Will-full

Girlie Thursdays

2011-09-15T19:56:00.000-05:00

"We went to God today. But, He didn't come out. We just saw a picture of him."
From what I can gather, this is Julia's description of going to chapel at her new school. She's pretty interested in God and Jesus these days. In fact, the other day she told me that when she grows up, she's going to be "a ballerina and Jesus." Sounds like she'll be a bit busy!

In other news, I saw Julia poking at her stomach yesterday, and I asked her what she was doing. She kept at it, very determinedly, and replied, "I am trying to make my belly button go away!" I didn't want to be the one to tell her that that was going to be a hard feat to pull off.

FIVE!

2011-08-31T20:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Will,
As of yesterday, you are five! You have waited so long for this, and I am so happy for you that the time has finally come. Being the youngest in your preschool class meant that everyone else was five, but that you were still four. You constantly told me, "I hate being four!" and now four is no more.

In some ways, I can't believe it. I can't believe that it's been five years since I first met you, yet in some ways, it seems like yesterday, and I can't really remember or imagine what our life was like before you were in it. I can't believe how "grown-up" you are, how much you know, how many things you can do, and how you already have a life that I'm not a part of...that there are parts of you that I don't know every detail about and things every day that you experience without me.

You are a delightful child. Really, you are almost always so much fun to be around. Now, you could stand to tone down the questions, but since you come by that naturally from me, I can't blame you too much. I love that you're inquisitive, but some days it feels like my head might explode from the lines of questioning that we get into. Just today when we were at the doctor for your checkup, you had to ask the nurse approximately fifteen questions about why they needed to check you blood and pee and how they were going to do that. She winked at me and said, "He's going to be a smart one!" And, I don't doubt it. You truly have a love of learning that I hope will continue for life. Currently, you're really into math problems and love to get me to ask you all of the addition tables whenever we're in the car. For some reason, you're particularly proud that you know what ten plus ten is. You also love for us to read to you, but of course, that can become difficult with the questions. Sometimes I find myself saying things like, "No more questions until I finish this page." But those proclamations never stand up, because I can't resist explaining things to you when you ask so nicely. I feel like I've become a walking thesaurus or dictionary, as each time you ask "what does that mean," I search my brain for a list of synonyms that might make sense to you.

But, learning isn't your only passion. I don't want to make it out like you're a quiet child who sits and does math problems by himself (though that would be fine, too). But no...you're quite active. In fact, your Hulie says that in our family, at least one child is always talking and at least one is always moving. You and your sister switch out on who is who, but let's just say you're both VERY energetic. You're always up for a project or coming up with a new plan of what to play (though you can be a bit bossy). You love to be outside, and even the 100 degree heat doesn't seem to slow you down. You've become a fantastic swimmer this summer and you've moved on to working on strokes with your swimming teacher. You love to play soccer, as well, and that will start up in a few weeks. You've also begged to take tae-kwon-do, which is offered through your new school. You seem to have lucked out and inherited at least some athletic ability from your father.

In terms of play, you're very imaginative, but I think daycare has spoiled you with always having someone to play with. You are not very good at playing by yourself, but when I play with you, you often tell me I'm doing it wrong. But, you love to play with superheroes, cars, dinosaurs, cowboys, or a random combination of all of those.

You're still a good eater and a good sleeper. If someone will lay down with you, you'll often still take a nap. You're polite most of the time, and you're mostly nice to your sister, who does not always return the favor. You're a very caring, affectionate, and sensitive child and you seem to be uncommonly good at thinking of how other people might feel (MOST of the time). When I asked you what kind of birthday cake you wanted, you initially said chocolate. But then, you paused, and asked, "But what if some of my friends don't like chocolate?" You're always looking out for other people---be sure to keep that up. Kindness, particularly to those who might not receive it from others, tops my list of character traits that I hope you develop.

You're a funny kid. You constantly say funny, grown-up things, but you don't even realize that they're funny. You're not trying to be funny, but certain things just come across that way when they come out of your mouth. Like when you looked at Julia and plainly asked her, "Julia, why do you need to be so fussy right now?" Or when you mutter under your breath, "Oh great, Julia's fussing again." You mimic us A LOT, and we're finally learning that we need to be aware of that.

Will, keep up the good work. We love having you in our family and you really light up our days. I can't wait to see what FIVE has in store for you.

Love you to infinity,
Mama

A Song

2011-08-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

Julia made up a song for me this morning that I just had to share. It's sung to the tune of Frere Jacques.

Sweetie Mommy!
Sweetie Mommy!
Yes her is. Yes her is.
Her my favorite Mommy. Her my favorite Mommy.
Yes her is.

She was obviously in a good mood this morning! I have to say, this is my new favorite song. I'll even forgive the grammatical mistakes.

