J's alarm went off at 2:20 am this morning. He was out the door shortly after 3am, on his way to the local NBC station in downtown Austin for a live interview on CNBC. The spot was due to come on at 4:20 am, so I set my alarm for 4:15 am and went downstairs to catch his two minutes. It was a two-hour show that started at 3:00 am, so I fast-forwarded through the majority to get a feel for what kind of show it was. It was "Worldwide Exchange" with an anchor in London and another in Singapore (I think). So J was piped in via satellite. It was a very stock-exchange heavy news show, so I wasn't sure how Snoball would fit in, but they requested the interview, so we were excited for the incredible opportunity.
Here's what he saw....at the studio...quite a bit different from the local show's set-up. And here's what I saw from my couch....Snoball on CNBC.
It was a bummer that the interview got interrupted by breaking news, especially since the breaking news was the result of an Italian bond auction. J said they had prepped him for a possible interruption. Apparently, the mediocre results of the auction are strong enough to keep the Italian economy from collapsing, so you know....I guess that's breaking news.
He still got in a really great explanation of Snoball and lots of exposure for the company. Then he was back home and in bed again by 5:30 am. But not before driving through on his way home to bring us all a special breakfast. I just saw it in my fridge. Not only is he a genius nerd leading an amazing team to becoming a household name, he's also thoughtful and considerate. And mine (smitten sigh).
This is the last interview that we know of for right now. It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks with all the great press. This just means the Snoball Christmas party next year is really going to be surreal. To God be the glory!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Makin' News!
Look who got up early to make news - Snoball on Good Day Austin! Crazy, surreal cool!
Here's what he saw....
waiting his turn
on the couch
scary teleprompters
Here's what he saw....
waiting his turn
on the couch
scary teleprompters
Friday, December 23, 2011
That's My Man!
As I was reading the latest article on Snoball, I got to the middle part where the writer talks about the qualifications of the person he interviewed and realized, "Holy hippies and nerds, Batman! I'm married to that genius!" (You have to read the article to get the reference.) I'm so proud of you, J--every little hippy, nerd, genius bit of you!!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Recipe of the Year
Start with a birthday party for a two-year-old who soon after gave up her naps,
add one cranky pregnant mommy,
one daddy starting half-a-dozen new businesses, and
one precocious four-year-old ballerina.
Stir in the privilege of leading a great small group,
coordinating fun playgroups,
and a heaping heartful of treasured friendships.
Don't forget to chop up the homeschool planning and add it in gradually.
Just as the pregnancy starts to come to a long, slow simmer,
splash in a little "we-might-need-to-move" to keep things spicy.
Once the baby has arrived, allow the whole mix to rest for just a week or two;
too long and you risk having a dull moment.
Dump in a whole chunk of "we-have-to-move-in-two-months."
Stand back when you do this; it will likely be messy.
Stir fast and hard for four months; do not stop stirring, do not walk away. You don't want to scorch anyone. While stirring, gradually pour in a steady stream of excitement about new business growth until mixture is frothing and bubbly. Puree your kindergarten curriculum and try to sneak it in. If your stomach is strong, add a week or two of potty-training and hope for the best.
At the end of four months, slow the stirring and taste what you've got. The faith will be thick and hearty, bringing you back for more. Season to taste with old friendships rekindled, fun family excursions in a big city, and/or the thrill of making a new house a home.
And that's our recipe for 2011.... Thanks for sharing the adventure with us. Merry Christmas, friends.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Six Months
Dear Z,
You're six months old already. I'm so very glad God gave me a baby #3. I can honestly say that it's going too fast, that I'd like you to stay this age a little longer so I can get a few more months of the cuteness that you are. My first two babies were precious, but I was a smidge too uptight to fully enjoy this stage. This time around, our circumstances are crazy and stealing my time. Here you are at six months. And here is what I have recorded in my mind's camera to cling to...
You squeal in your bed when you hear me come in the room in the morning. "Good morning to you, too, Z," I say. I try to find a quiet place to keep your attention focused while you have your breakfast. You take a long swallow and throw your head back to look at me with a big grin, just like you have since you were a newborn. "You're welcome, Z, " I say. You squeal in delight when your sisters race into the room and squeeze you. You love those girls so much. I remind them to back up out of your face and not go too fast, but I don't think you mind at all. It won't be long before you're racing and wrestling with them.
You're a mama's boy right now and I don't mind. Daddy can't compete. Sometimes you rub it in Daddy's face and that's not nice. Like when you were playing "Eskimo kisses" with me and kept looking at Daddy between each one just to let him know who had Mommy all to himself. That won't be so cute next year.
You're a great eater and put away every ounce of food I give you. You have yet to turn away from any veggie or fruit. You seem ready for cheerios but I know it's too early and I don't want to rush you. You were almost 18 lbs. at your six-month well-check, hanging out in the 50th percentile. You grew right past your 6-9 month clothes and went straight for the 9-month ones. You started sitting up by yourself last week and you've been rocking back and forth on your knees for awhile now. You love your johnny jump-up and can get some pretty good air when you get going.
I love the way you snuggle into my shoulder and have no need to wiggle or squirm, just recharging for moments at a time before turning around to take in the world again. You're watching everything that goes on, studying. I can see it in your eyes. The toys on your walker tray are not fooling you; you're looking at the countertop to see what's up there, or trying to figure out how the tablecloth works, or dragging the trash can around the kitchen. Yes, now is the time to soak in all your cuteness because you're going to be t-r-o-u-b-l-e very, very soon.
I love the way you squish into a little ball when I put you in your bed. It makes me want to go to sleep myself, you look so snug and comfy. Thank you for sleeping through the night from so early on, and being a good napper when you put your mind to it. Promise me not to give up on naps before you're two? Pretty please?
I love you, little man, and look forward to the next six months with you. I promise to hold tight to every moment I can seize.
You're six months old already. I'm so very glad God gave me a baby #3. I can honestly say that it's going too fast, that I'd like you to stay this age a little longer so I can get a few more months of the cuteness that you are. My first two babies were precious, but I was a smidge too uptight to fully enjoy this stage. This time around, our circumstances are crazy and stealing my time. Here you are at six months. And here is what I have recorded in my mind's camera to cling to...
You squeal in your bed when you hear me come in the room in the morning. "Good morning to you, too, Z," I say. I try to find a quiet place to keep your attention focused while you have your breakfast. You take a long swallow and throw your head back to look at me with a big grin, just like you have since you were a newborn. "You're welcome, Z, " I say. You squeal in delight when your sisters race into the room and squeeze you. You love those girls so much. I remind them to back up out of your face and not go too fast, but I don't think you mind at all. It won't be long before you're racing and wrestling with them.
I love the way you squish into a little ball when I put you in your bed. It makes me want to go to sleep myself, you look so snug and comfy. Thank you for sleeping through the night from so early on, and being a good napper when you put your mind to it. Promise me not to give up on naps before you're two? Pretty please?
I love you, little man, and look forward to the next six months with you. I promise to hold tight to every moment I can seize.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
It's a God Thing!
Last night we had the profound blessing to have dinner with about two dozen people who are now part of the Snoball fort. The original four founding families kept looking around and at each other, repeating the same word, "Surreal." Our little company is up to 15 employees now and they gathered with their significant others for a Christmas party last night. Best office Christmas party ever! Every time I shook a new hand and tried to remember a new name, my heart praised God for the answer to prayer that that individual was. We have prayed and prayed for the right people, in the right time and God is answering in ways that are more than we could ask or imagine. I even heard it from several of the employees, "This is just such an amazing team; I love working here!"
Another comment I heard a lot last night was how great a boss these folks have. It was so good to be in J's world and hear what is going on and swim in those frenzied waters for a few hours. He is doing an a-ma-zing job at the helm of this speedboat. His capacity for keeping up with the high-level strategy while also managing the day-to-day operations continues to mesmerize me. I don't give him nearly enough credit for being able to switch gears from CEO of a fast-growing start-up to wrestling-on-the-floor daddy. I am more and more convinced that he has super powers.
Because we have such an awesome team with an amazing leader, look what Snoball's been up to...Unleashing the Snoball Effect. That's right! Snoball's on Forbes! Recently, it was the Austin American-Statesman (two times) and the Examiner. To me, this is some crazy confirmation that this is a God thing and I better hang on for a great adventure. Woo hoo!
Another comment I heard a lot last night was how great a boss these folks have. It was so good to be in J's world and hear what is going on and swim in those frenzied waters for a few hours. He is doing an a-ma-zing job at the helm of this speedboat. His capacity for keeping up with the high-level strategy while also managing the day-to-day operations continues to mesmerize me. I don't give him nearly enough credit for being able to switch gears from CEO of a fast-growing start-up to wrestling-on-the-floor daddy. I am more and more convinced that he has super powers.
Because we have such an awesome team with an amazing leader, look what Snoball's been up to...Unleashing the Snoball Effect. That's right! Snoball's on Forbes! Recently, it was the Austin American-Statesman (two times) and the Examiner. To me, this is some crazy confirmation that this is a God thing and I better hang on for a great adventure. Woo hoo!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
HGTV Live!
Our bathroom renovations began on Monday. We started with a powder bath that looked like this:
Here's a close-up of that linoleum so you can get the full effect and perhaps understand why it was not our personal preference.
Tuesday morning, we got tile!
And today, it looks like this:
At the same time, we had this in our upstairs master bath:
This bathroom sort of jack-and-jills between a bedroom and a hallway. The first pic is a view from the bedroom, the last one is the view from the hall. The tub is across from the toilet. This isn't a true master suite, but it works swimmingly. While the kids are still young, we want to be on the same floor as them. Later we will swap with the guest room, which is currently the downstairs master. So if you come to see us, you get a big ol' room with your own bathroom. (Except you still have to look at that linoleum because that bathroom is going to wait a couple of years to be re-done.)
Today, that bathroom looks like this:
No, I don't recommend a sideways bathtub. But the drain needs to be scooted a smidge before it can be set in its final place. Should be set right by end of today.
This kids' bathroom started out like this:
Very similar materials to the other bathroom. When the tub came out, we found this:
Yes, there was some water damage to the sub-floor. We were sort of expecting it based on the drywall next to the tub surround. This is one of the reasons we wanted to get rid of the fiberglass one-piece tub/shower. They seem to be more prone to leaking. We were very glad it wasn't more extensive. So we had to replace that part of the sub-floor before moving on. Now we have this:
Just backer board so far on the floor in there.
