacher and student grows deeper simply because of the valentine that is lovingly chosen by each student especially for me. I even miss that feeling at the end of a party day consisting of one part excitement, one part sugar rush, and 98 parts exhaustion. It's days like today when I miss being a teacher.

Okay, so I'm still a teacher. I'm always a teacher. But this year our valentine's party will consist of picking valentines for each other off the rack at Target, showing them to each other, then putting them back. This is a tradition Arrty and I started many years ago and this year will be expanded to include the kids. We will also go to the valentine aisle and each pick out a treat. Then we'll go to lunch and a movie. Then stop on the way home to pick up the heart shaped pizza that I bought in the school fundraiser and head home for games and family time. This year I have four valentines. The one I'm married to and the three we've created.

So, yes, I miss party days. Crazy as that sounds to the other teachers reading this. It even sounds a little crazy to me. And just in case you read this before your valentine's party, Kathy, Katrina, and Marci, eat a heart shaped sugar cookie covered with pink frosting for me.

Reason #27...

...why not to leave a laundry basket of clean towels in the living room.



Your child will spill a bowl of chicken noodle soup into them while he's eating lunch.

Exactly

Me: Adam, go take a shower.

Adam: I don't want to take a shower.

Me: Adam, go take a shower.

Adam: Why? Showers don't even do anything.

Me: giving him the look

Adam: Well, except get you a little bit clean.

Me: Exactly.

Smurfy

Yesterday we were walking through the toy aisles at Target when all of a sudden I exclaimed, "Smurfs!" The boys thought I was crazy, which is nothing new, until I pointed out the little blue plush Smurfs on the shelf. I then explained to them what Smurfs were and told them to pick one out. I couldn't resist. They each chose a Smurf and I grabbed a Smurfette for Jules.* Then this morning I googled Smurf and guess what? There is a new Smurf movie in the works. The release date is December 2010. Apparently it takes a while to come up with all that smurfy dialogue.

Then this morning I was flipping channels on tv and saw Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, and two versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was right. I guess the 80's really did have the best cartoons.

*Julianna was more interested in the tag on the Smurfette than the Smurfette itself. She was chewing on the tag while she rode in the cart so I took it from her so that there was at least a partial upc code to scan when we got to the register. Well, she did not like that one bit. She screamed and threw herself around in the cart seat like I've never seen before. I tried to give her the toy we had brought for her to play with, but she wouldn't have anything to do with it. She was only happy when she was once again chewing on the Smurfette tag. (Note to self: Take the tags off toys before giving them to Julianna.)

Tagged

Alyson tagged me with this. I was supposed to bold the ones I have done and I took it a step further and asterisked (*) the ones I would like to do. Anyone who stops by and wants to do it yourself, feel free. (Kathy and Marci, you can post it in my comments if you want.)


1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii*

5. Watched a meteor

6. Given to charity

7. Been to Disneyland (actually is was Disneyworld)

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris*

13. Watched a lightning storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty*

18. Grown your own vegetables (I can't even keep a cactus alive.)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France*

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Drank an entire Sonic Route 66 by yourself

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice*

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise (Does a lake cruise count?)

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person*

34. Traced your family tree at least 4 generations*

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Learned a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied*

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person*

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David*

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt* (We were there but didn't wait to see it erupt.)

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant*

44. Swam with a dolphin

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance (unfortunately)

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person*

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris*

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been IN a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Cut your own hair

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (I've bought a lot, though.)

62. Gone whale watching*

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial*

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square*

74. Driven a stick shift

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London*

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person*

80. Published a book*

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem*

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House*

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (Patty Duke went through my line at Kmart once.)

92. Read an entire series of books by one author

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby (3)

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Seen the Pacific Ocean

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person (twice)

101. Learned to play an instrument (the recorder)

On The Move

Julianna has been trying really hard to crawl the last couple of weeks. She would get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. She would even move her hands ahead a little and then dive to get a toy that was just out of reach. But Tuesday it happened. Hand, knee, hand, knee, forward movement. She crawled! And since then she has been practicing and can go quite a distance. I'm not sure that she really understands why the rest of the family claps and says, "Yeah, Julianna," or "You're crawling!" She's just happy that she can get to all those places she could only see before. So here's what that means. She can more easily and quickly move around the living room. I need to double check baby proofing. She can get into the kitchen now. I have to sweep every day. She can get to her brother's toys. I need to explain again why legos must be put away. She is growing. I have to treasure every second.

And apparently, enough of this...

...and this...
...leads to this.
The hole was tiny in the morning when she got up, but after just a little while of baby acrobatics, it grew to this. Oh, yeah. She's also ready for the next size of jammies.

Saturday

What I'd like to do today is curl up with a blanket and a good book.

But what I've done instead is...

take care of a sick baby
unload and reload the dishwasher
vacuum
dust
sweep
mop
organize the boys' school stuff for next week
wash, dry, and put away three loads of laundry
put away groceries
feed two constantly hungry boys
make chocolate chip cookies with said boys (okay, that one was fun)
check and reply to email
read a few blogs
research cloth diapers online

Oh, yeah. And write one itsy, bitsy blog post.

That's a lot of soup...

I was making dinner the other night and needed to open a can of olives. As I watched the can spin around on my electric can opener, I realized that I had received that can opener as a wedding gift. 16 1/2 years ago. I figure I open about 5 cans a week times 198 weeks of marriage. That's 990 cans that have been opened by that can opener. Then I began to think of other things that I still use that I got as wedding gifts. The blender, toaster, kitchen knives, silverware, dish towels, popcorn popper, mixer, crock pot, and several mixing bowls are some of the things that came to mind as I stood in the kitchen. Then I thought about things that are used in the rest of the house. Like the clock that hangs on the living room wall. And the bath towels and wash cloths in the hall closet. And various frames that hang throughout the house. It seems amazing that so many things have lasted so long. The towels are starting to get worn and my crock pot hasn't had a knob for a long time, but everything still does what it's supposed to. So, I'm thinking about starting a new tradition. When a couple celebrates their 20th wedding anniversary, I think they should get an anniversary shower. A big party to celebrate their marriage complete with balloons and cake and gifts. All their friends can shower them with congratulations and new kitchen appliances. I only have three and a half years to get this trend started. Because I figure that's about when my can opener will give out.

Woo Hoo!