Funny Things My Kids Say

2011-08-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

From Julia, when she climbed up in my lap after I had been at the gym: "You don't smell very good!"

From Will, when he saw me wearing white jeans and a tank top (i.e., something other than workout clothes): "Mama, why are you so fancy today?"

From Julia: Zach told her that he would rock her five more minutes if she would give him a kiss on the cheek. So, she obliged and got her additional minutes. When those were up, she got a gleam in her eyes, gave him a kiss on the other cheek, and asked, "Now can I have anudder five minutes?"

From Will, who was obviously feeling extremely philosophical: "Mama, who made God God? I mean, who was around before God to decide that he got to be God?" (I had no answer on this one.)
******************************

And, a couple of funny things that I've found myself saying, things that I never really thought I'd have an occasion to say:
"Where is the other half of Chewbacca?"
"Get your cheese off of the sofa!"
"Do not put your panties on Will's head. He doesn't like that."

I'm Back!

2011-06-22T10:22:00.000-05:00

Wow. I have been completely sucking at blogging this year. When my kids look back at 2011 and ask what they did or what cute things they said, I won't have anything to tell them. But, as always, I resolve to do better. And, this time, I might actually have a shot at posting more frequently because....I quit my job! Yes, as of June 10th, I am a full-time SAHM, housewife, or "domestic engineer" (Zach's term) or whatever you want to call it. I'm very excited to have this opportunity to spend more time with the kids....well, come the fall I'll spend some more time with them. But, through the summer, I'm keeping them in daycare. Yes, I am completely spoiled!

Anyway, what have we been doing since I last posted? Well, there was Easter. There were various egg hunts, parties at school, dying eggs for the first time ever (not as much of a disaster as I would have thought), an Easter bunny "cake" out of Rice Krispy treats that I was very proud of, church at the Alabama Theater because our sanctuary is being renovated, and lunch at the Venables.

I got strep throat and thought I was going to die. Seriously, it was the sickest I've been in recent memory. I was in bed for three full days, and couldn't even drive myself to the doctor. Fortunately, no one else in the family got it. I think they are all carrier monkeys.

We went to Lindsey and Nate's wedding in North Carolina and left the kids with my parents. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you ask), that was the same weekend that Melanie, Bob, and baby Jack came to B'ham for a wedding. So, EVERYONE stayed at our house, and I think it was a bit much. But, we had a great time! And, that's what really matters. (And then I got to see baby Jack for a day when we got home. Yahoo!) Will also had a great time that weekend--he was enthralled by cool uncle Bob who taught him science experiments and math problems. He's still talking about it.

Will "graduated" from his 4K preschool class and they had a big party to celebrate. It was really cute, even though he's only been there for a year, and even though he isn't actually going to Kindergarten in the fall (he's going to 5K because we're holding him back due to his late birthday). But, the kids had worked hard on their program, and I worked hard on not tearing up while they sang their songs. Off-key children's singing is about the cutest thing ever.

The day after graduation, we headed to the beach. We rented a condo in Seagrove, and my mom joined us for most of the week. It was GREAT! We had perfect weather all week, and since it was the week before Memorial Day, it wasn't crowded at all. The kids loved playing on the beach and swimming in the pool. I have never seen so much energy.

To keep things exciting, as soon as we got back from the beach, I went to Fairfax to wrap things up for work. I attempted to teach "the new girl" everything I could about the job and said goodbye to my co-workers, some of whom I worked with for over ten years. They had a happy hour for me (with too many shots), and gave me a very sweet "retirement" gift...a membership to the Children's Theater for the year. We went to see our first show, The Little Red Hen, this past weekend, and the kids loved it...even Julia!

When I returned, I finalized everything in my last week of work, and then we left town again. This time, we went to Austin, TX to see my cousin Ben (Big Ben, as the kids call him) get married to Amy. Since it was a family wedding, my parents and sister went too, so the kids had their first overnight babysitter. Everything went off without a hitch, and they were even asking for her when we came back (I could really feel the love). We had a great time in Austin. It is such a cool city, and we loved spending time with my cousins, who we don't get to see often. My aunt and uncle put on a great Rehearsal Dinner, and then the wedding was beautiful, though quite hot. On our free day before the wedding, we went out to brunch, rode water bikes, drank during the day, and walked around some of Austin's shops (again, very hot). I felt like we made the most of our mini-vacation!

Whew...we have been busy. Of course, mixed in all of that, we celebrated Mother's Day and Father's Day. Will started swim lessons again (though this time we have to call it swim "practice" and refer to his teacher as "Coach Andrew"). Julia started gymnastics, which is as adorable as it sounds. Will's going to McWane camp this week, and I've been trying to take the kids out of school for some one-on-one time. So, life has been full, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. But really, that's just the way I like it.