Tub's sitting in place, but it will need an alignment with the drain as well. You can see the problem below:
Our new tubs were supposed to be ready for pick-up on Monday along with all the other materials, but they were not. If this were really HGTV, this is when the dramatic music would play and you would get a zoom-in headshot of me looking very frustrated and hear my stern one-sided phone conversation with Lowe's. Real life isn't quite so theatrical. It has been frustrating, but the contractor was able to do other work while we waited and we finally got our tubs today.
We've had a few hiccups like that so far, but overall everything is going very smoothly. The hardest part for me has been the daily trips to Lowe's with three children. Oy, vey! The folks at Lowe's start ducking down the aisles when they see us come in the door.
We've been promised that the work will be done by Tuesday, so we're hoping for that but won't be surprised if there are still finishing touches to be done. We are all living out of the guest bathroom downstairs in the meantime without too much conflict. I'll try to post more pics when the work is all done.
By the end of Monday afternoon, it looked like this:
This bathroom sort of jack-and-jills between a bedroom and a hallway. The first pic is a view from the bedroom, the last one is the view from the hall. The tub is across from the toilet. This isn't a true master suite, but it works swimmingly. While the kids are still young, we want to be on the same floor as them. Later we will swap with the guest room, which is currently the downstairs master. So if you come to see us, you get a big ol' room with your own bathroom. (Except you still have to look at that linoleum because that bathroom is going to wait a couple of years to be re-done.)
Today, that bathroom looks like this:
This kids' bathroom started out like this:
We've had a few hiccups like that so far, but overall everything is going very smoothly. The hardest part for me has been the daily trips to Lowe's with three children. Oy, vey! The folks at Lowe's start ducking down the aisles when they see us come in the door.
We've been promised that the work will be done by Tuesday, so we're hoping for that but won't be surprised if there are still finishing touches to be done. We are all living out of the guest bathroom downstairs in the meantime without too much conflict. I'll try to post more pics when the work is all done.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
New Chapter
When it comes to reading through our life's story, we prefer speed reading in the household. Pregnant? That was a re-run. Newborn? Just a couple pages. Homeschooling a kindergartner? Might need a sequel. Moving? Old news. So we apprehensively start a new chapter titled, "Renovations."
This house was a foreclosure, so we knew going in to it that there were some projects to be done. Nothing ghastly. The house is wonderfully livable. But we're going to be doing some renovations over time to make it our own and make it last a little longer.
Today begins the first round of repairs. We've got some rotten exterior wood trim around one window in the living room and an oddly-pieced together, shaky stair rail that will be rectified by the contractor of our choosing, whom we shall call Joe from this point forward. This is sort of a test to work the kinks out of the contractor communication method before beginning our big project next week--bath renovations.
We're going to replace some interesting-colored linoleum with tile in three bathrooms, get new baseboards, and new toilets. The upstairs baths currently have the one-piece, plastic tub and surround. We prefer a steel tub with tile surround, so we're doing that. The powder bath downstairs is the first thing you see when you walk in the door. So we're replacing the non-descript box vanity with a pretty pedestal sink and oval mirror. I've been assured it will all be finished by Thanksgiving.
I will try to be all HGTV with before and after pics as the work progresses. But let's be honest, I'm really still writing the above-mentioned chapters on newborn, moving, and homeschooling. So please don't hate me if you don't get the scoop until January.
This house was a foreclosure, so we knew going in to it that there were some projects to be done. Nothing ghastly. The house is wonderfully livable. But we're going to be doing some renovations over time to make it our own and make it last a little longer.
Today begins the first round of repairs. We've got some rotten exterior wood trim around one window in the living room and an oddly-pieced together, shaky stair rail that will be rectified by the contractor of our choosing, whom we shall call Joe from this point forward. This is sort of a test to work the kinks out of the contractor communication method before beginning our big project next week--bath renovations.
We're going to replace some interesting-colored linoleum with tile in three bathrooms, get new baseboards, and new toilets. The upstairs baths currently have the one-piece, plastic tub and surround. We prefer a steel tub with tile surround, so we're doing that. The powder bath downstairs is the first thing you see when you walk in the door. So we're replacing the non-descript box vanity with a pretty pedestal sink and oval mirror. I've been assured it will all be finished by Thanksgiving.
I will try to be all HGTV with before and after pics as the work progresses. But let's be honest, I'm really still writing the above-mentioned chapters on newborn, moving, and homeschooling. So please don't hate me if you don't get the scoop until January.
Monday, November 7, 2011
That's Fast!
So my last post was all about my babies not growing up too fast. Get a load of this... In the last week, C has looked potty-training in the face and told it who's boss; Z has sprouted two teeth; and A has lost one!! Slow down!
C is doing great with potty-training and I'm ready to declare "mission accomplished," but I'm not going to be fool enough to do that because then she'll regress and I'll have to eat my words. Let's just say that we have moved on to the conversation about changing our underwear every day even if they are clean and dry all day. I apologize profusely to all my friends who have struggled so hard with potty-training. I wish I knew what spell has been cast over our potty-training efforts to date and could bottle it up with a bow to give to you. It is certainly nothing of my own doing at all. I'm just going to praise God for it, whatever it is.
I guess it was a week and a half ago that I noticed Z's first tooth had broken through. It was only two days later that J announced the next one had surfaced. He's eating cereal twice a day now and trying out jar foods. Peas and squash, so far. I think that boy would eat a bus if I could get it on a spoon.
A complained on Wednesday morning that her tooth hurt. I didn't make much of it because she often has a malady of some kind or another that affords her a few minutes of delayed obedience. But I decided to take a good look when she brought it back up again at lunch. Sure enough, it was loose. We had much drama at mealtimes for the next few days as she pampered that tooth. I was so relieved when it got bumped out on Friday night during some horseplay with cousins. She didn't shed a tear or even utter a blood-curdling scream.
(This is not a scream. This is Mom trying to get a picture of the hole left by the tooth. Not as easy as I thought it would be.)
And for inquiring minds that want to know, we decided against the tooth fairy. We're such party poopers. She told us a few months ago that she knew the tooth fairy wasn't real. I don't remember why it even came up, but I wasn't going to lie to convince her of something she had already figured out. J told her he would play the "tooth game" with her. She could put the tooth in an envelope under her pillow and he would give her a dollar for it before the next morning and she was to try to catch him doing it. She didn't catch him and she was thrilled to find the dollar under her pillow the next morning.
So much for not growing up too fast. Not only are they speeding past milestones, they're ganging up on us and hitting them together.
C is doing great with potty-training and I'm ready to declare "mission accomplished," but I'm not going to be fool enough to do that because then she'll regress and I'll have to eat my words. Let's just say that we have moved on to the conversation about changing our underwear every day even if they are clean and dry all day. I apologize profusely to all my friends who have struggled so hard with potty-training. I wish I knew what spell has been cast over our potty-training efforts to date and could bottle it up with a bow to give to you. It is certainly nothing of my own doing at all. I'm just going to praise God for it, whatever it is.
I guess it was a week and a half ago that I noticed Z's first tooth had broken through. It was only two days later that J announced the next one had surfaced. He's eating cereal twice a day now and trying out jar foods. Peas and squash, so far. I think that boy would eat a bus if I could get it on a spoon.
A complained on Wednesday morning that her tooth hurt. I didn't make much of it because she often has a malady of some kind or another that affords her a few minutes of delayed obedience. But I decided to take a good look when she brought it back up again at lunch. Sure enough, it was loose. We had much drama at mealtimes for the next few days as she pampered that tooth. I was so relieved when it got bumped out on Friday night during some horseplay with cousins. She didn't shed a tear or even utter a blood-curdling scream.
And for inquiring minds that want to know, we decided against the tooth fairy. We're such party poopers. She told us a few months ago that she knew the tooth fairy wasn't real. I don't remember why it even came up, but I wasn't going to lie to convince her of something she had already figured out. J told her he would play the "tooth game" with her. She could put the tooth in an envelope under her pillow and he would give her a dollar for it before the next morning and she was to try to catch him doing it. She didn't catch him and she was thrilled to find the dollar under her pillow the next morning.
So much for not growing up too fast. Not only are they speeding past milestones, they're ganging up on us and hitting them together.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Not Too Fast
Monday during lunch, A was bemoaning the fact that her friends would turn six before she would. She desperately wants to be the same age as they are. I remember feeling this way about my cousin. I just never could stay caught up with her.
A said something about, "When I'm 7,..." and I quickly cut her off saying, "Oh, please don't ever be so big as 7! Promise you won't grow up to be 7." Here's how the rest of the conversation went...
A: But Mo-om, if I grow up, I won't whine as much anymore.
M: Oh, well in that case, maybe you can grow up just a little.
A: Aa-nd, I'll help more.
M: Ok, you can grow up just a little.
A: Aa-nd, I'll love you more.
M: Ok, you can grow up to be 7, just not too fast.
A said something about, "When I'm 7,..." and I quickly cut her off saying, "Oh, please don't ever be so big as 7! Promise you won't grow up to be 7." Here's how the rest of the conversation went...
A: But Mo-om, if I grow up, I won't whine as much anymore.
M: Oh, well in that case, maybe you can grow up just a little.
A: Aa-nd, I'll help more.
M: Ok, you can grow up just a little.
A: Aa-nd, I'll love you more.
M: Ok, you can grow up to be 7, just not too fast.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Know What Would Help?
I know you're all on pins and needles wondering how the potty training is going. We got off to a good start yesterday and my hopes were high as we cruised toward quiet time. She had even done a poop in the potty! I was really impressed.
Let me just share a bit of potty training advice. Listen closely, because this is the only potty training advice I have. My first daughter pretty much trained herself and I think this one is going to go very similarly. But I have learned one very important thing in the last 24 hours. Ready? Do NOT feed your child oranges in the days prior to starting potty training! Bad news!
We went through three pairs of panties and a bath mat in the first half of quiet time along with about half a package of wipes. By the time that was out of her system, she realized what fun it was to "try" during quiet time...lots of attention from mom when you're supposed to be playing alone. I think she "tried" about 382 times before quiet time was over.
