Why William might ring in the new year at midnight

We put up his new map today over his bed. He is totally in love with it and asked to skip stories in order to look at it some more. For this boy to skip stories, you know it has to be good!

Merry Christmas

Sent from my iPhone

Christmas cheer

We have a nativity set finally. I spent a lot of time finding a kid friendly set that can't be broken.

Here you can see the holy family visiting the airport....wouldn't that have been a sight to see!!

Christmas spirit

Here we have Rudolph (Amelia) pulling her sleigh (Daddy) while Santa (William) drives.

Jesus's Birthday

Scene: Tonight, as we were trying to make dinner come together. John and I are trying to have a conversation about what we have time to make. William chimes in with this:


W: Christmas is celbrating Jesus's birthday, right?
M: (distracted) yes. (continues previous conversation with John about cornbread)
W: Christmas means it is Jesus's birthday?
M: (impatient) yes. (for the record, cornbread is vetoed due to time constraints
W: (puzzled look)


W: So how old will Jesus be on his birthday this year?

Both Mom and Dad stop previous dinner conversation and send frantic signals to the other indicating "YOU answer this one" and "It is SO your turn to field this one"

Hello, little one

Little bumps this morning made today so sweet!

Sent from my iPhone

Christmas elves

Here are the cute little elves that showed up to help us hang lights on our house. One Saturday before thanksgiving, we pulled onto our street and saw our next door neighbors hanging their lights. John and looked at each other and mentally rearranged the rest of our afternoon. We didn't even fight it. At least it was a beautiful afternoon to be outside!

Ben's quilt

My nephew Ben turned 13 last month! Officially a teenager! To celebrate, I whipped up this big quilt. The first I tire shows the quilt and the next are my wonderful quilt holding helpers!

November- first braids

Amelia's hair is finally long enough for me to braid it! Even more important, she LET me!

Proof:

What do you think?

William: Mama?
Me: Yes?
William: Is Santa nocturnal?
Me:............

How do you even answer that?

Barbie and her...

At the gym childcare area last week, Amelia picked up a coloring page on her way out. Walking to the van, we had the following conversation:

Amelia: It's Barbie.
Me: yep. What is she doing?
Amelia: She's holding her bear.
Me: oh? Who is she with? Where is she?
Amelia: she is with her daddy. This is Barbie and her Daddy. They are at the toy store.
Me: (laughing, trying not to show it)

I mean, really, who else would be with Barbie? What does a two year old need with Ken anyway? They should make a Barbie's daddy doll, shouldn't they?

Name Advice

John and I have only briefly talked about naming our new baby. Being decisive naming type people (no. we are not. we always wait to the last minute and then question if the name is "right"), we are going to worry about coming up with some name candidates another day. However, the kids have had plenty of excellent advise on the subject.

Q: What should we name our baby if it is a girl?
Amelia: Ca ca ca ca ca caca
William: Fuga Fuga


Q: What should we name our baby if it is a boy?
Amelia: Pa pa pa pa pa papa
William: Boo-ga Saroo-ga


How can we go wrong?

Updates

Here are a few posts I finally got put up tonight:

Big Day
Cleaning Guy
School Pictures
Picture Dump
More
Halloween
Thanksgiving


Yes, yes. I'm still here and still planning on (trying) to keep this up. I have been so busy lately with Thanksgiving, traveling, wedding planning and cooking a baby. Unfortunately, writing updates has fallen to the wayside. So, here is my quick midnight update:

Amelia: Hilarious. Frustrating. Adorable. All at the same time. She has such definite opinions about EVERYTHING it makes simple tasks like getting dressed a battle of wills. If you didn't know, I have lots of wills. Taking a step back and choosing the battles is something I am becoming well practiced at (notice: I didn't say "good"). She is also telling jokes, trying to keep up with her brother in all areas AND totally adorable. She crawls into my lap and snuggles in at least three times a day just to spend a quiet minute with me.

William: Reading. Reading. Can you believe it? He started reading in September and hasn't looked back. Getting him to sit down and read isn't always on the top of his list, but he is totally capable of reading some pretty impressive words. He is also loving school, especially the friend component. Everywhere we go, he makes a friend. Exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. Within the first 2 minutes at the park, he has a new friend. He happily disappear to play "chase" which all 4-8 year old boys must just instinctively know.