So this morning I drove into town to pick up the boys who had both spent last night away from home. After I picked up Josh, I decided to stop by McDonald's to get breakfast. Some friends from church work there and happened to be working this morning. They asked me if we had signed up for the drawings that they were having to celebrate their grand re-opening. When I told them we hadn't, they gave us the forms to fill out. I filled out four, one for each of us who is old enough to know what a prize is. On the way home, I was thinking how cool it would be if we won the big prize. But I didn't think we would. How often do you really win in those kinds of drawings? Well, a few hours after we got home, the phone rang and it was a lady from McDonald's. And guess what? WE WON!! And guess what we won? We won an XBOX360!!! I can't even tell you how excited the boys are. Thrilled is an understatement. So this evening when I go back into town for something else, I am going back to McDonald's to pick up our new XBOX360!!!

I knew that all those trips to McDonald's would pay off someday.

Ramblings

I was holding Abby (my new niece) the other day when I went to visit my sister. My mom was holding Julianna. After about 30 seconds, Jules decided that she didn't like that one bit. We had to switch babies. When she was the baby on my lap, she was fine.

Speaking of Abby, she gets more adorable every time I see her. She is such a blessing.

During that same visit Aidan transformed himself into the cutest pirate ever. Even cuter than Jack Sparrow.

Speaking of Aidan, he has also informed me that he no longer wants to trade his baby for Julianna. He told me that he was afraid his sister was going to look like a green alien and since she doesn't and is cute after all, he'll keep her.

Josh and Adam went to take their Idaho Reading Indicator tests yesterday and both scored way above grade level. Good news for me as mom and teacher.

Speaking of reading, I bought the new "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book for the boys the other day at Costco. That evening, I picked it up, turned to the middle, and started reading it. I laughed out loud so many times that I went back and started from the beginning. Now I want to go back and read the first two in the series.

Julianna is so close to crawling. She gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. Sometimes she even gets on her hands and feet like Mowgli. And even though she doesn't quite have the whole crawling thing down, she is still able to get around pretty good by rolling and scooting.

Speaking of Julianna, I had a very strange thing happen last Sunday when I was teaching the cradle roll Bible class. Jules and Lily were the only two babies in class and in the middle of singing songs about ducks, I looked at Jules and had to remind myself that this beautiful, sweet baby was mine. Some days it seems so surreal.

Awww...

Josh: "I feel privileged just be able to know Julianna."

Mmmm...smooshed bananas

This morning I was feeding Julianna her breakfast of baby oatmeal and Gerber stage 2 banana baby food. The smell of the banana mush suddenly made me remember eating it when I was little. Only I remember eating it when I was 4 or 5 years old. Too old to be eating baby food. Maybe it was when my sister was a baby and mom shared some of her food with me. Or maybe it was because I wanted it and mom obliged. I was a little spoiled. And still am. Even now she makes me my own personal sized pea salad without onions. She's the best.

Who Knew?

Who doesn't know that their own child can sit up on her own? ME! Yesterday I was changing Julianna's diaper and sat her up on the changing table and let go for just a second to see what she would do. And she sat there looking at me and grinning! Since then I have tried several other times and it wasn't just a fluke. She is still a little wobbly but undoubtedly can sit up on her own. How did I miss that? Maybe I've been too busy watching her rocking on her hands and knees about to crawl. Sitting and crawling? What's next?

Numbers

16.5--the number of pounds my sweet daughter weighs

7--the number of times Josh laughed out loud during "Bedtime Stories"

0--the number of times I got up with kids last night (yeah!)

2--the number of loads of laundry I did today

14--the number of minutes Adam laid on the bed with me this morning while I read and he played his gameboy

1--the number of books I read in the last 24 hours (Stargirl)

3--the number of pacifiers and teethers I fished out from behind the bed today

27--the number of minutes I held my sweet niece on my lap yesterday

27--the number of times that I smiled at my sweet niece yesterday as I held her

9--the number of things I learned about ancient Rome this week while homeschooling

6--the number of times I said, "Yes, you have to write all your spelling words."

26--the number of spelling words to be written

1.8--the number of seconds it takes Julianna to roll across the living room floor

1.9--the number of seconds it takes Julianna to find something that she shouldn't have

22--the number of times I smiled today because the sun was shining

100--the number of times I have been blessed today

Sugar and Spice

There have been many, many children in my life over the years. It all started when I was a teenager and took babysitting jobs. Then for several years my mom and I owned a preschool and cared for more kids than I can count. Then I started teaching and taught kids from kindergarten through the eighth grade. I have also taught numerous Bible classes and have even done a few stints as a Vacation Bible School teacher. All of the children that I have come in contact with have somehow influenced my life. Some have given me good stories to tell. Some have taught me more than any college professor ever could. Some made me glad that I could send them home at the end of the day. And some touched my heart.

Then there are the children of my sister-friends. They are so very special to me for two reasons. One, because they are all great kids. And two, because I love their mothers so much that the feeling naturally spills over onto them. I share with their moms the pride and happiness that come along the way. I share in their lives now and hopefully for a long time to come.

Then, of course, there are my own children. Oh my goodness. I never, never could have imagined a love like I have for these three little souls that have been graciously sent to live with me for a life time. First there was Josh. I was scared before he was born because being a mommy was something that I wanted but didn't know anything about. I read all the books. But nothing could prepare me for the reality of having a child. Or for the feeling of having my heart walk around outside my body. Then 19 months later Adam came along. I wondered how I could possibly love another child the way I loved Josh. Knowing that Adam was a boy before he was born helped me bond with him during the busy-ness of having a one year old. And when he was born, even though I thought it wasn't possible, my heart again left me to reside with someone else... this tiny, bald person that I hardly knew but loved more than life itself. Then seven years later it happened again. I remember lying on the operating table last June and hearing for the first time, the cry of my daughter. She was loud. And I was in love. Before I even saw her face I loved her. And in that moment my heart fled for a third time. Every single day I thank God for three beautiful, healthy, happy children. Is it always easy? No. Is it always fun? Not always. Is it always amazing? Yes.