All told, she did very well yesterday. I really cannot slight her for the orange-induced accidents. It actually helped her catch on to her body's signals. And an even bigger WOW...she stayed dry all night!! I'm very hopeful that this will be a quick process as she continues to gain confidence and practice.
I had made an observation yesterday during quiet time that she could benefit from a couple of good step stools for washing her hands. At supper last night, I started angling for a mommy-only trip to Target by asking J, "You know what would really help with the potty training effort?" Not waiting for an answer, I supplied my own, "A couple of well-placed stools." Having heard all the gory details of the quiet time mess, J looked at me for about half a second before busting out in laughter and saying, "Well, yes, that is sort of the point. What has your goal been today?" We both started laughing at my unintended joke and the girls joined in having no clue what was so funny. Laughter is good for the soul.
Let me just share a bit of potty training advice. Listen closely, because this is the only potty training advice I have. My first daughter pretty much trained herself and I think this one is going to go very similarly. But I have learned one very important thing in the last 24 hours. Ready? Do NOT feed your child oranges in the days prior to starting potty training! Bad news!
We went through three pairs of panties and a bath mat in the first half of quiet time along with about half a package of wipes. By the time that was out of her system, she realized what fun it was to "try" during quiet time...lots of attention from mom when you're supposed to be playing alone. I think she "tried" about 382 times before quiet time was over.
All told, she did very well yesterday. I really cannot slight her for the orange-induced accidents. It actually helped her catch on to her body's signals. And an even bigger WOW...she stayed dry all night!! I'm very hopeful that this will be a quick process as she continues to gain confidence and practice.
I had made an observation yesterday during quiet time that she could benefit from a couple of good step stools for washing her hands. At supper last night, I started angling for a mommy-only trip to Target by asking J, "You know what would really help with the potty training effort?" Not waiting for an answer, I supplied my own, "A couple of well-placed stools." Having heard all the gory details of the quiet time mess, J looked at me for about half a second before busting out in laughter and saying, "Well, yes, that is sort of the point. What has your goal been today?" We both started laughing at my unintended joke and the girls joined in having no clue what was so funny. Laughter is good for the soul.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Farewell, Diapers!
Today's the day! We're saying goodbye to diapers for C and hello to big girl panties. She's given every indication that she's ready for the last six months, so I'm hoping it goes smoothly. Say a prayer on our behalf as you go about your business today (pun intended). I'll keep you posted.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Coming Up For Air
Long time, no blog; I know. We moved our stuff into the house last Monday and we've been knee-deep in random chaos since. The movers didn't arrive at our house until almost 4pm, so we were doing good to have beds put together in time for the kids to go to sleep around 9pm. Last week was unpacking upon unpacking. Most of our essentials for living have been put in their proper places, though a few key things have yet to reveal themselves. Having professional movers was a wonderful luxury, but they certainly don't label boxes the way I would.
Z had his four-month well-check with a new doctor last Thursday. He weighs 15 lbs, 10 oz. I don't remember the exact numbers, but he is in the 93rd-96th percentile for length and about 60th for weight. He's started some cereal and really likes it, though the delivery can be a bit frustrating. He's seriously attached to the sucking reflex, so having to take the spoon out of his mouth to reload makes him scream like a girl.
After three weeks off from school, I concentrated on getting our new schoolroom up and ready over the weekend and we hit the books again on Monday morning. The workbox system I'd been wanting to try is working out wonderfully!! I'll try to write more about it later. We're having a fun science week... drawing rocks in our journals, making our own "fossils", and this afternoon we're going to make a volcano. We also tried our hand at making an ancient Roman dessert and all agreed that we're happy to live in the modern age of sugar. It's so wonderful to have all my resources back and not be limited by having to keep the house clean for people to come see it.
Just wanted to come up to the blog surface and give a quick update before ducking back down to keep swimming. Next week, I think I better keep a promise to a certain almost-3-year-old that we would start potty training when we got to the new house. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
Z had his four-month well-check with a new doctor last Thursday. He weighs 15 lbs, 10 oz. I don't remember the exact numbers, but he is in the 93rd-96th percentile for length and about 60th for weight. He's started some cereal and really likes it, though the delivery can be a bit frustrating. He's seriously attached to the sucking reflex, so having to take the spoon out of his mouth to reload makes him scream like a girl.
After three weeks off from school, I concentrated on getting our new schoolroom up and ready over the weekend and we hit the books again on Monday morning. The workbox system I'd been wanting to try is working out wonderfully!! I'll try to write more about it later. We're having a fun science week... drawing rocks in our journals, making our own "fossils", and this afternoon we're going to make a volcano. We also tried our hand at making an ancient Roman dessert and all agreed that we're happy to live in the modern age of sugar. It's so wonderful to have all my resources back and not be limited by having to keep the house clean for people to come see it.
Just wanted to come up to the blog surface and give a quick update before ducking back down to keep swimming. Next week, I think I better keep a promise to a certain almost-3-year-old that we would start potty training when we got to the new house. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Closing Early
I have called the moving company three times already to change our move-in date. We were originally scheduled to close on the new house on October 17, move in on the 18th. Then we found out we might be able to close early, so I re-scheduled our stuff's arrival. Then our realtor told us we might want to delay the movers by a day or two just in case closing got pushed for any reason. I opted for one day's margin. Then my husband blew through the house at lunch time Tuesday and said the bank was looking for verification on a certain document and if they don't have it by close of business, the house closing gets pushed back. I imagined the movers throwing all our boxes into the truck because we re-scheduled a fourth time. I didn't have to make that call though, because J is a rock star. He got it done in heroic fashion along with all the other things he is juggling to move a business.
Today, he called to tell me that we could go sign the papers tomorrow, but wouldn't get the keys until Friday. Oh, and there was a slight chance we might need to drive to Plano to sign. At this point, I knew he was cracking jokes about all the hoops we've had to jump through to get a mortgage. Alas, no, he was not joking. They seriously considered making us drive to Plano!! What in the world?! He assured them that we would not be driving to Plano for this mortgage, and somehow they still made it happen. Imagine that.
So, we will go sign papers tomorrow afternoon, get our keys on Friday, spend the weekend cleaning, and welcome our stuff on Monday. Woo hoo!! I am so eager to be on the final leg of this transition!
Today, he called to tell me that we could go sign the papers tomorrow, but wouldn't get the keys until Friday. Oh, and there was a slight chance we might need to drive to Plano to sign. At this point, I knew he was cracking jokes about all the hoops we've had to jump through to get a mortgage. Alas, no, he was not joking. They seriously considered making us drive to Plano!! What in the world?! He assured them that we would not be driving to Plano for this mortgage, and somehow they still made it happen. Imagine that.
So, we will go sign papers tomorrow afternoon, get our keys on Friday, spend the weekend cleaning, and welcome our stuff on Monday. Woo hoo!! I am so eager to be on the final leg of this transition!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Deja Vu
We've been "back" for almost two weeks already and I'm experiencing a serious case of deja vu. Moving back to a place you've lived before is a good set up for an episode of Twilight Zone. "Do I know that person? How do I get there? I think I know where that is, but maybe I should map it just to be sure. Has that always been there? Your children are so big!! Yes, I probably should know what you're talking about, but I don't." All very good thoughts and problems to be having.
We are returning to a lot of the same things that we did before...same church, almost the same neighborhood, same stores. We see friends that we haven't seen in three years and hear, "Welcome back!!" We see acquaintances and hear, "I feel like I should know you, but I don't." This is a very unusual move, in a very good way.
And how often do you get to move and take your friends with you? Never! My children will always think that moving is fun since they got to move with their best friends. We've met up with our usual playmates at new parks, festivals, restaurants, and malls. How bizarre is that?! In a really wonderful way.
All of this contributes to my feeling that we are returning from a wonderful, extended vacation. A vacation in a great place where we had time to really get to know the locals and be part of their crazy traditions. A vacation with life-changing friends, memories and lessons. Who gets to do that?! What a blessed chapter in our life story.
So we're back. And like I'm telling A frequently, "Yes, we've been here before, but not like this." We were different people then, and the now-us gets to make a now-life in this place. Immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine, all over again.
We are returning to a lot of the same things that we did before...same church, almost the same neighborhood, same stores. We see friends that we haven't seen in three years and hear, "Welcome back!!" We see acquaintances and hear, "I feel like I should know you, but I don't." This is a very unusual move, in a very good way.
And how often do you get to move and take your friends with you? Never! My children will always think that moving is fun since they got to move with their best friends. We've met up with our usual playmates at new parks, festivals, restaurants, and malls. How bizarre is that?! In a really wonderful way.
All of this contributes to my feeling that we are returning from a wonderful, extended vacation. A vacation in a great place where we had time to really get to know the locals and be part of their crazy traditions. A vacation with life-changing friends, memories and lessons. Who gets to do that?! What a blessed chapter in our life story.
So we're back. And like I'm telling A frequently, "Yes, we've been here before, but not like this." We were different people then, and the now-us gets to make a now-life in this place. Immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine, all over again.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Move Update
Most of my readers (all six of you) would really like a move update. I'm sorry I haven't been more diligent to keep everyone posted. I figured it was better to wait until something was certain than to post possibilities and have to keep correcting myself. That, and I've gotten sucked into pinterest, so all my computer time is spent pinning ideas for the new house. J's been at a programming conference here in town this weekend, so I've tried to use my time for the greater good and let you all know what is happening.
We have sold our house!! Thank you, God! We close on September 22nd. Many thanks for all the offers of help, but God has provided the finances to pay for movers this time around!! Woo hoo! I am so relieved that we do not have to abuse our friends and family with yet another scorching hot move. The movers will pick up our stuff on September 20th and we'll stay here two nights because somebody-who-shall-remain-nameless managed to have a top-priority-can't-miss-it-or-rearrange-it meeting scheduled at the office for the day before we close. It will be a crazy week.
We have found a new house!! Thank you, God! Looks like we will close on it mid-October. My brother has generously offered to house us for those gap weeks, so we'll be staying there until we can get into the new place. Thanks, T & CA! Our stuff will be in storage and the movers will deliver it the day after we close.
I'm super excited about the new place because of the way God provided for it. We had put an offer in on a different place and that offer had been accepted; we were moving forward. But I just couldn't get that settled peace about it. We went back and looked at it again, and I felt a little better. We estimated the payments and knew we could swing them. But the more we talked about it, the more we realized that we would have to postpone some major family goals if we bought that house. So we walked away. I was actually relieved instead of disappointed. It was a great house, just not the one God had for us.