They Match!

2011-04-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

This was a major accomplishment for me. I got the children in their "matching" outfits, with no fussing from anyone. They agreed to take pictures. They smiled for said pictures. And this was all done before school while Zach was out of town for work! (Their cooperation was fueled by the two sweet rolls that they each had for breakfast, but that's a minor detail that I'm willing to overlook.)

Time Marches On

2011-04-20T16:14:00.001-05:00

Zach makes fun of me because every month I have to comment on how I can't believe it's and where did that previous month go. Literally, I say this every month. I continue to be astounded when I come back to the blogging world and see that I haven't posted in a month. But, recently we've been so busy that I'm not surprised that I somehow miss the passing of time. March was a whirlwind: I went to Chicago the first weekend to visit baby Jack (oh, and his parents too). Carol was in town for a visit the next weekend. We went to Chattanooga with the Petreys one weekend. Had Supper Club at our house. Will started soccer. Took Julia to her first dentist visit, and found out at the same visit that Will had two more cavities (the dentist keeps claiming that it's genetic and not our fault, but I think he's just being nice). Zach traveled every week for work. We celebrated Teacher Appreciation week at school, and I went with Will's class on a field trip to the library. Oh, and I worked at my job some, too, you know...in my free time.

Once we got into April, we had a weekend FULL of birthday parties. Zach went to the Masters for "work". I went to NYC to see my best friend, who is getting married soon. Soccer continued. Junior League ramped up. Easter looms.

Each month, or each season, I always think "Oh, once we get through XYZ, things will calm down." Yet somehow, they never do. I'm finally starting to realize that this may just be my life these days! I just hope I can slow down and enjoy it every once in a while.

Girlie Thursdays: Cutest Thing Ever

2011-03-24T19:36:00.000-06:00

This morning, Julia was looking at a picture from our wedding.

"That when you got marry."
"Yes, that's when Mama and Daddy got married."
"I not there. I was still with God."

She and I had discussed this weeks ago when she could not accept my answer that she wasn't at our wedding. She kept asking where she was, and didn't understand "you weren't born yet." At some point, I used some terminology about how she was still in heaven with God. I guess it stuck with her! You never know what they are picking up.

The Circus

2011-03-17T09:58:00.001-06:00

Alternate Title: Sometimes, Just Sometimes, I Think That Maybe We're Doing Something Right

At the end of January, we took both kids to the circus (yes, it's been that long since I posted on the blog). This was Julia's first trip, and though she had no idea what a "circus" was, she was thrilled. She's at a phase where regardless of what the event is, she wants to make sure that she gets to go. In fact, a common question from her whenever she hears us talking about anything, is "Me go?!?" I guess she finally started to realize that we took Will to certain things that she didn't get to attend, and now she is not willing to miss out.

Anyway, I digress. This was Julia's first trip to the circus, but it was Will's third. Last year, we had a firm policy that we were not going to buy any of the plastic, crappy toys that the circus has to offer. We made a big deal about how getting to go to the circus was the big treat, and he also got to get a snow-cone in a tiger cup, which we thought counted as a toy. It did not. At least not in Will's mind. He held it together pretty well until we were leaving, where we had to walk through the plastic toy gauntlet. Then, he lost it--screaming, crying, pouting--if you can think of a bad behavior, he did it. Needless to say, this left a bad taste in our mouth regarding our circus visit.

Fast forward to this year: we decided to come up with a new plan. We succumbed to the fact that buying a plastic toy for each child was just part of the circus experience and cost. But, we told Will that he was going to have to help pay for his toy by using some of his allowance. He gets four dollars a week (when we remember) and doesn't have much to spend it on, so he has quite a stash. He quickly accepted our terms and ran upstairs to get his money. When he came back, we were astounded:

"Here is my five dollars for my toy. And here is five dollars for Julia to get a toy. Because she doesn't get an allowance, so how is she going to get a toy? I brought five dollars for her."

I think I teared up a little bit. This is the exact attitude of giving and sharing that we're trying to foster, and he came up with it all on his own. Of course, he was praised effusively, which he loved, and we all headed out to the circus.

When it came time to pick a toy, he picked a light up, spinning sword, which I believe he has played with exactly once since. But, here's the best part of this story: Julia was standing with us while Will picked his toy, but didn't seem to realize what was going on, and we weren't about to clue her in if she wasn't begging for something (I'm sure she'll mention it in therapy later). After we paid for Will's sword, the man gave us a comment card that had a picture of an elephant on it. Julia thought that was her toy from the circus! And she was happy about it! Between the picture of the elephant and the free tattoo she had gotten before the show, she thought she had hit the jackpot.

