Bits and Pieces

After a lengthy blogcation, I'm back.  Here's a snippet of what we've been up to.

Kissing our reflections on the back door.  I am told someday I will miss all the finger (lip) prints around my house.  We will wait and see.

Some beach fun with good friends over Spring Break.  It looks all sunny and we tried to pretend it was warm by wearing capris and flip flops.

Buddy and his bff.  They walk around and talk like little people and I imagine the conversation to go something like "So, did you make anything cool with legos lately?"  "No, I've been more into nerf guns.  Oh, but I did have some goldfish for a snack the other day."  "Cool."

Can. not. get enough of this child.  If you ask her to do something, she says 'sure' but it sounds like 'sir', and it's the cutest thing you've ever heard.  She also has a giggle that's guaranteed to make you smile.

We are into ninjas lately.  That has nothing to do with this picture, but I thought it was worth a mention.

We took a fun chocolate factory tour.  It was great, except that the samples were the size of chocolate chips.  I had bigger expectations.

After the chocolate tour, we got ice cream (yeah, I was all kinds of wild and crazy.  And also to make up for the tiny samples.  Both of them.).  We stopped at the temple to walk around the beautiful grounds.

Then we stopped at Daddy's fancy office to say hi and give him some surprise chocolate.

We pushed a giant ball of granite around at the science center.  Same old-same old.

Went to a 3-D IMAX movie about dinosaurs.

Went on a hot date with my boyfriend.  We took a Savor Seattle tour at Pike Place Market (aka we walked around eating food for two hours).  Seriously, what could be better?

Just another random picture of my favorite 23 month old.  Might I add that Girlie has a matching dress.  One of the joys of my life is dressing my kids in coordinating clothes.

Then we went to Utah to watch these beautiful people get hitched.  Ahhhh....

Los padres.  How I adore them.  Aren't they cute??

My, what handsome boys!

She's pausing to smell the flowers.  She gets that from me.

Possibly one of my favorite pictures ever.  All of us, coordinating clothes, in front of the temple on a beautiful day.  Doesn't get much better than that.

Passed out on the way home.  Not me, no.  J's tummy hurt, so I ended up having to drive almost ALL THE WAY HOME, WHICH TOOK US ALMOST 16 VERY. PAINFUL. HOURS. It will be a long time before I go to Utah again.

If we lived there, we'd be home.  Someday.

Mother's Day celebration at school.  I am a mother.   Go ahead, celebrate me.

Fun hike with my cousin Adam and his family.  They just moved to the area.  Lucky us.

And lucky me, because I get to spend all day, every day with this cutie.  She melts my heart.  Every. single. day.

Yes, they're all mine.

Mr. T in the "Circus Alphabet" musical.  Atta boy.

It's also been birthday party central around here.  It seems that when I planned my kids, I thought "What a nice time of year to have a baby" and not "Wow, that's going to be three birthday parties in four weeks."  Slight miscalculation on my part.  Pictures to follow.  In case you didn't get enough here.

For All You Moms

 "In our society, we give motherhood plenty of lip service. We pat moms on the head, bring them flowers on Mother's Day, and honor them before crowds. But at the end of the day, we don't extend to them the same respect we would a professor, a dentist, an accountant, or a judge. I believe the choice to become a mother is the choice to become one of the greatest spiritual teachers there is. To create an environment that's stimulating and nurturing, to pass on a sense of responsibility to another human being, to raise a child who understands that he or she is created from good and is capable of anything--I know for sure that few callings are more honorable. To play down mothering as small is to crack the very foundation on which greatness stands. The world can only value mothering to the extent that women everywhere stand and declare that it must be so. In our hands we hold the power to transform the perception of motherhood...We should no longer allow a mother to be defined as 'just a mom.' It is on her back that great nations are built." --Oprah

To my mom, and all my mom friends--Thank you, and keep up the good work!

Sad

The plan was to get Girlie's follow up EEG in June (1 year after her seizure).  Hopefully it would be normal, she'd go off her meds, and we'd all live a happily, seizure free ever after.

Instead, in February, Girlie wet the bed.  Twice.  Very strange, indeed, and alarming, as we'd been told that that was one thing to watch for as evidence of night time seizures.  But, if they were seizures, they were completely unlike her other ones.  It was approximately 1.5 hours from the time I checked on her before I went to sleep to the time that she woke me up, fully coherent, to tell me.  None of this post-ictal-hours-before-she-gains-consciousness business. 

Her neurologist said there was no way to know if it was seizure related or not, but suggested bumping up her EEG to now instead of June.  So that's what we did yesterday.

So he called and left a message this morning that we would still need to keep her on medication, there was 'irritability' (meaning, she'd be at risk for more seizures if we stopped her meds, and also ironic, since she is the least irritable person I've ever met), and we'd reset the clock for another year.  Heavy sigh.  I hung up the phone and bawled.