We picked the winner after narrowing down dozens of choices to our top three. We imagined life now in each of those places....who would sleep where, hosting a small group, having overnight guests, doing school, etc. And life five years from now. The winning house kept coming up with an extra room. What would we do with that much space? It's a foreclosure, so it's a lot of house for a little price. One of us threw out the comment, "We could host an exchange student." We've always wanted to do that! The list of opportunities started rolling and we started getting more and more excited. Even though we had a different neighborhood prioritized, we really feel like God is giving us this house so we can share it with others. I've felt like God planted a seed of hospitality among the gifts He gave me; I enjoy hosting and making folks comfortable. So the idea that He provided a house where I can use that gift for His glory and our budget stays flexible at the same time....I'm overwhelmed by His goodness! And I'm eager to watch His abundance flow through my hands to bless others.
So right now we are just living life as usual. I'll pack up the things we need during the gap weeks, but leave the rest for the movers. I'm going to get my money's worth out of them. I should probably be purging, but I'm just going to wait until we get to the new place and purge as I unpack. Ask me later if that was a good idea or not.
I'll try to write more if more happens. The next ten days are full of last playdates, last visits to parks, a smidgen of school, and hopefully, lots of rest. Thanks for the prayers! Please continue to pray for the rest of the Snoball.com team to sell their homes and find the right one on the other side.
We have sold our house!! Thank you, God! We close on September 22nd. Many thanks for all the offers of help, but God has provided the finances to pay for movers this time around!! Woo hoo! I am so relieved that we do not have to abuse our friends and family with yet another scorching hot move. The movers will pick up our stuff on September 20th and we'll stay here two nights because somebody-who-shall-remain-nameless managed to have a top-priority-can't-miss-it-or-rearrange-it meeting scheduled at the office for the day before we close. It will be a crazy week.
We have found a new house!! Thank you, God! Looks like we will close on it mid-October. My brother has generously offered to house us for those gap weeks, so we'll be staying there until we can get into the new place. Thanks, T & CA! Our stuff will be in storage and the movers will deliver it the day after we close.
I'm super excited about the new place because of the way God provided for it. We had put an offer in on a different place and that offer had been accepted; we were moving forward. But I just couldn't get that settled peace about it. We went back and looked at it again, and I felt a little better. We estimated the payments and knew we could swing them. But the more we talked about it, the more we realized that we would have to postpone some major family goals if we bought that house. So we walked away. I was actually relieved instead of disappointed. It was a great house, just not the one God had for us.
We picked the winner after narrowing down dozens of choices to our top three. We imagined life now in each of those places....who would sleep where, hosting a small group, having overnight guests, doing school, etc. And life five years from now. The winning house kept coming up with an extra room. What would we do with that much space? It's a foreclosure, so it's a lot of house for a little price. One of us threw out the comment, "We could host an exchange student." We've always wanted to do that! The list of opportunities started rolling and we started getting more and more excited. Even though we had a different neighborhood prioritized, we really feel like God is giving us this house so we can share it with others. I've felt like God planted a seed of hospitality among the gifts He gave me; I enjoy hosting and making folks comfortable. So the idea that He provided a house where I can use that gift for His glory and our budget stays flexible at the same time....I'm overwhelmed by His goodness! And I'm eager to watch His abundance flow through my hands to bless others.
So right now we are just living life as usual. I'll pack up the things we need during the gap weeks, but leave the rest for the movers. I'm going to get my money's worth out of them. I should probably be purging, but I'm just going to wait until we get to the new place and purge as I unpack. Ask me later if that was a good idea or not.
I'll try to write more if more happens. The next ten days are full of last playdates, last visits to parks, a smidgen of school, and hopefully, lots of rest. Thanks for the prayers! Please continue to pray for the rest of the Snoball.com team to sell their homes and find the right one on the other side.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Where Were You?
I was in my parents' car, driving between Houston and Austin. My brother called my dad and told him to turn on the radio, that we might ought to turn around and go home. We turned on the radio and listened in disbelief to the stories being pieced together. We didn't turn around. There was a new baby to meet and we were in need of something happy.
Five days earlier I had flown by myself from Paris to Houston in hopes of saying a final goodbye to my Grandma. She met her Savior face-to-face while I was over the ocean. That same day, my nephew was born. My return ticket allowed time for a quick trip to see my sister's new baby. So we arranged to go a day or so after the funeral. It was September 11, 2001.
When we got to my sister's house, everyone was still in shock. She had a 4-year-old running around and rightly didn't want to expose him much to the news reports, so we took intermittent glances. What does it all mean? I remember the confusion, the disbelief, and the very real panic of what it meant to me, with an ocean separating me from my husband.
J was sitting in a refugee center in Germany having tea with Muslims when the first reports starting coming in. They were all very shocked, just like us, and horrified by the possibilities as well. He went from the refugee center to a nearby electronics store with a wall of televisions. He and a co-worker tuned one of the smaller sets to CNN to hear the details in English. He was so focused on the news that he didn't notice at first the local Germans who were slowly turning off every other television so that the two Americans could hear.
I was anxious to get back to the man I call home. My family was not so eager for me to get on a plane. Neither was the government. I was stuck in Texas for what felt like eternity, calling the airline every day to see if today was the day they would issue me a ticket and a departure date. I don't remember how many weeks I waited, but eventually the planes started flying again and I was able to get on one of them for a very lonely, panicky, yet uneventful flight back to Europe and my beloved.
That day changed the world as a whole and each of us as individuals. Only one thing remained constant--God. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. As one of our co-workers in Europe would say, "It is September 11, 2011 and God is still on His throne." He has and always will be sovereign, through the inexplicable, the horrific, and the unfathomable. Many pointed to their faith on that day and many were urged to new faith. Faith is trusting in His goodness and His promise of redemption amidst the evil that surrounds us. And as our broken world deteriorates farther from Him, faith cries out, "Come, Lord Jesus, come!" What a day that will be!!
Five days earlier I had flown by myself from Paris to Houston in hopes of saying a final goodbye to my Grandma. She met her Savior face-to-face while I was over the ocean. That same day, my nephew was born. My return ticket allowed time for a quick trip to see my sister's new baby. So we arranged to go a day or so after the funeral. It was September 11, 2001.
When we got to my sister's house, everyone was still in shock. She had a 4-year-old running around and rightly didn't want to expose him much to the news reports, so we took intermittent glances. What does it all mean? I remember the confusion, the disbelief, and the very real panic of what it meant to me, with an ocean separating me from my husband.
J was sitting in a refugee center in Germany having tea with Muslims when the first reports starting coming in. They were all very shocked, just like us, and horrified by the possibilities as well. He went from the refugee center to a nearby electronics store with a wall of televisions. He and a co-worker tuned one of the smaller sets to CNN to hear the details in English. He was so focused on the news that he didn't notice at first the local Germans who were slowly turning off every other television so that the two Americans could hear.
I was anxious to get back to the man I call home. My family was not so eager for me to get on a plane. Neither was the government. I was stuck in Texas for what felt like eternity, calling the airline every day to see if today was the day they would issue me a ticket and a departure date. I don't remember how many weeks I waited, but eventually the planes started flying again and I was able to get on one of them for a very lonely, panicky, yet uneventful flight back to Europe and my beloved.
That day changed the world as a whole and each of us as individuals. Only one thing remained constant--God. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. As one of our co-workers in Europe would say, "It is September 11, 2011 and God is still on His throne." He has and always will be sovereign, through the inexplicable, the horrific, and the unfathomable. Many pointed to their faith on that day and many were urged to new faith. Faith is trusting in His goodness and His promise of redemption amidst the evil that surrounds us. And as our broken world deteriorates farther from Him, faith cries out, "Come, Lord Jesus, come!" What a day that will be!!
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Three Months Old
Somewhere in the craziness that is relocating a house (and business), Z passed his three-month birthday. He is such a good baby and that is a wonderful blessing right now while we are in transition. In the last few weeks, he has been sleeping really well at night, usually from 8pm-8am, with nary a peep. He does pretty well during the day also, taking at least one big nap a day and a couple of little ones. He's happy when he's awake and only starts to fuss when he's getting sleepy. He's been a real trooper on all of our house-hunting trips, getting in and out of the van a bazillion times, eating on the road, and snatching pieces of naps between red lights.
He is so much bigger already than the girls were at this point. He's already outgrown one of our bouncy seats! Looking back at pics of C, I can tell she was still in that bouncy seat at 6 months! He is so strong and has such good head control, that I've been trying him out in a few different places...
Jumper and stroller, yes; bumbo, not so much. He's also not quite ready for the booster seat. I think little man is used to more of a la-z-boy position than being upright and it will take a little getting used to. He's just so much bigger and stronger than the girls were at three months. I don't think either of them went in the jumper until 5-6 months.
I also know that neither of them slept as well as he does so early. Now that he's found his thumb, I can lay him down in his crib before he's fully asleep and he will soothe himself to sleep. That's huge! Although I find myself wanting to rock and bounce him to sleep now since I don't have to, and he's already so done with rocking and bouncing to sleep. It actually makes him fussier.
His sisters still dote on him when it suits them, but he's a little more commonplace now, so they can also ignore him when they want to. They're going to have a blast as he gets more and more interactive in the next few months. The girls give me daily updates as to his progress in grabbing the toys hanging from his bouncy seat or the noises he is making that sound like words. They're so proud of their little brother.
What manner of grace is this, Lord, that you have lavished on me such an agreeable baby during such a tumultuous transition? Thank you for consistently giving immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine.
He is so much bigger already than the girls were at this point. He's already outgrown one of our bouncy seats! Looking back at pics of C, I can tell she was still in that bouncy seat at 6 months! He is so strong and has such good head control, that I've been trying him out in a few different places...
I also know that neither of them slept as well as he does so early. Now that he's found his thumb, I can lay him down in his crib before he's fully asleep and he will soothe himself to sleep. That's huge! Although I find myself wanting to rock and bounce him to sleep now since I don't have to, and he's already so done with rocking and bouncing to sleep. It actually makes him fussier.