And so did we.

Wednesday Will-isms

2011-03-16T20:15:00.001-06:00

Since I've been away from the blogging world for a while, I wanted to share some of the funny things that Will has said over the past few weeks:

"Mama, are dinosaurs bigger than....(here I think he's going to say something that might be comparable to a dinosaur, like a house, bus, tree, etc)...a beaver?"
***********************************************

"Mama, why doesn't Julia have any jeans? She needs some so she can be a cowgirl."
***********************************************

"Awww...it's time to get ready for school already? I didn't even get to have my shark battle!"
***********************************************

Julia's really into animal noises, so one day we were going through what sounds all of the animals make. I jokingly asked Will what a shark says, to which he quickly replied, "Duh-nun. Duh-nun. Duh-nun" (aka, the theme song from Jaws). Where he came up with that, I will never know!

Privacy

2011-01-28T16:04:00.000-06:00

If you come to our house and happen to need to use the restroom, be sure to lock the door. Julia loves to visit people in the bathroom. I've quickly learned this (the hard way) and have taken to locking the door more often than not. But, Julia really loves visiting people while they're in the bathroom. So, this is what I get while I'm just trying to have two minutes to myself:

(Doorknob jiggles repeatedly.)
YOU IN DER MAMA??? YOU LOCK DOOR???

Yes Julia, I'll be right out.

WHAT YOU DOIN' MAMA? YOU GO POTTY??

Yes, Julia. Just a minute.

YOU GOIN' POTTY MAMA?? YOU NEED PI-VACY? YOU LOCK DOOR AND YOU HAVE PI-VACY MAMA??

Yes, Julia. That's just what I would call this. Complete and utter privacy.

Girlie Thursdays

2011-01-27T15:55:00.001-06:00

Also known as, reason #4,326,501 why we're screwed:

Julia wanted to play Elmo on my phone, but I told her no. She looked at me as if I had slapped her across the face, and growled back, "Don't. tell. me. no!"

Oh little girl. That's what Mamas are for! And unfortunately for all of us, I think you're going to need to hear 'no' quite often.

**************************************
And, reason #4,326,502:

Will asked for something in a not-very-nice way. In fact, he pretty much ordered me to get whatever it is he wanted. Since I am always such a buzz-kill, I quickly told him that that was not the way we asked for things around here. Julia heard the conversation and decided to interject.

Julia: We say please, Wuh-wuh. (what she calls Will)
Will: JULIA! You are not the boss of me!
Julia (very calmly): I am. And we say please.

Wednesday Will-isms

2011-01-26T11:16:00.000-06:00

Last week, I spent some time actually making a pretty good meal for dinner. We had chicken Parmesan with Parmesan grits (yes, we like some cheese around these parts) and a salad. It took a little while to prepare, and I was proud of myself that I had made the effort and that it was good. Both of the kids ate it up (a miracle), and everyone seemed to enjoy the meal. To top off a lovely dinner, Zach had gotten some slice-and-bake peanut butter cookies from the store, so while we were finishing eating, he went and put the cookies in the oven, and then delivered them to the table. Remember, these are slice-and-bake, which means they took all of 5 seconds for him to prepare.

Zach brings the cookies to the table, and Will looks up at him admiringly and declares, "Daddy! You are such a chef!"

Really? He gets called a chef for his prepared cookies and the meal I made from scratch doesn't even get a mention? Sounds about right--Mamas never get much credit!

Christmas Memories

2011-01-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

That last Christmas post was getting a bit too long, but I did want to share some of my favorite memories from this year's Christmas season:

Overheard while the children were playing with their new wooden Nativity set: "NO Julia, you cannot hit me with the baby Jesus!"
Julia's reaction as we drove into Mountain Brook village one night and saw all the trees lit up: "Awe-thome!"
Julia declaring very loudly (and out of the blue) during the Living Nativity "If I go poop in the potty I get M&Ms!!!" I did tell her that one time a while ago, but I have no idea what prompted this as we're not really working on potty training right now.
This:

Will's over-the-top joy when he picked out and opened a present on Christmas Eve. He had been asking all season if a particular present was "that car thing like we got Luke A." and indeed it was. I think we could have stopped with that and he would have been happy.
Zach's over-the-top joy about the beef tenderloin wrapped in pancetta that we made for Christmas Eve dinner.
Will's sweet program at school and how he knew all of the songs.
Julia's version of Jingle Bells, which just involved, "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, HEY!" over and over again. Oh, and how she asked me to sing "Manger" each night when I put her to bed.

Julia wearing a dress I smocked for her and my dress coat from when I was three when we went to church on Christmas Eve. I tried to get her to wear the little cross necklace my mom gave her when she was born, but she declared "dat tickles!" and wasn't interested.