And then there are two other children in my life who I could only love more if they were my own. One is my nephew, Aidan. He is amazing. He is smart and funny and creative and imaginative and sweet. He surprises me in a new and wonderful way every time I am blessed to spend time with him. There is some kind of special aunt love that makes me feel about Aidan like I feel about no one else. It was only he who brought out that unique feeling. Until Friday. Friday I met Abigail Mae, my brand new niece. She already amazes me. She amazes me because of her sweet little face and round cheeks. She amazes me because she has more hair than her seven month old cousin. She amazes me because of the miracle that she is. And she amazes me because she is part of my sister who is my best friend. I am so looking forward to getting to know this new child in my life. To finding out who she is and who she will become. To watching her grow up with Julianna and seeing them play together and be best friends. To being someone she can come to and count on and laugh with. I am already planning our first slumber party. We will watch movies and eat popcorn and bake cookies and paint each other's fingernails. Abby and Jules will do their mommies' hair and then Ada and I will do theirs. And then when things start to settle down, Ada and I will sit together in wonder as we watch our little girls whispering and giggling together. And I will reach over and take my sweet sister's hand in mine and we will remember the day Abby was born and tear up just a little. And smile a lot.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I was in the waiting room at the hospital waiting to see my sister and new niece. I was sitting there with Julianna playing happily on my lap. She is absolutely adorable and often gets noticed by strangers. About the fifth person to notice her was an elderly (and as you will see, slightly confused) lady who was out walking the halls. She came over to get a closer look and asked, "How old is he*?" To which I replied, "SHE'S seven months old." (She was wearing a green camouflaged sweatshirt with pink roses on it and pink pants.) "Oh," she said, "Are you her...(wait for it)... GRANDMOTHER?" After the shock wore off, I informed her that I was, in fact, her mother. I know that I am of advanced maternal age (36), but that is ridiculous!

*It doesn't matter if Julianna is dressed in pink from head to toe and covered with a pink blanket, holding a doll, somebody (usually an older lady) asks if she is a boy or girl. It's very strange.

Bedtime

This is how bedtime goes in our house. Teeth brushing, goodnight hugs for Jules (if she's still up) and dad, reading and/or singing, prayers, tucking in, goodnight hugs for me, Josh making sure his blankets are perfectly aligned, Adam making sure all his stuffed animals are in the right order, more hugs, me saying, "Sweet dreams," me turning off the light. Adam saying, "Mom." Me saying, "What?" Adam saying, "Goodnight." Me saying, "Goodnight." Again.

And just when you think it's over...someone is up to use the bathroom. And then the other is up to get a drink. Which reminds the other that he, too, is thirsty. More goodnights. More hugs.

Then since Adam got out of bed, he needs me to come straighten out his blanket. More goodnights.

And just when you think it's over...
one of the boys: "Mom."
me: "What?"
one of the boys: "Can you lay with us?"
me: *sigh* (At this point I really just want to sit with a glass of ice water and watch The Mentalist or Grey's Anatomy in peace.)

But I get up and go in to their room anyway. There was a time not so long ago when I wouldn't go in to lay with them. "You are 7 (or 9) years old," I would say, "You should be able to go to sleep on your own." Then one night a few weeks ago I did go in with them and as I lay looking at the faces of my sons in the dark, I realized that any night now could be the last time they ask me to lay with them. The last night that they need me to be there as they fall asleep. The last night that I get to watch as their eyes close, and their breathing slows, and their sweet faces relax into sleep. And when that night comes, I don't want my answer to be "no." So I go in to lay with Adam, who scoots over to the wall, looks at me and smiles. As his eyes close, I pray for him. His future. His protection and health and happiness. His soul. The little girl who will someday be his wife. That he will use his sense of humor and love of fun to help him in his life. Then after a few minutes I walk across the room to lay with Josh, who scoots as close to me as he can, looks at me and smiles. As his eyes close, I pray for him. His future. His protection and health and happiness. His soul. The little girl who will someday be his wife. That he will use his leadership abilities and soft heart to help him in his life. Then after a few minutes I start to get up but Josh asks me to scratch his back. I do and after a few more minutes I really do get up and walk to the door. "Mom," comes a voice. "Yes," I answer. "I love you," says the voice. "I love you, too. Sweet dreams," I say. Again.

Gone

So why is it that all through every day I have these brilliant blog posts go through my mind and then I sit down to write and everything is gone? I know that they are still in there somewhere, I just can't find them. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.

Ramblings

I am so ready to move somewhere with NO snow.

Julianna is 7 months old today.

The Christmas tree is officially gone.

This is the last week day of Christmas break.

Only one week until we meet the newest member of our family. (My niece!)

I saw and loved "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" this week.

I no longer need an alarm clock. Julianna wakes up at 5:45 on the dot every morning.

Therefore, I need a nap.

Happy New Year!

May yours be filled with blessings too numerous to count, peace that passes understanding, and moments full of laughter and love.

Skillz

I have acquired a new skill over the last few weeks. I can now tell the outside temperature based on the slushiness of my Diet Coke being stored in the garage. I can get within a degree or two every time.

(Having nice, cold Diet Coke without using up all my fridge space is the one and only good thing about winter.)

Florida, Anyone?

Or Arizona? Or Aruba? Or Hawaii? Yeah, Hawaii sounds good.

I Believe

We've never really done the Santa thing with our kids. They just see him as a character from books and movies. I asked them about it this year. If they wished we had Santa come to our house. They said no. They were fine with things the way they've been. "Besides," said Adam, "There's no way he could get to all the houses in the world in one night." So we believe in the spirit of Santa, but not so much the guy in red himself.

But after this year, I'm seriously considering rethinking Santa. You see, he has been visiting us for weeks. Our family has been affected by the economic downturn and somebody told Santa. He has sent envelopes with money and gift certificates. He has delivered boxes of food and gifts. And on Christmas Eve he outdid himself by leaving on our front porch boxes and bags of gifts for our family. I was completely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of our own personal Santa (or Santas). This Santa knows us well because the sizes were right on the clothes and the gifts for the kids were perfect. There were games and puzzles and toys and even a few very thoughtful things for Arrty and I. We have played lots of hands of Uno Spin and Adam is working on his puzzle as I type. And Julianna is completely in love with the blue elephant and butterfly doll that she received. (I saw the same doll while shopping and almost bought it for her because it is so cute and perfect for her since her room is decorated with butterflies.) For a brief moment I started to wrack my brain to try to figure out who could have done such a wonderful thing for our family, then I decided that the gift tags said Santa, so I would just go with that. I hope, though, that somehow all those who have been so very kind to us know that we are truly grateful.

And I hope that next year, we'll be able to do the same for someone else.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I enjoyed seeing Marmitetoasty's Christmas tree ornaments so much that I decided to share a few of ours. Our tree is covered with all kinds of ornaments. Some are handmade by the kids. Some were given to us as gifts. And some were bought during our traditional ornament shopping trip.

Adam made this one when he was 4.

And he made this one in kindergarten.

Josh made this one in 1st grade.

And he made this one when he was 5.

This is our 2008 family ornament.

Adam's 2008 Bumble ornament.

Josh's 2008 Santa fisherman ornament.

Julianna's 2008 skating Care Bear ornament.