His sisters still dote on him when it suits them, but he's a little more commonplace now, so they can also ignore him when they want to. They're going to have a blast as he gets more and more interactive in the next few months. The girls give me daily updates as to his progress in grabbing the toys hanging from his bouncy seat or the noises he is making that sound like words. They're so proud of their little brother.
What manner of grace is this, Lord, that you have lavished on me such an agreeable baby during such a tumultuous transition? Thank you for consistently giving immeasurably more than I could ask or imagine.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Fuller Lips Overnight
We're going house hunting again today. Yes, we thought we had a house; but it turned out to not be the right one for our family. So we're back to hunting. Just a day trip, but a very long day. So it was important that I get a good night's rest last night.
As I reached to turn off my bedside lamp last night, I saw a mosquito fly through the spotlight. I was up and after him in an instant. I can not stand that awful whining, buzzing in my ear or the thought of being eaten alive in the night. I slapped at him a few times and he disappeared. I told myself I got him.
Around 2:30 am, I awakened from a dream that included me having several mosquito bites on my neck and face. Just the thought made me itch all over. I got up and inspected the itchy spots in the light of the bathroom. No bites, just a dream; go back to sleep.
Nothing doing. I could not fall back asleep. I tossed and turned in that weird half-dream state where you get fragments of sleep and dreams are really bizarre. Until around 4:30 am, when I had a dream that a mosquito bit my lip and it swelled to elephant-size proportions and I had to go house hunting like that.
Only this time, my lip really was throbbing even after I woke up. Throbbing! I was so mad at that mosquito!! The audacity! Biting me on my lip as I slept! Can you believe that?! I went to survey the damage and sure enough, nice puffy upper lip. Have you ever heard of such a thing?! The good news is that you really can't tell just by looking. I just get to have a nice, full, pouty smile for a day or two.
After applying a layer of benadryl cream as chapstick, I burrowed under the covers for the next hour just waiting to hear him coming to strike again. I imagined him biting my ears, my nose, my fingertips clutching to the covers. Of course I never went back to sleep. I finally admitted defeat and went to get ready for the day. Figured I had extra time on my hands to write a blog post about the whole ordeal. Who did I meet in the bathroom? Stinkin' mosquito! I got him this time. Teach you to ruin my sleep before a big day.
As I reached to turn off my bedside lamp last night, I saw a mosquito fly through the spotlight. I was up and after him in an instant. I can not stand that awful whining, buzzing in my ear or the thought of being eaten alive in the night. I slapped at him a few times and he disappeared. I told myself I got him.
Around 2:30 am, I awakened from a dream that included me having several mosquito bites on my neck and face. Just the thought made me itch all over. I got up and inspected the itchy spots in the light of the bathroom. No bites, just a dream; go back to sleep.
Nothing doing. I could not fall back asleep. I tossed and turned in that weird half-dream state where you get fragments of sleep and dreams are really bizarre. Until around 4:30 am, when I had a dream that a mosquito bit my lip and it swelled to elephant-size proportions and I had to go house hunting like that.
Only this time, my lip really was throbbing even after I woke up. Throbbing! I was so mad at that mosquito!! The audacity! Biting me on my lip as I slept! Can you believe that?! I went to survey the damage and sure enough, nice puffy upper lip. Have you ever heard of such a thing?! The good news is that you really can't tell just by looking. I just get to have a nice, full, pouty smile for a day or two.
After applying a layer of benadryl cream as chapstick, I burrowed under the covers for the next hour just waiting to hear him coming to strike again. I imagined him biting my ears, my nose, my fingertips clutching to the covers. Of course I never went back to sleep. I finally admitted defeat and went to get ready for the day. Figured I had extra time on my hands to write a blog post about the whole ordeal. Who did I meet in the bathroom? Stinkin' mosquito! I got him this time. Teach you to ruin my sleep before a big day.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Pics Just In
I just saw some of Z's newborn pics posted on the photographer's blog! Go check them out. Thanks, Sarah! They look great!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
I'm A Happy Woman
You have to sing that title like you're Whitney Houston..."I'm a happy wo-man; saved and set free!" Okay, so I'm no song writer, but I have felt like singing today. No matter how horrible a day I may be having, it never ceases to correct my attitude to remind myself that I am NOT pregnant! Instant mood lifter.
God answered our prayers for a buyer for our house and our prayers for rain...
God answered our prayers for a buyer for our house and our prayers for rain...
I convinced the girls to go puddle jumping and it started raining on them. It was so novel that C picked up the hose and told me she was going to make the rain stop. I had to explain the rain was not coming out of the hose, but out of the clouds, and we didn't want it to stop. They played for almost an hour in the new wonderland that was a wet, muddy backyard. And at high noon, no less. It was cool enough for them to be outside at high noon!! Thank you, God!
We had a great day of school today, too! We just might finish week one's material in two weeks! That's a victory right now.
And my children are being sweet to each other...
Can you find Z in the middle of all that attention? As I type this post, he's laughing in his bouncy seat. I think he lost his thumb again because the cat naps have returned. Nevertheless...
We've got happy all over this house and I'm soaking it up again. Between last week's sweet spot and today, there've been a few bumps in the road not worth dwelling on. Gotta sing out loud when the joy bubbles over so you remember the words when you really need them (even if the song writer is lousy).
Big Week
We've had all of four showings of our house, y'all, four. In a month. Last weekend, I was feeling discouraged about being in limbo with the move. My girls were bored and I wanted to start school, but I also wanted to have a cute, fun space to do it in and had already packed up all my posters and extra school stuff. We got home on Sunday afternoon from house hunting and I went to the dollar store and spent $12 on school stuff. I waited for the girls to go to bed and decorated our playroom as our new schoolroom. I told Jeremy it would be Murphy's law that putting stuff on the walls again would make people come see our house.
Monday morning we started kindergarten (pics later) to mixed reviews. More on that at another time. At the same time we were schooling inside, landscapers were repairing our sprinkler system and prepping our yard for new sod and plants. Our landscaping had really gone rotten with the drought and our "we're raising children, not plants" care taking. The house had no curb appeal.
Tuesday morning started with the arrival of new sod and a forklift driving it around the backyard. Our friends came over to play, so I planned no school for the day. Around noon, as four little mouths were sitting down to lunch, the contractor showed up to install a new back door. This was another sticking point on selling the house--literally, the door was rotting in its frame and would stick about 6" open. So the next four hours were very hot as we had a huge, gaping hole in the kitchen wall.
With the major repairs done, pretty little plants in the front flower bed, and sprinklers running to beat the band, we called the realtor and told her to drop the price. Now is not the time to be greedy or proud. We've got to get this baby sold and get to where God has called us to go. We had a verbal offer that night.
We received the written contract yesterday and will finalize it today. Praise God!! We have a buyer!! It's the same family that made a crazy low offer two weeks ago, they were just slightly more rational this time around. We didn't even have to get ready for another showing. Thank you, God!
Of course that means our buying process is accelerated. We'll make a day trip Saturday to look at the last few houses on our list. Then we have a big decision to make. The buyers of our house want to close on September 22. If we want to avoid moving our stuff twice, we need to find a house and close on it a few days before. Thanks for your prayers that have brought a buyer. Please keep praying we'll find the house, the street, the neighborhood, the community where God is working and wants us to join Him.
Monday morning we started kindergarten (pics later) to mixed reviews. More on that at another time. At the same time we were schooling inside, landscapers were repairing our sprinkler system and prepping our yard for new sod and plants. Our landscaping had really gone rotten with the drought and our "we're raising children, not plants" care taking. The house had no curb appeal.
Tuesday morning started with the arrival of new sod and a forklift driving it around the backyard. Our friends came over to play, so I planned no school for the day. Around noon, as four little mouths were sitting down to lunch, the contractor showed up to install a new back door. This was another sticking point on selling the house--literally, the door was rotting in its frame and would stick about 6" open. So the next four hours were very hot as we had a huge, gaping hole in the kitchen wall.
With the major repairs done, pretty little plants in the front flower bed, and sprinklers running to beat the band, we called the realtor and told her to drop the price. Now is not the time to be greedy or proud. We've got to get this baby sold and get to where God has called us to go. We had a verbal offer that night.
We received the written contract yesterday and will finalize it today. Praise God!! We have a buyer!! It's the same family that made a crazy low offer two weeks ago, they were just slightly more rational this time around. We didn't even have to get ready for another showing. Thank you, God!
Of course that means our buying process is accelerated. We'll make a day trip Saturday to look at the last few houses on our list. Then we have a big decision to make. The buyers of our house want to close on September 22. If we want to avoid moving our stuff twice, we need to find a house and close on it a few days before. Thanks for your prayers that have brought a buyer. Please keep praying we'll find the house, the street, the neighborhood, the community where God is working and wants us to join Him.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Thought That Started it All
I've been blogging for two years this month. I can't believe that. I looked back at my first post to see when it was--August 26, 2009. How 'bout that?!
I remember the thought that drove me to blogging and I've never even blogged about it until today. I was sitting in church behind some young ladies who had different standards of appropriate church attire than I did. My feathers were ruffled by their immodesty on behalf of my daughters who look up to them and my husband who was stuck trying not to look at them for an hour. But what to do about it? I'm not looking to crack knuckles with legalistic dress codes, but I still felt like something needed to be said. So I thought a blog post on the topic would solve the problem. Ha! By the time I finished typing my rant, I knew it was best to delete it.
Praise the Lord I held my tongue! Because Stacy McDonald over at Your Sacred Calling said it so much better and with more love and grace than I ever could. Women and men alike, for the sake of the gospel, please go read her loving charge calling us to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. And if you should ever see me wearing something that makes you want to cover your daughters' eyes or give your husband a blindfold, please call me on it.
I remember the thought that drove me to blogging and I've never even blogged about it until today. I was sitting in church behind some young ladies who had different standards of appropriate church attire than I did. My feathers were ruffled by their immodesty on behalf of my daughters who look up to them and my husband who was stuck trying not to look at them for an hour. But what to do about it? I'm not looking to crack knuckles with legalistic dress codes, but I still felt like something needed to be said. So I thought a blog post on the topic would solve the problem. Ha! By the time I finished typing my rant, I knew it was best to delete it.