John: Also tired. Still working. No changes have been reported.

The Baby: yes. I'm pregnant. Yes, I'm exhausted. This has to end because Christmas is looming and....well, I cannot keep operating on the "bare minimum" strategy for much longer. Eventually, I am going to have to get off the couch and go to the grocery store. Overall, things are going very well. We've had several dr visits which have confirmed our pregnancy, confirmed there is only ONE baby in there and drawn multiple vials of blood. Below, you will find a long winded whine about pregnancy. Feel free to skip.

However, I'm tired. So tired I'm falling asleep on the couch at 8:30 watching TV. Food is also not my friend. I'm finally going to document this here: FOOD IS NOT MY FRIEND. I do not get morning sickness. I just get very strong food aversions. In the beginning it is the worst and I think I must forget just how strong the aversions are. All three pregnancies I have struggled with eating healthy foods because many foods are so repulsive. In particular, I cannot stomach vegetables. Yesterday I was eating a very tasty cheesy pasta dish that also happened to have tomatoes and spinach in it. I literally could not look at the food while I was eating it because the spinach in particular was so disgusting, it made me nauseous. Nauseous like someone had placed BUGS or WORMS into my food. The other fun part is most food I usually like is no longer appetizing. Even food I liked yesterday is no longer appetizing. Even the food I ordered 10 minutes ago is not longer appetizing. Most disappointing is my total aversion to soups/stews. I love winter soups/stews/chili/etc. However, at this moment I cannot imagine anything more disgusting than chicken noodle soup or chili, both of which are huge winter cooking standbys. Again, I'd compare it to how I would normally feel about eating worms or bugs. Soup=bugs.

It also appears that by Baby #3, the body remembers the drill for pregnancy quite easily. I'm already looking more pregnant (you'll just have to take my word for it) than any other time. I'm currently in that frustrating in between stage where the normal pants are too small and the maternity pants are too big.

Cleaning Guy

William got in the car after preschool with a new plastic ring from a birthday cupcake. I wasn't exactly thrilled to see it was SpongeBob. I won't get in to the specifics of my dislike for SpongeBob. I will say that my kids aren't allowed to watch him. So, I was very entertained when I heard this coming from the backseat:


W: Clean, clean clean, cleaning up!
Mama: Whatcha doing?
W: Oh, just having my SpongeBob guy do some cleaning up
Mama: (......silence, processing)
W: You know, because he is a sponge. SpongeBob is a great guy for cleaning up because he is a sponge.
M: (laughing, trying not to show it) Of course! What else would a sponge named Bob do?*


*If you correct him on this vision, I may just have to seriously harm you. Because I totally love that SpongeBob is a great pal for cleaning things up.

Photo Card

Classic Wedding Band Wedding Announcements

Turn family photos into photo Christmas cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

School pictures

Aren't they cute?

PS Turn your head.

PPS We ordered prints. If you don't have any and you want some, email me.

Picture dump

We're still busy. I'm very tired. So, here are the best pictures recently from the phone.

Here is Amelia in her "ballerina" again. We were listening to kids music when "My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean" came on. She ran to the wooden puzzles and pulled out the bunny. Because "her bunny is going over the ocean". Hilarious.

Amelia and Daddy building a pencil box together at some fall festival recently. William and I built one together too, but there isn't any picture evidence.

More

The kids have been busy. We've all been busy.

Amelia in particular has been super interested in playing dress up. Luckily, our girl requires no fancy dress up clothes and can make do with the supplies at hand. Even when the supplies are her brother's sandals (note: shoes on wrong feet), a construction helmet and the tutu from her pajamas.

There is a new park by our house that is wonderful. I has been open for a few weeks and we've been there almost every day. William became immediately obsessed when he saw a bigger kid climb/shimmy their way on top of the monkey bars. He worked and worked and worked at it until he could FINALLY do it to. He was bound and determined to figure it out. You'd think he'd look happier, no? I think he is just totally exhausted from the sheer effort of continually hauling himself up there over and over again.