The finding of the magic elf each morning and how the children were so appreciative, and almost always told him 'thank you' for whatever surprise he brought. I especially loved it on the rare days when Julia found the elf before Will and would shout, "DER DA MAGIC ELF!!! DER HE IS! TANK YOU MAGIC ELFFFFF!"

Christmas 2010

2011-01-12T21:31:00.000-06:00

December took it out of me. I think most moms struggle with the fact that they're usually the ones doing most, if not all, of the presents, decorating, cooking, wrapping, etc, and this year was no different for me. Holiday madness coupled with the fact that work was insane--and even included a mid-month trip to Fairfax--really made me feel overwhelmed this season. And, I hated that feeling. I hated worrying if we were doing all of the fun things associated with Christmas, or if my stress over "getting everything done" was taking over (it was). I wanted to provide special, fun traditions and memories for our children, but it seemed like I didn't really get to relax and enjoy things with them until Christmas had come and gone.

This year, we didn't go see Santa. (Though, after last year's visit, I'm not sure that we really missed out on that one.) We didn't go to ZooLights. We didn't make it to our friends' ornament swap because Will and I were sick. We didn't go to our neighborhood Christmas party, or really many Christmas parties at all.

So after that Debbie-Downer opener on a Christmas post, let's focus on what we DID do: We DID go to the Advent Workshop at our church to kick off the season (and even let Julia come this year). We DID go Christmas tree shopping with my dad (while my mom was in Chicago visiting my adorable new nephew), and got our tree up and decorated pretty early in the month. We DID enjoy the Christmas program and party at the kids' school. We watched all of the classic Christmas movies on TV, and my mom took Will to see them at the Alabama Theater, as well. We read LOTS of Christmas books and wore our Christmas pajamas. We opened our chocolate Advent calendar each day (a big hit) and did our ornament Advent calendar, as well. We talked about the baby Jesus and went to the live Nativity. We hosted Carol and Bill for several days surrounding the actual holiday. We went to children's church at noon on Christmas Eve. We fixed a delicious beef tenderloin for Christmas Eve dinner. We had our traditional Christmas dinner at Mom's house Christmas Day. We ooohed and ahhhed over lights, even though we never took an official light tour. We made Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve and ate them with icing on Christmas Day. We were astounded by a white Christmas (I don't care if the weathermen didn't officially count it as a white Christmas...it snowed on Christmas Day in Alabama and that's all that matters!) We sat by the fire. We opened too many presents. We counted our blessings.

Will and Julia had a fabulous Christmas present-wise. They each got one BIG gift from Santa: a PowerWheels Ford F150 for Will (just like our neighbor's) and a play kitchen for Julia. Though, Will kept pointing out that they were really going to share these gifts: "The truck is mainly mine and the kitchen is mainly hers, but we both get to play with both of them." I think this stemmed more from his desire to play with her gift than to share his, though he has been great about giving her rides in his truck. Other hit gifts were a baby crib, high chair, and Baby Alive doll for Julia, a stand-up microphone for Will, various guitars for the family, books, art supplies, and lots of stocking stuffers. It was almost too much, but they really have enjoyed playing with the things they got. And, they weren't too manic on the actual day...

All in all, it was a great Christmas, made even better by the fact that we didn't have to go to the doctor on December 23rd as we have for the past two years. Will and I were sick before Christmas, and then mine got worse after Christmas, but for the actual day, we were all pretty good. The weather outside was frightful, but the fire was so delightful...so we stayed inside and in our pajamas and just lounged and played and all took a nap. Oh, and Zach and I realized that we already had the two best Christmas presents ever:

Girlie Thursdays

2010-12-02T09:05:00.001-06:00

As is often the case with two-year-olds, we've had a bit of an issue with Julia picking her nose. We've obviously been attempting to discourage this behavior. Recently Julia came up with a mantra about this (on her own) that really encapsulates how I feel about the situation:

"No eat boogers. Eat breakfast!"

That, my friends, is some sage advice. You're welcome.

Wednesday Will-isms: Jackson Bo

2010-12-01T18:45:00.002-06:00

Who is this, you ask? Why, this is Jackson Bo! Jackson Bo is Will's alter rockstar ego. Anytime he "plays rockstar" his name is Jackson Bo. And no, we don't know where that came from. In order to further his career as Jackson Bo, he's requested a stand-up microphone for Christmas, so he can sing AND play the guitar. He also wants either me or Zach to get a guitar for Christmas, so we can "rock out".

Luckily, Jackson Bo already has something that every rockstar needs: a groupie.

Two-head

2010-11-23T20:41:00.000-06:00

For some reason, Julia consistently refers to her forehead as her "two-head". As in, "I bump my two-head!" I'm not sure how this came about...maybe she thinks it's called that because she's two. After all, two IS her favorite number.