My angel in an egg ornament. It must be at least 25 years old.

We all love to open the ornament box and remember Christmases past. And look forward to all the Christmases to come.

Merry Christmas

I really should be frantically wrapping presents. But I'm instead here blogging. I just had to say Merry Christmas to those of you who may happen to stop by. I hope you have the best Christmas ever!

A rose by any other name...

I have encountered a problem that I wasn't expecting when we named Julianna. Some people pronounce it Juli-aw-na. But it's Juli-anna. Just like it looks. Don't get me wrong. Juliawna is a fine name, but it's not my daughter's name. So what do I do? So far I have let it go if it's someone we rarely see, like the doctor. If it's someone who we see often I just make sure to say her name correctly a few times hoping they'll catch on. I honestly never thought there would be a problem with the pronunciation or spelling of her name. (Apparently you can spell it Juliana, too.) I hope that she doesn't spend her life correcting people about her name. I can just see her in 15 years rolling her eyes and saying, "It's Juli-ANNA."

Snow Day

I make the rules and I say that if schools get a snow day, homeschoolers do, too. At least these homeschoolers do. Besides, it's going to take my students and co-teacher all day to dig us out.

This is Arrty standing next to his Explorer. I'm glad he's the one with the shovel and I'm the one with the camera.



The boys are trying to make a path out to the dog's house. The snow is up to their waists. We also use the swing set to measure our snow. It's well past the seats already.

They're making progress slowly but surely. By the way, the dog was in the house last night so he isn't snowed in his dog house. You can't see him but he was trying to "help" with the path. He's a huge chocolate lab and as he ran through the snow, all I could see was the top of his head.

Ramblings

*We went to a Christmas party at Santa's house this week. Really. He and Mrs. Claus are in our Bible study group. Check out the link. It was great fun and even better fellowship. There was dinner and a gift exchange and "Frosty the Snowman" read by Santa himself.

*I have discovered that there is a magical moment each night when, if I put Julianna to bed after prayers and songs, she will go happily to sleep all on her own. If, however, I miss that moment she isn't nearly so happy about the whole thing.

*Speaking of Julianna, she had her 6 month check-up this week. She is 25 inches long and weighs just under 15 pounds. She is in the 25th percentile for height and 20th for weight. Lots of people tell me that she's tiny, but I guess I didn't realize it since I've known her since she really was tiny. But she is perfectly healthy and right on track with her development.

*I went Christmas shopping this week and was once again surprised at all the grumpy people. Even those who were also Christmas shopping. I was so not grumpy. How could I be when I have people to buy presents for and a little bit of money to buy presents with?

*After the boys helped Arrty's grandma move yesterday, his aunt Cathy took us all out to dinner at Tomato Street. We don't eat there often and I always forget how yummy it is. I had tomato basil soup with garlic bread and chicken parmigiana with fettuccine Alfredo. Mmm. I ate the leftovers for breakfast, but I wish I had more for right now.

*I am feeling a little overwhelmed this week because even though our family has gone from 2 1/2 jobs this time last year to half a job now, we are still being provided for by our heavenly Father. We have a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs and a pantry and fridge full of food to feed our children. And we are so very blessed by the people in our lives who love us.

Overheard...

...while the boys were watching a movie.

Adam: "She's a bad singer."
Josh: "It's opera. It's supposed to be bad."

Bloggers

I was just explaining to Adam why Julianna can't have stuffed animals to sleep with. That it's not safe for her yet. To the boy who has no less than 20 stuffed animals in his bed, that made no sense. He said, "Where did you hear that? You don't always have to believe what bloggers say!"

Really? Bloggers? I thought I could always believe bloggers.

6 Months

Julianna turned 6 months old yesterday. 6 months. Half a year. I can't believe it. She does something new everyday it seems. I think because I'm an older mom this time I am appreciating this whole baby thing more. And because she's our last. Really this time.

When I was pregnant I knew that I was going to breastfeed even though it certainly isn't my favorite part of mommyhood. I was hoping to make it to 5 or 6 months with her like I had with the boys. Then she was born. The first day was easy. She was a good nurser from the beginning and I was more confident and less anxious about the whole thing. The second day was not easy. She wanted to eat all the time. And when I say all the time, I mean ALL THE TIME. I remember praying that second night, when she was attached to me yet again, for my milk to come in so that she would be full for a few minutes. And of course, it did and she was. But at that point I was a little worried. I told myself to stick it out for a week. Then when I made it that week, I thought I'd try one more week. Then I thought I would shoot for a month. By the time she was a month old, we were both old hat at the whole thing.

So here we are at 6 months and I'm trying to decide what to do. I have reached my original goal. But now it's so easy. And convenient. And free. And Jules doesn't have any teeth yet.

So I'm thinking maybe just a little longer. A couple more weeks. Or at least until that first tooth appears.

Ughh!

Julianna has another cold. She was better for a whole 4 days. Now there is more coughing and stuffiness. Where did she get it? None of the rest of us are sick. I'm usually not overly paranoid, but I'm wanting to keep her home and away from the world just to keep her well. Poor little thing.

Finished

Well, today is November 30th. That means that with this post I have succeeded in blogging everyday this month for Nablopomo. It has been a stretch to think of something each day to write about. But it has been good, too. It also means that tomorrow is December. Time to get ready for more holidays and winter weather and fun. It also means that it is officially my sister's birthday month. (Yes, she celebrates all month. Happy birthday month, Ada!)

So, Nablopomo is done for another year. I made it. Phew.

Frosty #1

Here is the first snowman of the year. He was completed last night at about 8:15. He only stands about 2 feet tall which is good because the only carrots I had for a nose were baby carrots. The boys were very proud of him. But, sadly, today he is more of a snow blob than a snowman and only has one eye and no mouth. Oh, well. I'm sure they'll have lots more opportunities to build snow creations in the months to come.

Thanksgiving Again

We had a great day yesterday celebrating Thanksgiving with family. Good food and great fellowship. And as is our tradition, today I cooked for our family. For as long as we've been married, we've not spent Thanksgiving at home. But every year I buy a turkey and all the fixings and cook all the traditional dishes a day or two after the actual day. So we have Thanksgiving twice. I mostly do it for the leftovers and so that we can have thick turkey sandwiches and hot turkey sandwiches for the next week.

Julianna tried sweet potatoes for the first time yesterday. I thought that was appropriate. She didn't much care for them though and ended up smacking the spoon out of my hand and flinging mushed sweet potatoes everywhere. So she ended up with more sweet potatoes on her sock than in her tummy.