Praise the Lord I held my tongue! Because Stacy McDonald over at Your Sacred Calling said it so much better and with more love and grace than I ever could. Women and men alike, for the sake of the gospel, please go read her loving charge calling us to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron. And if you should ever see me wearing something that makes you want to cover your daughters' eyes or give your husband a blindfold, please call me on it.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Sweet Spot
Today has been a sweet spot in the last few weeks. Not that the last few weeks have been a terrible burden, just life with a newborn while trying to sell our house. Crazy, intense days followed by the periodic dull, boring day. It's really easy to get bogged down and frustrated on the crazy, intense days when I'm tired from getting up too early, the baby won't sleep, the girls are whiny and someone wants to come see our house. So sweet days like today are worthy of soaking up and relishing.
For starters, life is beautiful because I am not pregnant. Being "not pregnant" makes everything easier, even having a newborn. But then, Z slept until I woke him up at 7:30 am this morning! Great start to the day! The girls stayed in bed until their lamp came on, so I didn't get out of bed until 6:45 am. They enjoyed the new cereal I bought them (frosted mini wheats with fruit filling for other mommies of picky eaters). Daddy ate breakfast with us and changed a dirty diaper before he left for work. We all went outside to play in the driveway before it got too hot and got to talk to some neighbors. Z fell asleep in my arms without me even trying. We went back inside and I did "circle time" with the girls. They stayed engaged with me for an hour and a half! We read our Bible story, prayed, sang some songs, did a little art, read some poems, worked on scripture memory, read three chapters in our chapter book (!!) and finished with the last 24 hours in pictures. Fabulous, blessed time together!!
Then they played happily together making a birthday party for their stuffed animals while I tended to some chores. I realized Z had been sleeping for a little over two hours and went to check on him. God's grace to me today....
...he has found his thumb! This was his second nap to be prolonged by the sucking of a glorious thumb! We might be on to something here! And hallelujah, because the last few weeks have really been exacerbated by a cat-napping baby.
I woke him up, fed him, and put him down to play while I made the girls' lunch. I turned on some fun tunes and laughed with Z as he kicked in his bouncy seat. My eldest, pickiest eater asked for leftovers from supper! (Cheeseburger pie for those other mommies of picky eaters.) And she ate them all and her fruit without a fight. (Audiobooks are my new secret weapon during lunch. They're so busy listening, they don't get silly at the table and we avoid most of the common pitfalls of table discipline.) We finished lunch, watched a show, and started quiet time. Z went back down for another nap without a fight and he's still sleeping! Praise God for thumbs!!
I got a little cat nap before getting up to enjoy an ice cream sandwich and write a blog post. Ladies and gentlemen, life does not get much better than this day!! I know not what the afternoon holds or how it may all fall apart tomorrow, but I shall enjoy the glow of this moment and savor it. May your day (or some day soon) be equally as pleasant and peaceful.
For starters, life is beautiful because I am not pregnant. Being "not pregnant" makes everything easier, even having a newborn. But then, Z slept until I woke him up at 7:30 am this morning! Great start to the day! The girls stayed in bed until their lamp came on, so I didn't get out of bed until 6:45 am. They enjoyed the new cereal I bought them (frosted mini wheats with fruit filling for other mommies of picky eaters). Daddy ate breakfast with us and changed a dirty diaper before he left for work. We all went outside to play in the driveway before it got too hot and got to talk to some neighbors. Z fell asleep in my arms without me even trying. We went back inside and I did "circle time" with the girls. They stayed engaged with me for an hour and a half! We read our Bible story, prayed, sang some songs, did a little art, read some poems, worked on scripture memory, read three chapters in our chapter book (!!) and finished with the last 24 hours in pictures. Fabulous, blessed time together!!
Then they played happily together making a birthday party for their stuffed animals while I tended to some chores. I realized Z had been sleeping for a little over two hours and went to check on him. God's grace to me today....
I woke him up, fed him, and put him down to play while I made the girls' lunch. I turned on some fun tunes and laughed with Z as he kicked in his bouncy seat. My eldest, pickiest eater asked for leftovers from supper! (Cheeseburger pie for those other mommies of picky eaters.) And she ate them all and her fruit without a fight. (Audiobooks are my new secret weapon during lunch. They're so busy listening, they don't get silly at the table and we avoid most of the common pitfalls of table discipline.) We finished lunch, watched a show, and started quiet time. Z went back down for another nap without a fight and he's still sleeping! Praise God for thumbs!!
I got a little cat nap before getting up to enjoy an ice cream sandwich and write a blog post. Ladies and gentlemen, life does not get much better than this day!! I know not what the afternoon holds or how it may all fall apart tomorrow, but I shall enjoy the glow of this moment and savor it. May your day (or some day soon) be equally as pleasant and peaceful.
Friday, August 5, 2011
A Mommy Poll
I spend a lot of time and energy feeling guilty about the amount of time I spend or don't spend playing with my children. Is this normal? I've been thinking about generations of mommies before me and I don't think they spent a lot of time on the floor playing Polly Pockets. Will my children be healthier adults than their children?
I know in generations past, there was more labor involved in housekeeping. So kids were helping out from early on. I imagine their opportunities for pure play were farther apart and means of entertainment were much simpler.
Modern conveniences and technology now make the workload lighter, and psychologists tell us to let our kids be kids, playing is their job. And I hear it in their little voices, "Mommy, when can you play with me?" They crave the attention and I know it does wonders for our relationship.
Does anyone else obsess about this? Am I the only mommy who feels like I can never satiate her kids' desire for play time together? How much time do you spend in pure play with your kids? A few minutes here and there throughout the day, or a concentrated hour after supper? Not art projects or cooking together or reading books, but getting into their little made-up world, being who they want you to be.
Please leave a comment (click on the word "comments" below this post) or send me an email. I think it would be really interesting to see what "Mommy, play with me" looks like in other well-adjusted, healthy homes.
I know in generations past, there was more labor involved in housekeeping. So kids were helping out from early on. I imagine their opportunities for pure play were farther apart and means of entertainment were much simpler.
Modern conveniences and technology now make the workload lighter, and psychologists tell us to let our kids be kids, playing is their job. And I hear it in their little voices, "Mommy, when can you play with me?" They crave the attention and I know it does wonders for our relationship.
Does anyone else obsess about this? Am I the only mommy who feels like I can never satiate her kids' desire for play time together? How much time do you spend in pure play with your kids? A few minutes here and there throughout the day, or a concentrated hour after supper? Not art projects or cooking together or reading books, but getting into their little made-up world, being who they want you to be.
Please leave a comment (click on the word "comments" below this post) or send me an email. I think it would be really interesting to see what "Mommy, play with me" looks like in other well-adjusted, healthy homes.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Boo!
One night last week, when C was still in her crib, she woke up screaming and crying around 11:00 pm. J was still up and went to see what the fuss was about. "Pants! Pants! I don't have any pants!" she railed at him. She had picked a nightgown to sleep in and was apparently regretting her choice after several hours of sleep.
J moved to accommodate her because there is no reasoning with an irrational 2-year-old in the middle of the night. You may as well tell a pregnant woman you ate the last of the ice cream. J knows when to pick his battles.
What you need to know is that we moved all of C's clothes into A's room months ago to make room for Z's clothes in the nursery closet. So J had to sneak into A's room for the very necessary pants.
J was rummaging around in the pajama drawer as stealthily as he could when A popped up from her perch on the top bunk and gave him a hearty, "Boo!" I think she probably got a good payback for all the times he's pulled a similar stunt on her.
J moved to accommodate her because there is no reasoning with an irrational 2-year-old in the middle of the night. You may as well tell a pregnant woman you ate the last of the ice cream. J knows when to pick his battles.
What you need to know is that we moved all of C's clothes into A's room months ago to make room for Z's clothes in the nursery closet. So J had to sneak into A's room for the very necessary pants.
J was rummaging around in the pajama drawer as stealthily as he could when A popped up from her perch on the top bunk and gave him a hearty, "Boo!" I think she probably got a good payback for all the times he's pulled a similar stunt on her.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Big Girl Bed
Because we don't have anything else going on around here, we decided to transition C to a big girl bed. It actually made sense to do it before the move, because we wouldn't have kept her in a crib in a new place. This way she has the chance to get used to it in a familiar place and moving to a new house won't also include moving to a new bed.
We all picked a day on the calendar to try it and that was last Friday. Turns out that was the day our house went on the market. It wasn't a crazy day at all.
We stuck to our planned day and she's done great. She's sharing the bunk bed with A, so we've had the expected trouble with talking too much before going to sleep and waking each other up too early. I'm really hopeful those things will settle down over time as it becomes more routine. If not, we'll have to come up with a new strategy or two to make sure they are each getting enough rest. Never a dull moment!
We all picked a day on the calendar to try it and that was last Friday. Turns out that was the day our house went on the market. It wasn't a crazy day at all.
We stuck to our planned day and she's done great. She's sharing the bunk bed with A, so we've had the expected trouble with talking too much before going to sleep and waking each other up too early. I'm really hopeful those things will settle down over time as it becomes more routine. If not, we'll have to come up with a new strategy or two to make sure they are each getting enough rest. Never a dull moment!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Marching Orders
My husband came home a couple of months ago and introduced the idea that the business he's been working on with three of our friends might someday need to move to Austin. "Just want you to keep that on your radar," he said. "Maybe by next spring," he said.
I've known this man for almost 18 years. I've learned to filter out remote possibilities and not freak out until he's really ready to pull the trigger. Fast forward to the beginning of July when he comes home and says, "We need to move by the end of the summer." Time to FREAK OUT!
By the end of that conversation, he had softened the blow to moving sometime this fall because his wife just kept stammering, "That is not possible. You realize that is not humanly possible." I may not have been the best cheerleader for my husband that night. Sorry, babe.
It's taken me so long to write this post, that most of you know by now that we are moving and hope to be settled in our new home and office location by the beginning of October. That's in two months! While I'm excited about going back to the area and people we left three years ago, this has definitely been an abrupt interruption of my little world. I have frequently been reminded that "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. (Prov 19:21)"
I had plans for kindergarten all laid out and set up in my dining room...never mind. I had plans for a great co-op for A this fall...not to be. I have relationships that seem like they are just starting to normalize....shake 'em up.