We didn't have...expectations of this EEG, but there certainly was hope.  Hope that all would be well and my sweet little girl could put this all behind her.  And any time you tell a parent there's something wrong with your child, there's a heavy, grippy feeling around your heart because all you ever wanted was for your child to have a wonderful, medical-drama-free life.

On the other hand, J pointed out, at least we know.  Better to know there's something wrong and be able to treat it than thinking everything is okay and then having another terrible incident.  As for Girlie, it will be business as usual.  We won't tell her, and she'll just keep on keeping on.  Still, it makes me sad.  And sooner rather than later, it will seem all fine and normal again.  But tonight, I'm sad.

Nothing Tastes Better Than Thin Feels

A cute friend of mine had this sign up in her kitchen.  I read it as I was eating mini quiches.  I would agree, wholeheartedly, except that I think the author of this quote probably never had a Reese's cup or a Cadbury mini egg.  Or a slice of cheesecake.  Or a mini quiche, for that matter.  Because, believe me, when I taste those things, I don't care about Thin-ness.  Until I glance sideways at the reflection in the YMCA pool locker room mirror and think that maybe I would trade those frosted Easter egg-shaped sugar cookies that I already ate for Thin.  Well, first I think that I need a new swimsuit, and then I think that.

That's why we joined the gym a few months ago.  To help ourselves be healthier, and maybe even a little thinner.  I've lost three pounds, give or take, since then.  I like to think that it's "because I'm gaining muscle and that weighs more than fat."  But I sort of think that's an urban myth, because there are still parts of me that jiggle when I am shakin' my thang in Zumba class.

I prefer workouts that include fun music and dancing.  I've sampled Adult Ballet, Pachanga (pretty much a Latin dance party), Zumba and I still have Belly Dancing on my list.  Well, I did try out a punishing hour of "Boot Camp" once.  A bunch of my [apparently hard-core] friends recommended it.  One was even pregnant, and I thought "If a pregnant lady can do this..."  ...So three days later, when I could walk again, I decided not to ever step foot in Boot Camp again. 

One counterintuitive thing that happens when I work out, is that I want to eat more.  While I'm at the gym, man, I am determined.  I will eat only fresh veggies and brown rice.  No more sugar for this mama.  I will drink more water.  I will come back tomorrow.  Then I get home and I think "Man, I am bushed.  Hey, I'll take one of those treats.  By golly, I earned it!"  And I'll eat said treat and feel completely justified because, for cryin' out loud, I just did three sets of 25 on the 'butt machines.' 

Today I took another friend-endorsed class called "Cardio and Strength".  Because of a defiant 3-year old, I walked in barely on time and the class was very full.  So full, in fact, that the only place left was front and center.  So close to the instructor that I could have kissed her.  That, my friend, is some pressure.  Not only do I have the older-than-me-but-could-still-totally-kick-my-tail instructor staring me down, but everyone else's eyes are trained in my direction.  None of this hide in the corner and march it out when I feel faint business.  I will tell you that doing jumping jacks was the 'break' in this class.  You know how in yoga, you go to fetal "child's pose" for rest?  Well, here, you turned to jumping jacks.  I would show you this other 'plank and dip down' move that we had to do if I could.  Unfortunately, I can't move my body anymore.  I'm sure that once I try to stand up from typing this post, my jelly-muscle body will give out on me and I will collapse into a heap, unable to even reach the Cadbury mini eggs.  Maybe that's how the girls in that class got so thin.  They do the class, then don't even have the strength to eat.

There are some people that are naturally thin.  To them I say "Yee haw for you."  Go ahead and sit back and laugh at the rest of us while you eat Nutella from the jar.  For those in my boat...may you get the strength from the mini eggs that you need to go to Cardio and Strength with me next week.

Why Today Was Super Fantastic

The sun was shining today.  DID YOU HEAR ME???  THE SUN, IT WAS SHINING! And for a vitamin D-deprived Midwestern girl, that is a BIG deal.  It made my whole day glow.  I almost forgot what it was like.  Seriously, look at my reflection in the glass, I have to shield my eyes from this big, bright, yellow thing in the sky.

Yesterday, was Easter!  The most hopeful holiday of them all!  He Is Risen!  We are so grateful to Jesus Christ for His sacrifice and atonement.  To enjoy a video about the first Easter, click HERE.  To see that Easter also gives me a reason to dress my kids up in coordinating clothing, see the picture above.

Got all this in the mail today.  Personal letters MAKE my day, as do cute striped straws and Martha Stewart Living.  Oh, also, I got an offfer for 6 free issues of People magazine (my guilty pleasure; Josh always buys one for me to read while I'm in labor.  I save it, so that my babies can know the 'news' when they were born).  That always makes my day, too.