We also played Pictionary. The boys versus the girls and Josh. The boys won thanks to Adam. Who knew he was a master Pictionary player? (He guessed lots of the answers right, but his first guess pretty much every time was, "stick person.")

It was a good day. And I was reminded once again what I have to be thankful for.

Thanks

Today I am thankful that I have everything I need to take care of my children and that I am able to get up every morning to do so.

Zzzzz?

Last night I was up with Julianna 4 times. Since she's had a cold, she's been waking up more because of the stuffy nose and coughing. And I didn't want to let her cry because she would just cough more. But now that the cold's pretty much gone, I have to make a choice. Do I do the "cry it out" method or the "non cry method" to get her to sleep through the night and get herself back to sleep? The "cry it out" method is just how it sounds. When she wakes up in the night and cries I would just let her cry herself back to sleep. The idea is that she will eventually cry less and less and be able to sleep on her own. The "non cry method" is when she cries I would go in and pick her up and comfort her but put her back down before she is back to sleep. I would have to do this every time she cries even if I have just put her back to bed. This method is supposed to teach her that it's bedtime and I'm there for her but it's time to sleep. I used the "cry it out" method with the boys and they have both always been pretty good sleepers. And they don't seem to be scarred for life because I let them cry. So what do I do? She'll be six months old next week and it's time for a good night's sleep for the both of us.

By the way, I totally jinxed her sleeping through the night between the ages of 1 month to 3 months. I was bragging to anyone who asked and now I'm paying for it. So I'm not going to mention that she is finally starting to take a pacifier instead of using me as her human pacifier. Wait. Did I just jinx that, too?

2

Well, I missed it. Again. My two year blogiversary was November 4th. I always think it's later in the month. For two years I've written about my life. Two of the hardest years of my life. Here's hoping the next two are easier. And that I don't miss my 3rd blogiversary.

Learning

Have I mentioned that homeschooling is hard? Well, it is. It's a real challenge trying to teach ancient Rome surrounded by all the distractions like toys and bikes and a baby sister and 24 hour cartoon channels. And then there's the mom thing. "But mom, do I really have to write my spelling words?" "Aww, mom, can't I just write 4 sentences instead of 6?" Then there's the fact that we have a 5 month old baby in the house who has absolutely no concern for who Julius Caesar is or what 4 times 9 equals. She kind of sets our schedule for us. (Although I can nurse her and give a spelling test at the same time.) And I fully admit to being overly flexible. "The sun's shining? Sure you can play outside." "You've never seen this Scooby Doo? Sure, you can watch it." Don't get me wrong, we still do school everyday and are pretty much on schedule. But that's mostly because I was a teacher before I was a mom and am pretty good at combining lessons and integrating different subjects.

So, yes, homeschooling is hard. But I realized something a few nights ago. The boys wanted me to lay with them at bedtime and I really didn't want to. I am with them all day every day after all. I really just wanted to watch Grey's Anatomy without interruption. But lay with them I did. And they started some conversation. I don't even remember what it was. But I do remember thinking that I know my children better now than I ever have before. Spending half the day talking with them about books and history and art and science and the world has allowed me to know them in a way I never could have without this experience. I know that it will be good for all of us in the long run. I know that down the road I will be glad that we made this decision. And tomorrow I'll try to remember that when I'm explaining again why they do, in fact, have to write all 6 sentences.

Twilight

Yes, yesterday vampires made me happy. Here's why. I went to see "Twilight" with my "Twilight" friends. It's a movie that's been made from the first in the crazy popular book series by Stephanie Meyer. The main characters are Bella, a teenage girl living in Forks, Washington, and her vampire boyfriend, Edward, and his vampire family. Katrina shared the books with me a few months ago and I devoured them. (No pun intended.) I know that they will never be considered classic great American novels, but I loved reading them. I was entertained and absolutely fascinated that the author could come up with such detailed explanations of everything from the landscape to the thoughts of a teenage girl to all the hows and whys of vampires. My imagination is limited which is why I mostly write non-fiction so to read a story with such creativity was a real treat for me. And I was really looking forward to seeing the movie even knowing that I might be among the oldest members of the audience. So here's what I thought about the movie. I liked it a lot. The casting was well done for the most part. The same feeling of teenage angst and brooding from the book was there along with the excitement of young love. They did a fine job of portraying the vampires from the way they looked to the way they moved. Obviously they couldn't do justice to a 500 page novel in a two hour movie, but I still really enjoyed it. And it was fun to go with my girls and giggle about our glow-in-the-dark plastic fangs.

And, by the way, the lady three seats down was much older than me.

5 Things...

...that made me happy today.

1. Tea parties
2. Friends
3. Vampires*
4. Toothless grins (babies, not old men)
5. Girl's night

*More on this tomorrow

Get A Clue

Thursday nights have become family game night at our house. Last week it was Dominoes and Triple Yahtzee. Last night it was Clue. I hadn't played Clue for years. Like 20 years. And the boys had never played. So we all had to learn (or re-learn) together. It was really fun to watch the boys try to strategize their moves and figure out who did it, with what, where. Well, Josh had a strategy. Adam mostly moved from room to room and suggested that he (Mr. Green) did it with the lead pipe. And he had a hard time not commenting on each clue card he received. Yes, the lead pipe is bent like someone really used it to hit someone else. Yes, the knife does look old fashioned. Yes, it is weird that daddy is Col. Mustard when he actually can't stand mustard. But we got through 2 whole games of Clue. I won the first one which was kind of surprising since I wasn't trying that hard. And Arrty won the second one. Which wasn't surprising at all because he was trying really hard. And it wasn't Mr. Green with the lead pipe either time.

Ma

"If more people listened to Ma Ingalls life would be a lot simpler."
Alison Arngrim, season 6

I've decided that I want to be Caroline Ingalls. She was one of those great pioneer moms who could make one chicken feed her family for days. She could make them all clothes without patterns and then use the old, worn out clothes to make quilts to keep them warm when the snow blew in through the cracks in the walls. She could milk the cows and make butter from the milk. Then make perfect bread or biscuits to spread the butter on without a recipe. And while the bread baked, she could cut out paper dolls for her daughters. She read and sang to her children and taught them what they needed to know. She disciplined Laura when she got into trouble for teasing Nellie, but she wasn't too hard on her because she knew that Nellie deserved it. She taught her children the value of everything and helped them to be glad for what they had...like an orange in their Christmas stocking or a handmade doll. She appreciated her husband and did what she could to support him in all he did. She encouraged her children to be and do whatever they wanted. She worked hard every day and did all she could to give her family the happy home that they shared. That all sounds pretty good to me. So that's why I want to be Caroline Ingalls.

