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...

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).

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 again ever 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!

A Magical Childhood

I found a new blog that I'm in love with called A Magical Childhood.  This lady excels at my deepest weakness...fun.  Every Monday she posts "10 Ways to Make Today Magical."  Ten new ideas, every week.  Ten.  Every week, y'all.  I don't have that kind of magic in my pinky nail.  And they are ideas that I can actually see myself doing.  Well, at least, when I'm not big pregnant.  Granted some are beyond my comfort zone, but there are plenty to choose from!!  It's so inspiring!

Since I feel prepared for baby to arrive, I've been trying to make life less horrible for my daughters.  Pregnancy has not been easy on them.  Lots of angry, tired, achy mommy does not promote a magical childhood.  So I've been trying to say "yes" more often than "no" in the last week or so and really evaluate if I can do what they are asking or if I'm just saying no because I'd rather lie on the couch and eat ice cream.

Tuesday afternoon, I tried my hand at a little magic.  I told them I had a few chores to do and if they helped, we might get done in time to do something fun together before supper.  They cheerfully pitched in to fold the laundry and occupied themselves while I did some filing.  So I told them to put on their swimsuits and head to the backyard.  They were very surprised when I walked out in my swimsuit as well!  My sister had suggested I sit in a patio chair and let them spray me with the hose and there really wasn't a good reason not to.  We had a good time taking turns squirting each other, holding the hose on the slide, running in the sprinkler.  Letting them soak me with the hose was about the only way I would play outside with them in this heat. And I was only out there about 45 minutes before coming in to finish dinner plans.  That was just long enough for J to get home and wonder what he had missed out on.  I'm glad someone else witnessed the event, because I wasn't going to break out the camera while wearing a maternity swimsuit.  No amount of magic can salvage that mental image.

A Moment of Silence

Ladies and gentlemen, could we please observe a moment of silence for the monumental sacrifice that my husband has made in relinquishing his firstborn sailboat.

Yes, he made it himself from raw materials.  Lots of sweat and tears went into that little beauty.  I think he started it in 2007ish.  I know A was around, but she was still too little to sail along.  (She was too little and the boat was too "experimental.")

When we cleaned out the garage last month, he admitted that it was time to let it go.  He hadn't touched it since we moved almost three years ago.  This stage of life is just not conducive to time-consuming hobbies.  I posted it on freecycle and we were thrilled to pass it on to a boy scout who was really excited to spruce it up, make it seaworthy and earn a few merit badges with it.

I say it was his firstborn sailboat because I know it won't be the last.  This man loves to sail and make things with his hands.  He hearts DIY sailboats.  One day, his son will be ready to wield a hammer and slop paint and they will make amazing things together.  I want that for him and can't wait to watch (with band-aids and wipes at the ready).

Snow Day 2011

The great arctic blast of 2011 didn't live up to all the hype (as usual).  Our predicted 3" of snow was barely a dusting.  Still, we had a great time this morning.  J stayed home from work to help us have fun.  After last year's snow day went sour, I knew I would need his help to make this one memorable.  There wasn't nearly the accumulation as last year, so we started by just making lots of footprints.

Then, A made a beautiful snow angel.  I think the key is to do it on the driveway, not the grass. And you need to have daddy home to lift you up so you don't mess it up when you're trying to stand.

Next, the snow fight commenced.  It was really hard to pack a snowball with gloves that are a little too big, so daddy found some dustpans and it turned into a shovelful-of-snow fight.

J said it was the most polite snow fight he had ever been in.  The rules of engagement require that you turn your back, stand still and wait to be hit with snow. 

After all the available snow was shoveled, it was time to come in for hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows.

Then we cracked open a package sent from Nana.  Thanks for the box, Nana!  As always, the box was way more entertaining than the contents.

And the packing peanuts were quickly turned into an indoor snow storm, which I think they both preferred to the outdoor kind that is wet and cold.

All in all, a pretty wonderful day.  I'm grateful that we don't live a little further north where they've been snowed in for days.  It's nice to get a taste of it, but it's okay with me that it's all melting away in the sunshine this afternoon.

Lazy Day

Mark it - I think today has been the closest our little family will come to a lazy summer day this year. Nowhere to go, nothing huge to do. We played trains, read books, the girls even played while I got some things tended to. We ate popsicles on the patio for snack, then I filled up the pool. The girls are swimming while I blog. Wish there were more days like this one in the foreseeable future. How did our summer fly by so fast and furious?!

Well, I Never!

I'm so ashamed. My sweet neighbor had to bring the following monstrosity to my attention.

I'm referring to the weed, not the child about to be eaten by the weed. For some perspective, J's boat is 4 feet wide and the shadow at the top of the pic is from our eaves!! Have you ever seen a weed that big?! My neighbor really was so sweet about it. Poor friend had to look out her kitchen window at that for how long? Patience of Job, I tell ya.

The bad news is that was the mother weed. It was not alone.

That's the other side of the house. And this was the back:

You feel better now about your lawn, don't you? The good news is that these pics were taken almost a month ago, the day before six students showed up to help rescue us from our land of woe for The Big Event. They worked about three and a half hours and pulled most of the weeds, raked all the leaves in the front yard, and painted a bench in the back yard. Hooray for free labor!

It looks much better now, I promise. You'll just have to take my word for it because it took me this long to get the pics up that I already had; I'm not waiting to post them for another month while I procrastinate on taking "after" pics.

Farewell, Arctic Blast of 2010

For all the hubbub and hoopla generated by The Great Arctic Blast of 2010, I have but one thing to say...

DIE, MOSQUITOES, DIE!

Sort of, kind of an outdoorsy moment

A has seen several shows recently about camping out, including one with marshmallows roasted over a fire. She's been clamoring to camp out in the backyard so she could participate in said marshmallows. J pitched his tent in the backyard before it got too cold and they played card games until the mosquitos started dealing themselves in. But she wasn't really keen on the idea of sleeping out there. I wasn't either; never been one for sleeping out of doors. I have a lovely Stearns & Foster king-size pillow top that welcomes me to slumber each night. Why would I forsake that kind of hospitality?

At any rate, we certainly wouldn't be making a fire in our backyard. So, we did the next best thing:

I'm happy to report that indoor s'mores are quite yummy. C agrees; she nearly took off my finger tip trying to clean off the sticky marshmallow.

Huge compromise for my manly man. Perhaps one day God will answer his prayers and I'll wake up believing that days on end without proper plumbing is actually relaxing. The title of that post shall read, "The prayers of a righteous man availeth much."