On the other side of this is snoball.com. I'm super excited about the momentum this idea has! If you haven't gone and explored the site, please take a few minutes to do that. This thing is going to be big and you'll want to say you were there in the beginning. The four men behind the idea are incredibly talented and smart. They have investors chomping at the bit to get in on the action. The only thing holding them back is their own physical limit for working....they need more manpower. Which is the main reason for the move. They've been unable to find local developers who are ready to hit the ground running and they can't convince any to move here. So J will be focused on finding a new office and hiring a small army in the next few months.
In my panicked, overwhelmed-with-all-the-details moments, I ask the impertinent question, "Why, God?" He has been gracious, merciful and loving in His abundant way and provided me with an answer. Back when I was reading this book, I prayed for an adventure. I asked God what adventure He had for J and I to go on for His glory and our good. And I prayed that He would show me where I fit in His eternal agenda and how I could glorify Him with what He had blessed me with. As Bill Engvall would say,....here's yer sign. "You asked for it, Sarah; here ya go...one adventure for the kingdom coming up. Will you win the battles for My glory? Or will you whine and whimper in the foxholes?"
Can I just say how amazing it is to link back to so many posts over the last year that chronicle God's hand in preparing me for this? What a mighty God we serve!
So here we go. Back to back, tools and weapons ready, into the fray of a grand adventure. Wherever it leads, may it strengthen our marriage, grow our children's faith and bring glory to God, the King of Kings and Lord of Hosts.
I've known this man for almost 18 years. I've learned to filter out remote possibilities and not freak out until he's really ready to pull the trigger. Fast forward to the beginning of July when he comes home and says, "We need to move by the end of the summer." Time to FREAK OUT!
By the end of that conversation, he had softened the blow to moving sometime this fall because his wife just kept stammering, "That is not possible. You realize that is not humanly possible." I may not have been the best cheerleader for my husband that night. Sorry, babe.
It's taken me so long to write this post, that most of you know by now that we are moving and hope to be settled in our new home and office location by the beginning of October. That's in two months! While I'm excited about going back to the area and people we left three years ago, this has definitely been an abrupt interruption of my little world. I have frequently been reminded that "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. (Prov 19:21)"
I had plans for kindergarten all laid out and set up in my dining room...never mind. I had plans for a great co-op for A this fall...not to be. I have relationships that seem like they are just starting to normalize....shake 'em up.
On the other side of this is snoball.com. I'm super excited about the momentum this idea has! If you haven't gone and explored the site, please take a few minutes to do that. This thing is going to be big and you'll want to say you were there in the beginning. The four men behind the idea are incredibly talented and smart. They have investors chomping at the bit to get in on the action. The only thing holding them back is their own physical limit for working....they need more manpower. Which is the main reason for the move. They've been unable to find local developers who are ready to hit the ground running and they can't convince any to move here. So J will be focused on finding a new office and hiring a small army in the next few months.
In my panicked, overwhelmed-with-all-the-details moments, I ask the impertinent question, "Why, God?" He has been gracious, merciful and loving in His abundant way and provided me with an answer. Back when I was reading this book, I prayed for an adventure. I asked God what adventure He had for J and I to go on for His glory and our good. And I prayed that He would show me where I fit in His eternal agenda and how I could glorify Him with what He had blessed me with. As Bill Engvall would say,....here's yer sign. "You asked for it, Sarah; here ya go...one adventure for the kingdom coming up. Will you win the battles for My glory? Or will you whine and whimper in the foxholes?"
Can I just say how amazing it is to link back to so many posts over the last year that chronicle God's hand in preparing me for this? What a mighty God we serve!
So here we go. Back to back, tools and weapons ready, into the fray of a grand adventure. Wherever it leads, may it strengthen our marriage, grow our children's faith and bring glory to God, the King of Kings and Lord of Hosts.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Thanks!
Wow! What a great birthday I've had this year! J came home early on Friday to stay with Z while I took the girls to their first movie in the theater. We saw Winnie the Pooh on the big screen and it was a lot of fun. I had mixed feelings about our arrival time. We were running late, so we missed the previews (good thing because you never know what you'll see) but had to find seats and get situated in the dark (bad thing). It was a great experience and I hope to repeat it in a week or so at the dollar summer movie for kids when they play Horton Hears a Who.
Saturday morning, J stayed with all three kids (!!!) and sent me out of the house with cash in hand to spend only on myself. He said he was going to want to see receipts and I couldn't spend any of it on the girls or homeschool stuff. He knows me really well. I picked up some new duds and enjoyed a silent lunch on my own. Wonderful birthday gift!!
While I was gone, he took the girls to the grocery store to pick out a cake mix for me. They came back and made brownies for me that afternoon and supplemented the birthday decorations still up from A's party. The girls spent some time drawing me pictures and finding gift bags to put them in.
Sunday, we all actually made it to church on time and enjoyed being back in the groove with our friends. We attempted a civilized lunch at a restaurant afterward. Only missed it by one diaper blow-out. Newborn poop is diabolical when said newborn is in a car seat. That afternoon, J baked the chocolate cake with chocolate icing that the girls knew I wanted. I guess I've said a few loving words about chocolate as of late.
Today (my actual birthday), a sweet neighbor friend came over to play with the girls all morning. I wasn't expecting to get much done because Z is so unpredictable. But he took a THREE HOUR NAP!! Hallelujah! I got soooo much done! I feel lighter and happier having checked so much off my to-do list. Since I was feeling caught up, I was able to enjoy spending the afternoon playing with the girls and reading to them while Z took another big nap. I really believe all this time today was God's birthday present for me.
To top it all off, I've received dozens of birthday greetings in cards, emails and Facebook messages. Icing on an already sweet day! Thanks to everyone who made me feel so special and loved on my birthday, especially my hard-working, fast-thinking, never-a-dull-moment best friend of a husband.
Saturday morning, J stayed with all three kids (!!!) and sent me out of the house with cash in hand to spend only on myself. He said he was going to want to see receipts and I couldn't spend any of it on the girls or homeschool stuff. He knows me really well. I picked up some new duds and enjoyed a silent lunch on my own. Wonderful birthday gift!!
While I was gone, he took the girls to the grocery store to pick out a cake mix for me. They came back and made brownies for me that afternoon and supplemented the birthday decorations still up from A's party. The girls spent some time drawing me pictures and finding gift bags to put them in.
Sunday, we all actually made it to church on time and enjoyed being back in the groove with our friends. We attempted a civilized lunch at a restaurant afterward. Only missed it by one diaper blow-out. Newborn poop is diabolical when said newborn is in a car seat. That afternoon, J baked the chocolate cake with chocolate icing that the girls knew I wanted. I guess I've said a few loving words about chocolate as of late.
Today (my actual birthday), a sweet neighbor friend came over to play with the girls all morning. I wasn't expecting to get much done because Z is so unpredictable. But he took a THREE HOUR NAP!! Hallelujah! I got soooo much done! I feel lighter and happier having checked so much off my to-do list. Since I was feeling caught up, I was able to enjoy spending the afternoon playing with the girls and reading to them while Z took another big nap. I really believe all this time today was God's birthday present for me.
To top it all off, I've received dozens of birthday greetings in cards, emails and Facebook messages. Icing on an already sweet day! Thanks to everyone who made me feel so special and loved on my birthday, especially my hard-working, fast-thinking, never-a-dull-moment best friend of a husband.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Super Baby!
C is fixated on superheroes lately. I blame The Incredibles. She loves that movie. She can almost quote it in her broken, two-year-old jargon. She was thrilled to find a new costume in our dress-up bucket that came with some hand-me-downs for Z. She pronounced herself "Super Baby!"
Friday, July 8, 2011
First Bath
Thursday, July 7, 2011
One Month Old
It's already been a month since our little man made his debut! I can't believe it! And at the same time, I can't wait for him to be at that 4-6 month stage where he's sitting up, sleeping through the night, trying solids. But he's doing a lot for a one-month-old already. In the last week he has...
- had his first bath (pics to come)
- projectile pooped across my bedroom
- outgrown size 1 diapers
- weighed in at 10 lbs, 4 oz
- slept for five hours at a stretch at night (two nights in a row!)
- had his first trip to McDonald's
Exciting times for our big little mister. Wonder what the next month will bring?
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
On Being Five
Dear A,
Today you are five. When I wished you a happy birthday this morning, your eyes lit up and you said, "Mom, am I really five? I think I'm bigger." We went to the wall where I mark your growth and sure enough, you're bigger. You said you could jump higher today, too. Daddy asked you if five-year-olds whine and you replied, "No-oo, Dad" as if that was soooo 2010.
You enjoy Littlest Pet Shop, Care Bears, Hello Kitty, Polly Pocket, and My Little Pony. You play "mommy and baby" with C for hours every day and thoroughly enjoy the authority that comes with being the mommy. Playing school is also good for a power trip. Your latest thrill is taking pictures with our iPhones. Matter of fact, you love all things screen-related...computer games, tv shows, phone games.
Ana B. is your bff and you are two peas in a pod. You both think the other hung the moon and you could play "baby puppies" together all day. You love to play rough with your daddy and want every day to be a stay-home day for him. You make beautiful drawings for our fridge every day and I look forward to the stories you have to go along with your pictures.
You requested blueberry pancakes for breakfast and McDonald's for lunch. I think I detected a little flirting going on with the boys on the playscape. Don't get in a hurry, sweet pea, there'll be plenty of time for that ten years from now.
You make me proud when I see you play sweetly with C, or talk tenderly to Z. Every now and then, you get a wild hair and help out without being asked. You don't like to be alone, have your hair brushed, do chores, or go to WalMart.
Writing my thoughts about you today makes me wish I had more time to study you and discover your needs and wants, your love language, what makes you excited or sad. You continue to amaze us as you grow and I want to be the mom you need along the way. Thank you for being patient with us as we experiment with parenting on you. We have lots to learn together and I'm so happy to grow another year bigger with you.
Today you are five. When I wished you a happy birthday this morning, your eyes lit up and you said, "Mom, am I really five? I think I'm bigger." We went to the wall where I mark your growth and sure enough, you're bigger. You said you could jump higher today, too. Daddy asked you if five-year-olds whine and you replied, "No-oo, Dad" as if that was soooo 2010.
You enjoy Littlest Pet Shop, Care Bears, Hello Kitty, Polly Pocket, and My Little Pony. You play "mommy and baby" with C for hours every day and thoroughly enjoy the authority that comes with being the mommy. Playing school is also good for a power trip. Your latest thrill is taking pictures with our iPhones. Matter of fact, you love all things screen-related...computer games, tv shows, phone games.