Being the big brother that he is, Will set about to correct Julia about foreheads:
"Julia, it's not called a two-head. It's a FOREHEAD. Do you know why it's called a forehead? I think because it is FOUR inches high. Or wait...maybe it's because it's four inches from your nose. But, it's FOREhead, not two-head."

Gotta love four-year-old logic. Good thing he's around to impart this wisdom to his sister.

Girlie Thursdays

2010-11-04T19:00:00.000-06:00

As Julia's vocabulary increases, it turns out that Will's not the only one who says cute things.

Lately, if I ask Julia, "Are you a little monkey?"
She replies with, "No, I a cutie!"
Or sometimes, "No, I Mama's baby. I Mama's baby girl."

**************************************************
The other day, I told Julia it was almost time for supper.
"I want pizza."
"No, we're not having pizza for supper. You had pizza for lunch at school."
"Oh...(pause)...I want lunch."

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-11-03T12:53:00.000-06:00

I was recently explaining the concept of "morning breath" to Will...why, I'm not exactly sure, but it came up somehow. So, I told him how it meant that after you were sleeping all night long, your breath didn't smell very good in the morning.

The other night, I was doing some work in the office after I put Julia to bed. Zach was getting Will to bed, and I went in to say goodnight. As I leaned over him to give him a kiss, Will declared, "Mama, you have working breath!" I guess some teeth-brushing was in order.

**********************************************
Almost every morning, Will comes into our room when he wakes up. And, from the moment he wakes up, he is talking (or singing--sometimes we start the morning with him serenading us with his guitar and a song). So, one day he comes in blabbering away, then momentarily takes a breath and says, "I am a TALKER. I love to talk. That's just the way God made me!"

I couldn't argue with him.

On a related note, I asked him if he ever gets in trouble at school, and he said yes, for talking. He told me he likes to talk all of the time, and this gets him in trouble during story time. Again, not surprising.

Those Beach Pictures

2010-10-30T14:50:00.000-05:00

I finally got some pictures onto my computer, so here are some of my favorites from the beach.

Update

2010-10-26T14:01:00.000-05:00

In the two weeks since I posted this post, things have gone from bad to worse. Julia continued to climb out of her crib, often multiple times a night. One night we went to check on her and found her sound asleep on the floor...bare butt up in the air and pee all over the floor. She had taken off her pajama pants and her diaper, but the kicker is that she put the diaper in the diaper pail and her pants back in her drawer. Very deliberate! Another night she was in her bathroom screaming at the top of her lungs (at 2 A.M.) that she wanted to brush her teeth. One morning when I heard her screaming for us, I went in and found her sitting by her nightlight, surrounded by books and all of the wipes from her container, some of which she had shredded. When I came in, she simply handed them to me and said, "Deese all gone." She learned how to push her stool over to the light switch to turn on the lights. She figured out not only how to climb out of the crib, but also how to climb back in...a process that frightened me when I saw how she did it. She determined that her changing pad would be a nice place to sleep, so she pulled it off of the dresser and set up camp--dragging her blanket and baby along with her. She's destroyed multiple books by ripping all of the "lift the flaps" out of them. And of course, she figured out how to get out of her room.

All of this meant that Mama and Daddy had to figure out how to fight back. So, we decided to remove her crib. I was worried about her climbing back in, and also felt that having the crib and "grown-up bed" (as she calls it) might be confusing for her. Well, she was (and probably still is) pissed about that decision. So, I read anything I could about getting a child to sleep in a big bed, and the only method I found that was noted as reliable was to spend several nights in "boot camp"--anytime they get out of bed, you silently and with no fanfare put them back in bed. We gave it a shot one night, but cried uncle after 65 times of putting her back in bed. She was very upset about the whole process, but never once laid down in the bed. As soon as we put her there, she got right back up. Clearly we had to come up with a different plan. (Though a couple Zach met at the park said they put their two-year-old back in bed 164 times the first night when they did the process, so maybe we need to try harder.)

I hated the idea of locking her in her room, but that's basically what we resorted to. We got the doorknob covers that make it so little ones can't turn the doorknob, and put them on her bathroom door and her room door. We switched the light switch so that it won't turn on from the switch; it's now just controlled by pull cords on the fan. We moved all of her toys out of her room and put the basket from her changing table in the bathroom each night. Now she points at the doorknob covers and says "Those keep me safe," which is what I've told her, with only small pangs of guilt. And, she tells me, "Light no work anymore."

