Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Kid Tales

A Whole New World

You wouldn't think that 1st grade would be the year that this all begins, but at our house, it has begun. With a vengeance. What has begun? Well, these days I spend a good deal of time listening to Stomper tell me all about the much-praised and oft-mentioned Lola. Oh, Lola, if you only knew! Stomper has got a thing going on for you. He tells me what she is wearing every single day. "Mom, today Lola wore her red dress with the flowers." I heard another mom talking about "the kissy girl," as Lola is referred to by her son, although he seems to find it all rather comical and disgusting. Not Stomper. He is entranced. "Mom, Charles says that Lola is love with Nick AND with me." (Deep sigh.) Of course he denies all accusations of affection, but I will just say that I don't think Stomper has ever noticed what a girl was wearing ever before in his life. It's kind of great. We'll see how I feel about it if any actual kissing occurs. I know, however, that it's not just us, because Stomper's friend was in the car with us on the way home from school today, and he regaled us all with a tale about how he is (and I quote,) "the hottest guy in his class." What makes him say that? Well, apparently Victoria spends a lot of time leaning up against him at their table. Oh man, I think his mom's got it worse than I do. I should probably let her know before he and Victoria get serious.


So THAT Was the Problem!

Bitty, I'm happy to report, is loving her new school. It's funny to me that she was requesting to leave her old school because frankly, I don't think it's a whole lot different from her new school. I'm guessing the fact that her mother is not totally stressed out to the max every day getting her to and from school has something to do with it. All I know is that she's happy, I'm happy: we're happy. Good school, good teachers, perhaps a couple of friends. I have meant to mention for a while now a prayer she uttered last week as we were heading out the door. (We gather for family prayer at the front door before we leave every day. Mostly.) "Dear Heavenly Father, please make it so I don't have to sit criss-cross-apple-sauce at school today." Apparently that was her main complaint about the old school. She hates sitting cross-legged and it was enough to make her want to change schools. Thank heavens the sitting rules aren't quite as strict at the new place!


Bundle's New Game, Rated R

I feel like I'm on the verge of sharing too much information here, but I just can't help it. Bundle has started playing a game with me, of course while she's nursing. This is what she does. She nurses voraciously for about 5 gulps and then suddenly pulls away and looks up at me with milk dripping across her face and down her chin and just grins like crazy. Then she dives back in, suck suck suck, then pulls away and laughs at me again. It is so funny and so darling and so not something I'm taking a picture of. (At least not one I'll post here.) Also, she loves getting tossed. I don't let go of her, but I push her up above my head and she laughs down at me. Or I'll kind of toss her onto a pillow and she giggles like crazy. I'm sad to be letting go of my brand new babe, but am sure enjoying this new bigger baby I have around.



Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Coolest Video Ever

Okay, okay. I know I'm WAY behind on blogging - I have a huge list of events to write witty things about, but since I'm up to my eyeballs today, I'm just going to post this video of the coolest thing I've ever seen. Well, top 10 maybe. Anyway, here it is:



And now I must go clean and cook and do all those mommy things. But I will really really try to post some actual life events today.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Oh, I'm Stimulated.


I am reserving judgment on President Obama's economic stimulus plan. But I'd just like to say that I feel stimulated. Very stimulated.

I can not find a single route to a single destination I regularly drive to that is not slowed or blocked by construction. Perhaps the sudden onset of at least 30 major road construction projects is not due to the stimulus. But maybe it is.

I am LOVING this.