Size 3

Today I used my last size 2 diaper and had to open the size 3's that I bought at Costco. They looked huge! How could my tiny baby daughter possibly need such huge diapers? They are for babies who are 16-24 pounds. I don't think Jules is quite 16 pounds, but she is surely getting close. Too close to need another Costco box of size 2's. So I tried it. And guess what? It wasn't as huge as I thought. It was a little big, but it worked.

I think mostly I didn't want her to need size 3. To me she is still a size 2, or even 1. Five and a half months has gone by too fast. It just doesn't seem possible. And size 3 diapers was just one more reminder that they grow. They grow fast.

Family Dinner

In yesterday's post I mentioned family dinner but I don't think I've ever written about it here. For years, for as long as I can remember, my family has had at least one night a week where we all have dinner together. It started out as just the four of us. Mom, dad, my sister, and I. Then it turned into a once a week event. Over the years it has grown to be the ten, soon to be eleven, of us. But it is much more than just a meal. We tell stories and share our lives and laugh at and with each other. We watch our kids play and grow together. We talk about memories and make new ones. So, yes, it is family dinner because we do eat delicious food every week. But it's really so much more.

Weekend? We had a weekend?

I spent the entire weekend pretty much sitting with a sick baby in my lap or asleep on my chest watching kid's movies with a sick 7 year old. I lost count of how many movies we watched and how many Kleenexes we used. But today there seems to be a turn around. Julianna is smiling more and sneezing less. And Adam is actually outside playing with Josh on this beautiful fall day. I may even bundle the baby up and go for a short walk this afternoon. One more day of rest and hopefully we'll be able to go to family dinner tomorrow.

Party Time

I've been having parties at my house lately. But I didn't need to invite anyone because I had plenty of guests. And even if I would have invited you, you wouldn't have wanted to come because my parties were "pity parties." And the guests who came weren't invited and were not any fun. You see, the guests were worry and anger and selfishness and anxiety and sadness and guilt. They came without warning and came in through doors that I thought were locked. Sometimes they brought friends, too,--fear, chaos, and loneliness. And they were terrible guests. They came in and made a mess and wouldn't leave when I asked them to. They just lingered around and touched everything. They hung around when I was trying to teach my boys and care for my baby and love my husband. They whispered in my ear as I tried to do all the things I'm supposed to do each day. Right before my eyes, they seemed to grow as they fed each other. And then one day I saw them for what they were and I was tired of the parties. I was tired of allowing unwanted guests into my life. I was tired of these things ruling how I lived. So I kicked them out.

I knew, though, that they would be back if I didn't invite new guests into my life. So I replaced worry with prayer and anger with love. I invited generosity and peace to take the place of selfishness and anxiety. Joy replaced sadness. And my favorite new guest, grace, swept guilt right out the door. My new guests are great. And they bring friends, too. Friends like patience, mercy, and self control. They don't make messes but clean up the ones already here. They, too, touch everything in my life, but with light instead of darkness. They hang around my family, but instead of spreading pain, they lavish goodness. And best of all, they bring their own whispers to guide me through each day. They remind me of my blessings. They help me see the cutest smile in the world on my sweet daughter's face and point out the goodness in the hearts of my sons. These wonderful party guests help me appreciate my husband and be grateful for all he does for us. They gently show me how to prioritize my life and remind me that a spotless house isn't as important as a memory made. So now, when I have parties at my house, there is no pity allowed. Those old, dark, miserable parties have been replaced by "peace parties" that pass all understanding.

First Cold

Is there anything more pitiful than a sick baby? Poor Julianna has a cold complete with watery eyes, runny and stuffy nose, and coughing. She's being a real trooper and isn't complaining much, but I can tell she doesn't feel well. She's not her smiley, happy self. Hopefully a few days of rest will help.

(Adam is also down with the same cold. And I woke up with a sore throat. But mommy can't get sick.)

Haunting

I watch Grey's Anatomy. They almost lost me as a viewer in the last few weeks, but I decided to give it one more chance. And last night was better. It was back to more patient/doctor stuff which is the best part. I'm glad. I would have missed Bailey and Izzie and Alex and George if I would have had to let them go. And now that Denny is haunting Izzie I have to stick around.

Hair Today...

Today as we were going to the car to head into town, it was very windy. We actually checked the stuff in the yard and on the porch to make sure it wouldn't blow away while we were gone. Adam forgot something in the house so I walked back in with him. As we were fighting with the door to keep it from blowing too far, Adam said, completely out of the blue, "It's a good thing none of us wear wigs." Yes. Yes it is.

12

12 days into Nablopomo and I'm struggling to think of something to write about. Here are my options. The art of diaper changing. Multiplication tables. Verbs. Kitchen cleaning. Laundry day. Or the fact that I really wish I was lying on a beach somewhere.

Movie Day

We took the kids to the movies today to see Madagascar 2. It was pretty good. I liked the first one better, I think. The boys have been to the movies many times. It's always been one of our favorite things to do as a family. They have always been very good movie goers. They sit still and watch the movie and don't disrupt. And so I was curious to see how Julianna would do. She actually has been to the movies several times. The first was when she was two weeks old and we went to see Kung Fu Panda. She nursed and slept through the whole thing. Then she and the boys and I went to many of the free movies this summer which she also slept through. But today she was wide awake and so curious about everything. She looked around and took it all in and I could almost see the neurons firing in her little brain as she experienced this new thing in her life. She watched the movie for a while then watched the audience for a while then got sleepy but fought falling asleep (I think she was afraid she'd miss something exciting) so I took her out and wrapped her in our sling and stood in the aisle watching the movie until she fell asleep. She then napped most of the rest of the movie. All in all she did very well. And it's fun to think that in a few years I'll have someone who will actually want to watch chick flicks with me.

Seeing Spots

Did you know that babies are born without freckles? They are. It's hard to believe that my sons, who's noses (and cheeks and arms) are sprinkled with freckles now, were born completely unfreckled. Josh's first freckle appeared behind his right ear when he was about 5 months old. Adam's appeared at about the same age...behind his right ear! I know. Weird.

And guess what we found yesterday. Julianna's first freckle. It isn't behind her right ear which would have been freaky. It is just to the right and above her belly button. So cute!

One more first. They seem to happen every day lately.

Proverbs 16:9

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.