So now she's "locked" in her room, but refuses to sleep in a bed. She has slept on the floor every night, but of course does not sleep through the night, instead waking up and screaming for hours at a time. Her newest trick is to sleep with her face pressed up against the door, her mouth right up to the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor. This affords her two advantages: first, it makes her screams and cries louder and harder to ignore, and second, once she falls asleep in this position, it makes it so we can't come in and check on her and move her to her bed. This weekend, I put her crib mattress back in the room in the hopes that she would at least sleep there if she wouldn't sleep in the bed, but so far no luck with that. She'll often get in one of the beds, hunker down, appear to be nice and cozy...only to jump right up and scream as soon as you leave the room.

While this makes great blog fodder and my friends find the stories quite amusing, it's actually supremely frustrating. She's overtired, as are we. We're all getting less sleep than we did when she was a newborn. And worse, nothing we're doing seems to make a difference. I'm second-guessing every move I make: "Should I do some attachment parenting and just go in and comfort her until she falls asleep? Should I sleep with her? Let her sleep with us? Or will that make it worse? Do we need to take a harder line and help her learn to comfort herself? Why does she not know how to comfort herself? Should we cut out any sugar or treats after supper? Should we put the crib back in? Will she be scarred by being unable to get out of her room? WHAT ARE WE DOING WRONG?"

And, I guess that's the worst part about it: I know we've done nothing wrong. From a textbook standpoint, we've done everything "right" all her life--she's had a consistent bedtime and nap time and a consistent, wind-down bedtime routine. She's always slept in her crib. She has "lovies" that she's attached to. And yet, we're still dealing with this nonsense. I do remember that Will went through a phase of wakefulness around this age; at the time, we attributed it to the stress of a new baby in the house. And of course, his wasn't nearly as bad because he never climbed out of the crib. Like all phases, that one eventually passed, but probably not quick enough for our liking. So, for now, I guess we'll just keep on keepin' on. That seems to be about all we can do.

Julia is TWO

2010-10-20T20:02:00.000-05:00

**Baby girl, this is over a month late, but that's just how our life is these days. And, if it makes you feel any better, I haven't written Will's four-year-old letter yet, and I think I might have missed one for his third birthday, too. So, consider yourself ahead of the game.**

Dear Julia,
As always, I'm amazed at how quickly time passes and how you are growing up right before my eyes. I can't believe you're already two! But even more, I can't believe that you're the age Will was when you were born. In so many ways you are so "grown up," but in so many ways you are still a baby...my baby.

You are such a big personality. Often, when we hear words like "spirited" or "strong-willed" they're not meant in the best way, particularly for girls. Yet, I love that you are independent; I love that you know what you want and are not afraid to go after it. I hope those qualities will last because I believe they will serve you well later in life. Of course, the qualities I love the most are also the ones that can drive me the most crazy. It's easy to say that I admire your independence, but it's another thing altogether when you are constantly asserting that independence--constantly wanting to "do it myself," constantly getting into things you shouldn't, constantly testing limits to see exactly where the line is...and then choosing to step right over it. We're going through some bedtime battles with you right now, and while I'm somewhat sympathetic because you get genuinely upset, I'm also beyond frustrated that you make life (yours and ours) so difficult. You are just a child who has to do things the hard way.

Yet, you're also a very affectionate child. You've recently learned to say "I wuv you" and it melts my heart every time. You often like to go through a list..."I wuv Daddy! I wuv Mommy! Mommy wuv me!" You love to give kisses and hugs, you love to hold hands, you're always checking on people if you think they're sad, and you often request "I want hold you". But, despite being independent and wanting things your way, you also seem to want to be with us all the time and get upset when we're separated. This makes leaving you at daycare or with a babysitter REALLY fun, I tell ya. I finally had to teach you that "Mama always comes back" because you seem to think that might not be the case. And many times, when I see you after a day at school or a night when we've gone out, you exclaim with glee, "Mama come back!"

Physically, you can do almost anything you set your mind on. With an older brother to keep up with, you never want to be left behind. So, you're always running--you've gotten very fast--or dancing, playing, climbing, hopping, or jumping (well, you think you can jump, but you really just crouch down and then stand up really fast). For your birthdays, you and Will got a playset in the backyard. Based on your reaction, you would have thought we built you your own DisneyWorld. You LOVE to swing and get this blissed out look while you're flying through the air. You will swing as long as someone will push you. You call the playset "my own playground" and each morning when you get up, you ask, "I go my own playground?"