The real story is that I have been driving Bitty to the Millcreek area to go to preschool because it was the least expensive program I could find. I thought it would work fine, that it wouldn't be a big deal. It took about one day to discover that it wouldn't work fine and it was a very big deal. Not only was I spending an exorbitant amount of time in the car and money on gas, but the construction just makes it worse. Plus Bundle, my first baby ever who actually likes to sleep in her bed, ends up taking her first nap in the car and it just screws up the whole day. I even tried waking up Bundle at 5:30 in the morning one day so she could take a nap before we left for school. Oh yeah, that day was awesome. What I actually mean is that it was horrible. So finally I made a couple of phone calls, found out that the school I really wanted to send Bitty too still had openings and that happily, I was totally wrong about the price and it was only 20 bucks a month more than the Millcreek school. Yipee! So tomorrow, we have our third (and hopefully final) first day of school this fall.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Updates

Oh I am so behind. Life seems to be rolling along at breakneck speed like always, and I'm grateful for it all, although I must admit that tonight I'm feeling a little harried. But I have to get some updates in before they're totally outdated.

Update on Daddy:
All I can say is that my husband is a pedalin' fool. He completed his second Latoja tour; a 206 mile bike race from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I'm very proud of him. I think he's still feeling relieved that he's no longer pedaling.



Update on Mommy:
Let's skip that. I'm tired.

Update on Stomper:
He seems to love 1st grade. He goes in willingly, he comes out happy. He can't seem to get the notion of bringing home his lunchbox everyday, but that ain't no thang. We'll figure it out. He also started a new season of soccer with the Firebirds. He's on the same team with a few of his buddies from Kindergarten, and at first I thought this might prove disastrous as at his first practice the boys did nothing but roll around on the grass and tackle each other. However, at their first game Stomper actually scored his first ever goal and seemed to have a much better idea of what the game is about. I'm grateful to his coach who hasn't quit yet. I would have. That practice was awful!


My favorite Stomper story of the week: He comes out of his room one morning holding the shirt I had put out for him. It was a darling little stripy polo but he was pinching it between his fingers like it was a pair of dirty undies. "Mom, why can't I have any cool shirts?" I tried to get him to tell me what a cool shirt was and he got frustrated. "You know, a COOL shirt!" "Tell me what a cool shirt is, honey." Bursting into tears, "Mom! You don't understand me! You'll never understand me!" Oh great. Are we there already? Luckily Troy was there to calm him down and get him to explain what he wanted. He wants the kind of shirts I detest. Those shirts that are splashed top to bottom with huge graphics of roaring dinosaurs and action heroes. Sorry, other moms, I know lots of kids wear them, but I just hate them. Don't worry, I'll get over it. I love my kid more than I hate those shirts, so we found a few on sale at Smith's and Stomper is now the proud owner of officially cool shirts.

Bitty update:
She finally got to start school! It was a long couple of weeks between the time Stomper started and Bitty got to go. We're commuting to a school in Millcreek, and so far I'm happy with the class. Not thrilled, but pretty happy. The problem is the commute. It is starting to seem ridiculous. Last year we were only doing it twice a week but this year it's four days and I'm starting to wonder if I should look again for a preschool around here. Bitty would probably flip out, actually, since her best little friend J. goes there. J. used to live on our street but now lives on the school's street. I'm not sure I could convince her to be happy elsewhere. We'll see.



Bundle update:
Well, I took all these pictures a couple of weeks ago because she turned three months. Of course now she's almost four months, but I can still show you her three month pictures, right? She continues to be a delight, although Bitty's school schedule is kind of throwing her off her groove. Why oh why didn't I appreciate life with just one baby? I was home all day with Stomper and I couldn't figure out what I was doing. Oh well, Bundle is still happy and getting chubbier thighs by the day.


Saturday, September 12, 2009

Precarious and Precious

I love my life. I do. It is so rich with wonderful people and beautiful things like the sky and fresh tomatoes and crickets at night. I have baby legs to squish and children pulling on my arms and food to cook and eat and savor. I have friends who are like sisters and sisters who are like friends. I have love, true love. I have music and fun new shoes and new tile in the bathroom. I love my life.

I am reflecting on all these wonderful things because the past month has had so many sad events to throw the happy ones into sudden and sharp focus. I thought about these things especially last night because I finally uploaded a couple of weeks' worth of pictures from the camera onto the computer. Life has been too busy to do it, and I look at these pictures and think about the things I know now that I didn't know when the pictures were taken.

My mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. This is the health trouble that brought them home from Belgium, and which will keep them from returning to their service there, and which they are facing so wisely and courageously. I think I knew that she had it, but hearing it confirmed was quite a shock. Happily she's in the very early stages, and she lives a very active and healthy lifestyle that has really given her a leg up on this. She is doing great, and so is my dad. I admire them so much. They are happy and peaceful and enjoying this opportunity to count their blessings, act now on doing whatever it is they want to do and just love each other and their family. I love them so much and am so proud of them.

My friend has cancer. Well, now two of my friends do. One friend is entering the hospital today to start treatment for melanoma. I am sending him my energy in hopes to help him fight and overcome, and I'm pondering what I can do to express love and support but not be another intrusion in the life of his family. Then two days after I learned of my mom's diagnosis, one of my dearest friends, who overcame breast cancer three years ago, found that it has returned and landed on her bones. This is a fight she will fight for as long as she can, and I send her my energy in hopes of sustaining her. Making this discovery put me in a pretty dark place for a few days, but I have been given the chance to realize how honored I am to be a part of her life. We have heard many tales over the past 10 days of women who have lived with this for many years, and this is what we are earnestly praying for. Love you, friend.

And Elsa. I continue to carry with me the thoughts of my friend's little babe, whom she lost, finding out about her passing only shortly before delivering her. Troy and I do not spend a single moment with our darling Bundle without thinking of my friend, her husband, their boys and the baby, and we speak of them often. I know I've already blogged about them, but my feelings of happy/sad/sorry/grateful are increasing.

Sorry for the heavy posts lately! I have felt very heavy deep inside and it's been a relief to share the burden of this precarious and precious life. I especially appreciate friends with whom I can always turn to when it all feels like it's getting to be a little much. And I appreciate the chance to savor all that I have to live for, however long that might be.

Sunday, September 06, 2009

Good News, Bad News

The good news is that Troy gave me free time yesterday by taking the kids on an outing.
The bad news is that they went crawdad fishing.
The good news is that the kids totally loved it.
The bad news is that they want to go more often.
The good news is that they figured out how to catch a ton of crawdads.
The bad news is that they caught a ton of crawdads.
The good news is that my kids and I had something to do on a Sunday afternoon.
The bad news is that it involved me cooking and peeling more crawdads.
The good news is that my kids were overjoyed.

I think I'll end it there.

Apparently the kids spent the ride home talking about "how delighted mommy will be when she sees how many crawdads we're bringing her!" and that I would "faint with joy!" I am a very good faker. It makes me laugh that I will go to a restaurant and pay good money for crab legs, which I love, but something about the crawdads makes my skin crawl and I cannot bring myself to eat them. I'm getting better at cooking them without fear and ripping them to pieces without making a face. We're coming along. And Bitty tells me that "crawdads are DEE licious." I'll take your word for it, sweetheart.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Overheard

This is what Troy overheard on the way home from an outing tonight:

Bitty: "I wish I was a snake."

Stomper: "Why?"

Bitty: "So that you would love me!"

Stomper: "Do you know what I love more than any snake in the world? You."

Awwww. Maybe they really do like each other. Of course, as I type this, they're in their room fighting about sleeping with each others toys, but one can always hope. I had to record it immediately so that we have proof that occasionally there is affection between our kids from time to time.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

My Most Favoritest Time of Day

You'll never believe it, but my very favorite time of day is about 4:30 - 5:30 in the morning. Why such an unearthly hour, you ask? Well, that's about when Bundle wakes up every night to eat. I'm so happy when I hear her little peeps coming from her bed next to me, because I can get up, snuggle with my babe and feed her, and then I always bring her into bed with me after that. I just love looking at the clock and knowing that I still have a couple of hours to sleep and that I get to do it with my warm little Bundle nestled up next to me. Some days I feel like she is my accessory all day long and I hardly get to pay her much lengthy focused attention, so I always look forward to our alone time in those precious early morning hours.