Pink Continued

Well, my sister is all showered. Her baby shower went well this morning and she was happy which makes me happy. She got lots of great gifts. Tons of pink of course. And so many cute clothes. So here's what I'm thinking. Julianna gives all of her cute clothes to her cousin, so shouldn't she get to wear the new ones, too. She'll give them back before the baby needs them and will be glad to break them in for her. Okay, maybe not. But the clothes really were cute.

Sweet

Today I baked. We are having a baby shower brunch for my sister tomorrow and I got a little crazy. Here's what I made...

lemon blueberry coffee cake
orange blueberry bread
orange rolls
banana muffins
chocolate chip banana bread

All that's left to do is drizzle on the glaze and eat.

First Flakes

And so it begins. Today I drove home in the first snow of the year. The further north we got, the more snowy the flakes. The boys were thrilled even though it was just barely enough to make the ground and trees the slightest bit white. But me, well, snow and I have a love/hate relationship. Actually I have a love/hate relationship with snow. I don't really know how it feels about me. I love it because it's exciting to see those first few flakes fly and it really is beautiful when the whole world seems to be covered with a glimmering, white blanket. And there are few things better than sitting in front of the window with a warm quilt and a cup of tea watching the world turn white. I love snow, too, because my kids love it. The building and sledding and throwing never seem to get old. So I love snow.

And I hate snow. I hate the shoveling and cleaning off the car in the morning (which I won't have to do this year since I'm staying home with the kids). I hate being cold for four months straight. I hate wearing winter coats and boots and getting the whole family bundled up like Eskimos to go anywhere. But most of all I hate driving in snow. I hate worrying about losing control of my car or sliding off the road. And what's worse, I hate having to worry about the drivers around me even more than usual.

So today it snowed and I love it...and I hate it.

"Don't give up what you want most for what you want now."--Benjamin Franklin

When?

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to explore the flora and fauna of the hills. She watched "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley" on TV and played "slap jack" with her grandma.

Then one day she woke up and she was sixteen and in high school. She loved to sing and read and write and was determined that she would never get married.

Then one day she woke up and was twenty and married. She loved movies and her new husband and wasn't sure if she wanted to have children.

Then one day she woke up and had a baby. She loved him more than she thought possible and was determined to be a good mommy.

Then one day she woke up and had two babies. And she loved that one just as much as the first one.

Then one day she woke up and those babies were going to school and reading and wanting cell phones. She loved to be read to and was determined that no eight year old boy needed a cell phone.

Then one day she woke up and she had another baby--a sweet, beautiful little girl. She fell in love again and knew that this little girl was sent from above.

Then today she woke up and looked around and wasn't quite sure when all this had happened. Just when did that little girl who loved to watch tadpoles and look for four leaf clovers become this woman with a husband and three children and a sink full of dirty dishes? And she wondered who she will be tomorrow.

Words

"The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."--Mark Twain

Good advice for a wannabe writer like me.

Extra Time

Today is the day we "fall back" and therefore have an extra hour in the day. Most people talk about using that extra hour to sleep, but our family uses it differently. Every year on this day we get up at our regular time and go out for breakfast before church. We couldn't remember when we started doing this, but I think it began one year when we forgot to set the clocks back and showed up for church an hour early. Today though, all these years later, instead of just the two of us having breakfast out, all five of us did. How our lives have changed. And so today, when I really could have used an extra hour of sleep, I instead used my extra hour to make a memory...and enjoy french toast.

And today Julianna is 5 months old. Her personality is really starting to come out. Right now she is lying on her tummy (which she rolls to often) and "talking" up a storm. She is happy and giggly and cuddly and growing way too fast.

November

Today is November 1st and therefore the first day of Nablopomo, which stands for National Blog Posting Month. I have once again joined this crazy group of bloggers with the goal of posting on my blog everyday during the month of November. This is challenging for a few reasons. One, coming up with something to write about everyday is harder than it sounds. And, two, actually finding the time to write is even more difficult. So I will write everyday but I give no guarantees that everyday will be the brilliant and witty posts that you're used to. :)

Secondly, November means something else. It means that the holidays are just around the corner. Adam asked me this morning how many days until Christmas. 55. That's how many days until Christmas. And before that comes Thanksgiving. I love this time of year and am looking forward to it. I get a warm feeling just thinking about days spent with family and the yummy smells as I walk into my mom's house on Thanksgiving day and decorating the Christmas tree with my kids and sitting in the dark with a cup of hot chocolate watching the lights twinkle. And this year will be especially fun as I watch the whole thing through the eyes of my daughter as she experiences it for the first time.

So it's November. And November is good.

My Vote

I have voted in every presidential election since I was old enough to vote. That would be 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. So since I have been voting we have had two presidents. I voted for one of them. But this year I have been more interested in the election than I ever have been before. I am more knowledgeable about the candidates and the issues thanks to Huckleberries Online and John Stewart. Oh yeah, and I watched all the debates and read a few articles, too.

But I think I've had enough. I think I have seen and heard and talked about the election enough and here's why.

Last night I dreamt about Obama. He was at my house visiting like we'd known each other forever and were old friends. He kept talking to me like he assumed that I was voting for him. I felt guilty for not telling him that I wasn't voting for him even if we were friends. I wanted to tell him, but I just couldn't. I tried to change the subject. I tried to avoid him. I tried to make excuses but he wouldn't let it drop. I felt bad but I just couldn't tell him that I wasn't voting for him. I was instead voting for...myself (as a write in candidate, of course).

Milestones

We have reached two milestones at our house this week.

1. Julianna is rolling over from her back to tummy. She'll stay there for a few minutes until she gets tired of looking at the floor and then we take turns turning her back over.

2. Josh has begun to take showers without being asked. He even asks me if he can. My answer--"Uhh, yeah."

Lock Down

Did I ever tell you the story about how Julianna caused a lock down at the hospital?

Well, now a days when you have a baby at our local medical center, they put a little device on each newborn not unlike the security devices on expensive articles of clothing at department stores. It is on an anklet and is about the size of a quarter only four times as thick. This device causes all the doors in the maternity ward to lock if any newborn goes within so many feet of the door wearing said device. They had told me about this ahead of time so I knew what it was the first time I unwrapped Julianna from her blanket and saw it on her ankle. It seemed huge on her tiny little leg just above her long, skinny foot.

The night after she was born, the nurse took her from our room into the nursery for her hearing test. After a while (I don't know how long-- I was exhausted and on some really good pain medication) they brought her back all bundled up again, and put her into her bassinet. When she woke up and began to fuss, I put her in bed with me. Which is where she was the next morning when a nurse burst through the door and quickly scanned the room looking for our baby. "Do you have your baby," she asked frantically. "Uhh, yes," I answered at about the same time she saw Julianna lying beside me. "Okay," she said and hurried from the room. Arrty and I looked at each other and wondered just what that weird exchange was all about. A little while later we found out.