Halloween

This is the picture from the week before Halloween for our library storytime "Halloween" event. We have William the policeman and Amelia as the princess Belle.

The real Halloween was a little more gory. William was sick. Fever running, throwing up, not eating, laying on the couch sick. So I took Amelia as Sleeping Beauty (which, she can now correctly pronounce) trick or treating while John stayed home on sick kid duty (and before you go feeling sorry for him, you should know this was his preference). Amelia happily went to eight houses. However, her dress ended up being a little long and I carried her the entire way. She would have been happy to "sticker treat" at several more houses, but mama was done.

How William actually spent Halloween

Thanksgiving

Here is William's preschool project depicting what he plans on eating for thanksgiving. You'll find: fried chicken (x2), spooky spider cake, witch cupcakes, fried apples and a pumpkin cheese ball. Got that grandma*?

*for the record, I'm fairly certain he won't eat the corn or the cheeseball :)

Funny sleeper #2

William is such a sound sleeper I could turn on the overhead light without waking him. Didn't dare chance that with Amelia. Although I did successfully move Amelia and I just covered William up where he was.

Does this bed rail do anything?  Blurry picture, sweet sleeping baby

California

William has a new favorite book from the library The Scrambled States of America. He is positively enthralled by everything state currently. Last week, he informed us of his decision to move to California when he grows up (for reference, he claims this is 34 years of age or maybe 26 years old). For the record, he also plans on fixing airplanes in California, just like Daddy does. He highly advised Amelia to be his neighbor in Oregon because then she would be close by. Amelia, happily agreed to this plan. John and I were quite excited about this plan and had visions of purchasing property in the beautiful wilds of northern California in our retirement (which, by the way HAHAHAHA).

On Tuesday morning this week, William wandered into our room around 7 am. I mumbled something like "good morning, sweetie" in his general direction when he stopped abruptly.

William: Mama, I've been thinking.
Mama: mmmmm? (still half sleeping)
William: I don't think I will live in California when I grow up.
Mama: ohh? (slightly more awake, this could be good)
William: Yes. California is too far away from you. I will miss you. I think I will live in Georgia when I grow up.
Mama: Okay.
William: Georgia is better because it is shaped more like a rectangle.
Mama: Oh. Okay.
William: Do you think Amelia can live in Alabama? She might like to be my neighbor there, right?
Mama: Maybe.

I just don't ever know how our day is going to start. Never a dull moment.

Silly kids

John went down to do "one thing" for a few minutes. I waited for him on the couch...and fell asleep. I guess Amelia wasn't quite asleep because she took this opportunity to slip out of her room and join me on the couch. John spied her here as he came up the steps. She had the audacity to "shhhhh!" him as he approached so he wouldn't wake me up. Naughty, yet considerate?

Here is William hard at work trying to copy the picture on an eraser he received as a birthday party favor (under his hand). He worked and worked to get it just right!

My girly girl!

Here is Amelia wearing a pink shirt, flowered pants, boys athletic sandals, a tutu and a construction helmet. Nothing to do but take pictures and laugh!

Funny Amelia

These Snow White socks have worn out. I needed a picture of them (I know I'm weird, taking pictures of socks) because before she became well versed in the Princesses, she used to call these her "Mama" socks because there was a picture of me on them. Looks like me, doesn't it?

Amelia finds this face hilarious. It will crack her up, even in mid tantrum.

Here is her take on it, which I find funnier than John's eyes.

Another attempt at crossing the eyes...Not quite there!

Is this my kid?

Picture from 8/10/11: William with his head underwater? Willingly? With the teacher's back turned? Hardly seemed possible at the beginning of this summer....!

Look! I drew a car all by myself! Proud boy on 8/7/11

Big Day!

Shhh!


Today is the day we found out we're expecting Baby #3! So excited! So tired!

Amelia is 2 and a HALF!

Camping...brr!

We were actually supposed to go camping last weekend. But, the weather forecast was for wet, cold weather. So, we rescheduled!

Poor Amelia fell asleep on the way and slept for awhile while we set up our picnic lunch.

The kids always enjoy the small park in the campground

We squeezed in another family hike, this time with Amelia in the backpack.