The hyacinths are in bloom and they smell like heaven.  They get so full that they fall over. (That reminds me of the Friends episode where they make fun of Chandler with the line "Oh, no!  Two women love me, my fifties won't fit in my wallet, and my diamond shoes are too tight!")

The daffodils are out too.  And behind them?  My van is clean.

Why is this barren piece of dirt included in today's 'good things'?  Because earlier today it was, instead, a jungle of weeds and moss.  Now it's a plot of dirt ready to be planted.  It even comes with some ready made green onions, Swiss chard, and a plant that I wasn't sure what it was, but in case it is edible instead of a weed, I let it grow.

Leftover centerpiece from an Easter celebration with friends that was beyond storybook charming.

The A team.

My swirly, twirly little girlie that loves new shoes as much as I do.

Also, a dear friend of mine had a baby today.  What a fantastic day to have a baby, yes?   I can't wait to meet the little fella.  Enjoying a newborn without the 'labor' and 'delivery' and 'sleepless nights'?  Holla. 

(I know, I can't pull off a 'holla'.  Just thought I'd try it out.  It's the sunshine talking.)

Also, the fact that my kids think the F-word is 'fat' and the S-word is 'stupid'.

That makes my day too.

Happy Super Fantastic Spring Day to YOU!!

The A's

Let me introduce you to the cutest (This picnic they planned?  Hello.), and possibly most destructive force on earth--the A's.  So named for the first letter of their names, we have come to realize they are a force to be reckoned with.  When we find a mess, take this tiny example for instance:

...the conversation usually goes like this

Me:  Who made this mess?

(substitute underlined portion with 'unrolled the whole toilet paper roll', 'dumped out the basket of folded laundry', 'unpacked the pantry again', 'drew on the walls', 'covered the floor with maxi pads', 'put bandaids all over the walls', 'flooded the bathroom', etc)

IN UNISON:

Big A: Not me.

Little A: Not me.

Girlie and Sam:  The A's.

Here's Little A. 

 I cannot get enough of this girl.  She runs from the camera and refuses to smile, but she is like my personal sunshine.  She is full of life and joy and I am ecstatic every time I see her.  J calls her my kryptonite, and reminds me that I need to say 'no' to her every once in a while.  I have the hugest crush on her.  She's sweet and girlie, says 'Cuse me' when she passes gas, and 'Ucky 'tuff' when she sees something gross or dirty, loves accessories and talking on the phone.  Sigh.  Someday, when it's just the two of us at home, there is going to be a lot of shoe shopping.

And here is Big A, with an 'It wasn't me...' look on his face.  He is like a little Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes), and I am serious.  He loves mischief, is clever and hilarious.  He sees shapes and pictures in everything--clouds, pasta, swirly lines.  He has a funny imagination.  He's got a bit of a speech delay, which makes it all the funnier when he says stuff.  Once when I told him that he cracks me up he said, "What?  Yike a egg?  You are yike a yittle chicken an I put you in a yittle egg and cwack you up?"

One time he walked in to see J yawning over some work.  He said "Daddy, if you aw tired, go to seep.  If not, wake up!!"  He adores vehicles and when we cross the street he looks both ways and says "No caws. No motocycles, no dump chucks, no diggos." (That's cars, motorcycles, dump trucks and diggers, for those who don't speak A).

And he loves his little sister.

And she loves him.

And they've formed this funny little alliance.  J and I think they are really going to be fun little ones to finish off our family.  Or, as I like to tease J, fun ones to tote through Europe.

Seriously.

Did I Mention Crazy Hair Day?

It was Crazy Hair Day at school.  We had a little fun with it.  We put a cup on Girlie's head and brushed her hair up and around it.  We left a couple pieces down on the side, braided them and pinned them up on the side.  Then I hairsprayed the heck out of it.

I think maybe I'll do this to my hair, too.  What do you think?

An Easter mini project

Craving an easy decor idea for Easter?  I was too.  That's why I jumped at 'Easter egg craft night'.  We cut out egg shapes out of double sided cardstock, then stacked four at a time and sewed (with a sewing machine) down the center.  Then I tried to fan and fold the layers open.

I made some small and some large.  I used some Cream City cotton ribbon to create springy curls and taped them to my drapery rod.

It was an easy creative fix.  They look so fun and whimsical, yes?

My kids are such caricatures.

We had the kids' caricatures done at the Microsoft Christmas party.  I LOVE them!  It was so fun to see my sweet ones in cartoon form, and the guy got them spot on!

My sweet Girlie

Wild Man Sam

Buddy (we think he looks a little Curious George-ish)

Sweetie

And, just for fun, here's J and I from the year before...

Realistic?