It seems that when the nurse had Jules in for her hearing test and changed her diaper, the anklet fell off and got thrown into the trash. The next morning when the janitor came to take out the garbage, the anklet, that was supposed to be on our daughter, caused a lock down on the third floor of the hospital from the inside of a garbage bag. They knew it was hers because of the computer program to which it was linked and were able to quickly solve the problem and let the poor janitor go about her business.

Soon after, the nurse came and took Jules to the nursery and put a new anklet on her. This time it was a little tighter than the first.

Update on Halfway

(Read Halfway--the previous post, before you read this one.)

Well, it seems I was wrong. I am not to the halfway point with Josh. Today as we were studying mammals in science it talked about how mammal mothers take care of their young until they are ready to care for themselves. And then it asked the question, "How long do you think it will take until you are ready to be on your own." Josh asked, "You mean without parents?" "Yes," I replied. Josh thought for a minute then answered, "32."

So, I am really only 28% finished with him. Phew! That gives me plenty of time.

(By the way, Adam's answer was 25.)

Halfway

Today is Josh's birthday. He is turning 9. NINE. I can hardly believe it. I remember the moment I found out I was pregnant with him. I remember the first time I felt him move in my belly. I remember lying on the operating table and hearing him cry for the first time. I remember the first time I fed him and changed his diaper and looked into his eyes. I remember the long nights standing, half asleep, rocking him in my arms trying to get him to sleep. I remember his first word, his first steps, his first birthday. I remember his first day of school, the first time he read to me, the first time he rode his big boy bike. And I remember the last bottle I fed him and the last night he slept in his crib. But I didn't notice the last time I helped him take a bath or the last time he called me mommy instead of mom or the last time I picked out his clothes for him. And I don't remember the last time he curled up in my lap to read a story. So, I hope that today, as he turns nine, I will remember to pay attention and notice those lasts because really, they are as important as the firsts.



Last week as I was thinking about his birthday and making preparations for his party, I realized that he is turning nine. And nine is halfway to 18. And 18 is when he is officially an adult and should be able to make his own decisions. And he is halfway there. And I am halfway there. I have used up half my time with him to help him become who he was meant to be. I have spent half of his childhood loving him and moulding him into the person he will become. I have to wonder if I've done justice to the gift that he is. To the soul that his not so little body contains. Have I been the mother I should be for him? The answer is no. I have failed so many times. But the answer is also yes. Because I have tried to love him and guide him as best I can. So today, as my firstborn reaches the halfway mark, I will pray especially hard that I will have the wisdom I need for the second half.

Ink

I saw this story yesterday about how Angelina Jolie has a tattoo showing the geographical locations where each of her six children were born. I think it's kinda cool. But if I were to have a tattoo like this it would be a little boring. All three of my children were born in the exact same location. In the exact same operating room, even. Not in Africa or Asia or fancy shmancy hospitals in France.

So I began to think, if I were going to get ink'd (notice how cool I am using the word ink'd) to represent my children, what kind of ink would I get. I could get their initials--JS, AD, JG. But that's boring and predictable. I could get their birthdays. Still not enough kick. I could get their nicknames. Yoshi for Josh, Bubba for Adam, Jujubee for Julianna. But when they get older they might not appreciate those names like they do now. Maybe something that represents their interests. A fish for Josh and a bug for Adam, but all Julianna is interested in is eating and I don't think I want that kind of a tattoo. What about some exotic foreign symbol that represents their names? Too cool for me. How about a cartoon character that reflects their personality? Bugs Bunny for Josh, Tasmanian Devil for Adam, Tweety Bird for Jules. I'm sure I would never regret that!

So I'm kind of at a loss. I'll just have to keep thinking about it. Because all of you who know me know that I'm totally an ink kind of gal.

Sleepy

Josh has a pet turtle. He got him for his 5th birthday to replace the one that ran away. His name is Leonardo (after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, of course) and when Julianna was born he was banished to the basement since the play room where his tank was became her room.


Well, this morning when I went downstairs to get some of the boys' stuff for school, I didn't see him in his tank. I looked for any sign of him and saw nothing. There is no way possible for him to escape said tank and so I came to the conclusion that he must be hibernating. Turtles do hibernate in the wild during the cold months and since there has been no heat on in the basement I thought maybe he was buried in there asleep. So I poked around under the bedding a little and sure enough I soon felt his shell.


And then I thought about last night. About how I was up with Jules until 11:00 and then back up at 11:42 and 12:23 and 12:58 and 2:44 and finally at 6:23. And I began to wonder if hibernation is possible for humans. I could use a month or two of sleep.

Changing Seasons

I think I've changed my mind.

Forever I have thought that my favorite season is summer. But, now, today, I'm thinking that maybe it's fall. This weather that we've been having is perfection. Warm and sunny during the day. Warm enough for tee shirts and shorts, but not so hot that you have to hide in the air conditioning. And cool in the evening and at night. No more of those so-sweltering-you-can't-sleep nights. Perfect weather for me to enjoy this amazing place where we live.

In the last week I have taken the kids out for two field trips. Friday we went downtown and did the Mudgy and Millie walk. It was great. The sky was blue. The lake calm. The story and statues as good as I expected. I was also reminded of how much I like downtown. I remember when I was little, we lived on Front Street and spent a lot of time down at the lake and at the park. But now, during the summer, it's just too crowded for me to enjoy. Friday, though, there were just a handful of people here and there. Not enough to make any one area seem crowded. The boys especially liked the little stream that flows just above the steps that go into the lake at Independence Point. As I stood and watched them play in it, I was taken back in time to the early eighties when I was their age and did the exact same thing. I could picture so clearly summer days spent sitting along that stream with so many other children splashing and playing in the water. It was one of those moments that made me feel all warm and sweet with good childhood memories. So I once again fell in love with downtown Coeur d' Alene. I hope to spend a few more days there before the snow flies this year. And now I know that fall is the season to enjoy downtown.

And then yesterday we went to Carver Farms. The boys were able to spend some time with their friends from last year's school. We walked around the farm, picked pop corn, went on a hay ride, and picked pumpkins and gourds. All very fall-like activities. All very enjoyable. And once again the weather was ideal. Short sleeves and a cute little sun hat for Jules.

So I am enjoying this season even more than the last. And maybe I always have but am just now realizing it. Yep, I think that's it. I have officially changed my mind. My second favorite season is summer. And my very favorite season is fall.