Ana B. is your bff and you are two peas in a pod. You both think the other hung the moon and you could play "baby puppies" together all day. You love to play rough with your daddy and want every day to be a stay-home day for him. You make beautiful drawings for our fridge every day and I look forward to the stories you have to go along with your pictures.
You requested blueberry pancakes for breakfast and McDonald's for lunch. I think I detected a little flirting going on with the boys on the playscape. Don't get in a hurry, sweet pea, there'll be plenty of time for that ten years from now.
You make me proud when I see you play sweetly with C, or talk tenderly to Z. Every now and then, you get a wild hair and help out without being asked. You don't like to be alone, have your hair brushed, do chores, or go to WalMart.
Writing my thoughts about you today makes me wish I had more time to study you and discover your needs and wants, your love language, what makes you excited or sad. You continue to amaze us as you grow and I want to be the mom you need along the way. Thank you for being patient with us as we experiment with parenting on you. We have lots to learn together and I'm so happy to grow another year bigger with you.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
More Father's Day Gifts
C had two special gifts to share with her daddy this past weekend. We tried to coordinate the day in such a way that he and I would both get naps, but we ended up fielding several interruptions during that part of the day. He handled the big girls, while I kept Z happy.
On Saturday, he was roused from his almost-nap by C yelling that she had stinky pants. This is an almost daily occurrence. Something about being alone in her room during quiet time gets things moving. He trudged in to change her diaper and discovered that for the first time in our parenting years, she had gone exploring in her diaper. I don't think she liked what she found, because she had tried to clean it off on her shirt, belly, pants, and door. It really could have been a lot worse, but J thought it was bad enough.
Then on Sunday, we tried again to finagle naps. We even made the girls lay down to take naps. C wasn't having it, though, so he gave in and let her do quiet time. When he went to her room at the end of quiet time, he was shocked to see that she had been playing "splashpad" and had very thoroughly applied "sunscreen" to herself and her duplo blocks. She had nearly emptied a tube of A+D diaper cream onto her face, arms, legs and every crevice of most of her duplo blocks. Keep in mind that diaper cream is formulated to resist moisture. I only washed one block, and that is tough stuff. After googling "how to clean diaper cream out of carpet," and seeing the poor results most folks have, I decided not to waste my time.
Happy Father's Day, J! Thanks for saving C from the wrath of Mommy. If she pulls a stunt like those during the week, I can't promise I'll handle it with the grace you did.
On Saturday, he was roused from his almost-nap by C yelling that she had stinky pants. This is an almost daily occurrence. Something about being alone in her room during quiet time gets things moving. He trudged in to change her diaper and discovered that for the first time in our parenting years, she had gone exploring in her diaper. I don't think she liked what she found, because she had tried to clean it off on her shirt, belly, pants, and door. It really could have been a lot worse, but J thought it was bad enough.
Then on Sunday, we tried again to finagle naps. We even made the girls lay down to take naps. C wasn't having it, though, so he gave in and let her do quiet time. When he went to her room at the end of quiet time, he was shocked to see that she had been playing "splashpad" and had very thoroughly applied "sunscreen" to herself and her duplo blocks. She had nearly emptied a tube of A+D diaper cream onto her face, arms, legs and every crevice of most of her duplo blocks. Keep in mind that diaper cream is formulated to resist moisture. I only washed one block, and that is tough stuff. After googling "how to clean diaper cream out of carpet," and seeing the poor results most folks have, I decided not to waste my time.
Happy Father's Day, J! Thanks for saving C from the wrath of Mommy. If she pulls a stunt like those during the week, I can't promise I'll handle it with the grace you did.
Happy Father's Day!
We were a little preoccupied on the actual Father's Day, so I asked J to give me an extra week to coordinate a weekend of celebrating what a great man he is to our family. He was happy to oblige, because he's a great man.
So Friday afternoon, we used our kidsbowlfree.com coupons to all go bowling. If you haven't signed your kids up for this yet, you really should. Every kid in your family under 12 gets 2 free games of bowling every weekday for the whole summer. We signed up for the family pass on top of that and both of the grown-ups get 2 free games every day for the summer for the cost of one game. (You still have to pay for shoes, which was $12 for the family at our local place.) The girls had a blast! They had a special ramp that you could push up to the foul line and let them push their ball down the ramp toward the pins. It was perfect for C. And A really enjoyed seeing "real" bowling instead of Wii bowling. Z was a trooper and slept through almost all of it.
Saturday morning, the girls gave cards they had made to Daddy and we decorated with a banner and some balloons. We made a pie that Daddy had raved about and had it for dessert at lunch.
For my gift to J, I had planned a surprise date. One of our neighbors was kind enough to come watch all three kids and I tried to orchestrate the afternoon so that I could feed Z, run out the door, and be back in time for his next feeding. J has been trying to get me to the gun range for a long time and I knew it would mean a lot to him if I finally caved and went. I thought we would go to a nearby indoor range, so I arranged babysitting for middle of the afternoon. Alas, I heard through the grapevine that the nearest range is no fun; we would have to go a little further out of town to what I learned was an outdoor range. This is how I say "I LOVE YOU!"
That's me, shooting a gun, outside, at 5:30 pm in the blazing heat. (You can be doubly sure it's me 'cause I'm wearing a hat.) File it away, because you won't see that againever anytime soon. I think J had a good time teaching me some really basic gun safety and introducing me to his latest hobby. It was good to enter his world and see what fun looks like for him. I have to admit, though, that I was surprised by my reaction to shooting. It made me cry. No kidding. Granted I'm a postpartum hormonal mess, but I still wasn't expecting to tear up when I pulled the trigger. And no, it wasn't a happy cry. Something very powerful about firing a gun. I don't like the idea of being responsible for that action. I don't want that kind of power in my hands. But if we're going to have one in the house, I am at least grateful to know how to hold it and how to make it work if I need it. I can honestly say I'm not scared of it anymore, but I'm nowhere near comfortable with it.
We made it back home in time to feed the kids and get them in bed before a long night with a newborn. Happy Father's Day, J! I wish every kid had a dad like you who would play rough, talk soft, stand firm, and be crazy like you do with our kids. You make me a better mommy and I thank our God for bringing us together and blessing us with three special kids who bring out the best in you. I love you!
So Friday afternoon, we used our kidsbowlfree.com coupons to all go bowling. If you haven't signed your kids up for this yet, you really should. Every kid in your family under 12 gets 2 free games of bowling every weekday for the whole summer. We signed up for the family pass on top of that and both of the grown-ups get 2 free games every day for the summer for the cost of one game. (You still have to pay for shoes, which was $12 for the family at our local place.) The girls had a blast! They had a special ramp that you could push up to the foul line and let them push their ball down the ramp toward the pins. It was perfect for C. And A really enjoyed seeing "real" bowling instead of Wii bowling. Z was a trooper and slept through almost all of it.
Saturday morning, the girls gave cards they had made to Daddy and we decorated with a banner and some balloons. We made a pie that Daddy had raved about and had it for dessert at lunch.
For my gift to J, I had planned a surprise date. One of our neighbors was kind enough to come watch all three kids and I tried to orchestrate the afternoon so that I could feed Z, run out the door, and be back in time for his next feeding. J has been trying to get me to the gun range for a long time and I knew it would mean a lot to him if I finally caved and went. I thought we would go to a nearby indoor range, so I arranged babysitting for middle of the afternoon. Alas, I heard through the grapevine that the nearest range is no fun; we would have to go a little further out of town to what I learned was an outdoor range. This is how I say "I LOVE YOU!"
That's me, shooting a gun, outside, at 5:30 pm in the blazing heat. (You can be doubly sure it's me 'cause I'm wearing a hat.) File it away, because you won't see that again
We made it back home in time to feed the kids and get them in bed before a long night with a newborn. Happy Father's Day, J! I wish every kid had a dad like you who would play rough, talk soft, stand firm, and be crazy like you do with our kids. You make me a better mommy and I thank our God for bringing us together and blessing us with three special kids who bring out the best in you. I love you!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Look What I Can Do!
I am no longer pregnant!! Ha-lle-lu-jah!! This is not a new revelation. I have been wallowing in the wonderful freedom of this truth every day for the last two weeks. The first few days were discouraging, I admit. I had high hopes for instantly feeling back to normal. But labor and delivery is a major ordeal and with the emotional support of my strong, steady husband (read "letting me blubber and boo-hoo on his shoulder in random intervals"), I brought my expectations out of the stratosphere and tried to be patient.
Friday after Z was born, I did something to injure my neck that resulted in extremely painful headaches and very limited movement in my neck for almost a week. That slammed me into a major wall. The pain was getting worse instead of better. Thanks to a combination of prayer, time, good drugs, and a couple of chiropractor visits, that pain has gone away and my neck is back to normal.
Sometime in the midst of that neck pain, I realized that I could lift my knees up to my waist. This was monumental! I hadn't been able to get my feet more than an inch or two off the floor during the last month of pregnancy. I proudly walked into the living room where J was watching tv and announced, "Look what I can do!" as I high-kicked my way across the living room. Glorious freedom of movement! That silver lining in the thick of a black cloud was so satisfying and encouraging. It helped me hang on to hope that recovery wouldn't take too much longer.
And it's not. I think I'm mostly back to my pre-pregnancy self. And that is a wonderful place to be!
Friday after Z was born, I did something to injure my neck that resulted in extremely painful headaches and very limited movement in my neck for almost a week. That slammed me into a major wall. The pain was getting worse instead of better. Thanks to a combination of prayer, time, good drugs, and a couple of chiropractor visits, that pain has gone away and my neck is back to normal.
Sometime in the midst of that neck pain, I realized that I could lift my knees up to my waist. This was monumental! I hadn't been able to get my feet more than an inch or two off the floor during the last month of pregnancy. I proudly walked into the living room where J was watching tv and announced, "Look what I can do!" as I high-kicked my way across the living room. Glorious freedom of movement! That silver lining in the thick of a black cloud was so satisfying and encouraging. It helped me hang on to hope that recovery wouldn't take too much longer.
And it's not. I think I'm mostly back to my pre-pregnancy self. And that is a wonderful place to be!
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