In the evening, there was a special ranger presentation about SNAKES. William was totally enthralled. Amelia and I stepped out after 45 minutes. William was NOT ready to leave! At the very end, William decided he did want to touch the small snake the ranger brought in.


We hiked, we played at the park, we cooked, we played games, we listened to the ranger talk and slept all night long in the tent on the ground. What we didn't do is take pictures!

Goal accomplished: camping 2 times this year with the kids in a tent!

More catching up....

I've been working late night here trying to get everything tidied up. I just don't think I'll ever be caught up! Here are the handful of posts I finally finished!

Amelia is 2! Thank goodness completed before she turned 3

The Flintstone Event

Weekend with Grandma and Grandpa

Labor Day Weekend

First Day of School

Camping Churchy Style

Conversations with Kids

And, I've updated the Picture day

Picture day!

Today was picture day at the kids' school. I set out clothes last night and tried to make for a smooth morning.

After breakfast, I reminded William to get dressed before playing and indicated the pile of clothes in the living room for him to put on. He took one look and ran for his bedroom. With a sigh, I followed to find him digging in his dresser drawers.

Mama: What are you looking for?
William: My necktie shirt. I am the handsomest boy you know when I wear that shirt. It will be perfect.
Mama: Who can argue with that?

Balloon Glow

The St Louis Balloon Glow is one of our favorite events. When fall rolls around, we try to make sure it gets put on our calendar early so we don't book other, less fun things.

It was sprinkling on and off. William got inventive with his kids' meal bag and made a rain hat.

We weren't there too long, when the first balloon started filling up

Daddy and William with just a few balloons early on

Pretty balloons, all in a row!

Once it is totally dark, the balloons are very beautiful. I especially love the ones with geometric patterns.

Mama and William ( I promise Amelia was with us. She just wasn't being as...cooperative about taking pictures)

Pretty balloon

This one might be my favorite this year...gorgeous stripes. Makes me want to pull out my fabric and start sewing...hmm.....

In the same area as the balloon glow event was a Sept. 11th Memorial. None of our pictures really do it justice, but this was pretty amazing.

This hill was totally covered with flags. There is one flag for every person who died on September 11th during the terrorist attacks.

Blurry, but beautiful

So many flags. So many we couldn't make them fit in one picture.

September 11th changed so much for me. This was a defining moment for a lot of people and I'm not really any different than anyone else. However, that day I did a lot of growing up. I was student teaching that day. I was just starting to take over small responsibilities within the classroom. That day I was going to be leading the breakfast discussion. The students came back from the cafeteria with their trays and we watched the morning news together as usual. Together, we watched the second plane hit the towers live. It was that moment. That very moment that I grew and changed. All twenty six faces looked to me for an explanation and I didn't have an answer. Together, we all looked toward the lead teacher. He didn't have answers either. I will never forget the realization that students would daily looking to me for answers on all types of matters, including terrible and difficult things AND I WOULDN'T KNOW the answers.

There were so many other stressful pieces of that day. Immediately after we watched the plane hit the tower, we were told TV's had to stay off during the day. Students were not to receive information about this event from us. It left the adults starved for information and whispering updates to each other while passing in the hall. A student from war stricken Ghana asked if we were going to have fighting here now, too.

John was living across the county and unavailable to me. My parents, an hour away. At that moment, I wanted all my family in a room together so I could wrap myself up in their comforting presence. But, that was not possible. So I sat home alone in my little apartment and ate my frozen dinner while watching the horrifying images from earlier in the day.

Late that evening or early the next day, a list of passengers on the airplanes would reveal another piece: a high school classmate on the second plane. The one I watched with my students. I'm not going to make more of this than what it is. Someone, an acquittance more than a friend was on one of those planes.

I was sad about her death in the days that followed September 11th. Every year since, I've taken small moments to remember her and say a prayer for her. This year it feels particularly unfair as I look around at what my life has been filled with: love, husband, children, home, and a job I love. All these are things my friend will never experience because she didn't have the opportunity. And that just doesn't seem fair. Visiting this memorial on the 10 year anniversary felt like an appropriate memorial to her.