In addition to playing outside, you adore playing with baby dolls. It's so funny to see your nurturing side...you are so sweet and gentle to those babies. You love to rock them, give them a bottle, or wrap them up in a blanket. You also love animals--both toys and live animals. You want to pet almost any animal, and again are very gentle, and you had a blast riding a horse recently (twice!). Another favorite toy is your tea set that you got for your birthday. You set it up and will play quietly by yourself...putting the cups in place, stirring the tea, pouring the tea. It's rare to find something that will truly keep you occupied like that! You also love to read books, do stickers, and draw, but when we draw, you always want us to "draw your hand". I guess this is something you do at school, because you always request it. Of course, being the second child, you have access to lots of things that Will never had at your age. You know what the Wii is, you build with Legos, play with cars, and you've even started doing games on the iPad. But without a doubt, the toy that is always the most fun in your eyes is any toy your brother currently has.

Eating is not your strong suit, and lately, neither is sleeping. Like everything else, it's always on your terms. So, you may eat nothing for breakfast, but then go through an entire chicken breast for supper. Of course, they claim you eat fine at school, so maybe you just know that Mama and Daddy are pushovers and will eventually cave. For the most part, you eat pretty healthy foods--at home you're almost a vegetarian (by your own choice)--but you won't eat many things that I consider "toddler staples". You hate pasta, so that rules out mac and cheese or ravioli. You're fickle about chicken nuggets, won't touch a hamburger, and you're not fond of PB&J. However, you love almost all fruit (except you declare pineapple to be "too sour"), black beans, CHEESE, pizza, quesadillas, grilled chicken, hummus, bagels with cream cheese, cereal or granola bars, crackers...and that's about it. Well, except for treats, of course! This is another way that you benefit in being the second child...there is no shortage of popsicles in the house, especially after the hot summer we just had.

As for the sleeping, you just don't seem to need as much sleep as the average toddler. You've just about given up your nap (the recent move to a big-girl bed has really sealed nap's fate), and you often seem just fine without it. I sometimes call you the energizer bunny because I really can't figure out a way to wear you out. You're not bad, you're just beyond energetic. Even when we were at the beach playing, swimming, and running all day long, you still seemed to have energy to spare. By evening you might be dragging a little bit, but you never let on because you never want to miss anything.

And really, most of the time, we don't want you to miss anything either because we don't want to miss time with you. You add such a wonderful (albeit loud) dimension to our family and we love having you around--love hearing your sweet singing and watching your crazy dancing; love getting your perspective on things, since like your brother, you never stop talking; love watching your face light up when you smile; love watching your eyes sparkle while you admire your older brother; love the way you do your own thing, but know when to say "I need help!"; love how you run into my arms after a long day away.

Julia, I am SO proud of you and the person you are becoming. I am thankful for each day I have with you and couldn't love you any more. Thank you for being you and being such a light in our family.

Love,
Mama

Night, Night, Sleep Tight

2010-10-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

She looked so peaceful sound asleep, except for the fact that...

Well, let me back up a bit here. Last week, I was out of town almost all week for work. Zach said the kids were fabulous for him (of course) and he got major props from everyone for being such an amazing dad and taking care of HIS OWN kids while I was gone (of course). Then I returned home on Friday, but Zach had to leave for his work trip on Sunday. Apparently Julia had had enough of this "being good" business and all hell broke loose when I tried to put her to bed on Sunday night. She's always been good about going to bed, but on Sunday she decided to scream like I was cutting off her arm. Luckily, my parents were here and helped deal with Will while I was trying to calm Julia down. Eventually, after over an hour and a half of rocking, comforting, etc. from both me and my mom, Julia finally gave up the fight.

Same scene on Monday night. Except this time, she's added a new trick: climbing out of her crib. She did that once while we were at the beach, but hadn't done it since, so we thought things were fine in that department. Will NEVER climbed out of his crib, so this is new territory for us. So, Monday night...my wonderful parents are here again helping out. I put Julia down, she's screaming, and then we hear a big thud. She had climbed out of the crib and fallen on the ground, luckily unhurt. I comfort her, try to get her to calm down, and then put her back in the crib. Where she climbs out again, this time more skillfully--no thud. I put her back, she climbs out. (Are you seeing a pattern?) Finally, mom rocks her until she is so exhausted she can't fight it anymore, and she stays in bed. (Only to wake up at 12:30, at which point I gave in and brought her to bed with me until she woke up for the day at 5:30. But that's a whole 'nother story.)

Fast forward to tonight. Mom can't come help, so I'm on my own, praying that Julia will shape up. Things are going pretty well, until I try to put her in bed. I put her in her crib, leave the room, and she immediately starts screaming and climbs right out of her crib. Luckily, she can't open the door to her room yet, but I can hear the cries getting closer to the door, so I know she's out of the crib. I decide to take the hard line...no more rocking. I firmly tell her that it's "night night" and put her back in her crib. She climbs out. And repeat. The third time I put her in the bed, I hear her crying, but it doesn't seem to be getting any closer to the door. I figure she must have been tired and stayed in bed, and her crying subsides pretty quickly. Yes! Victory! Now onto getting Will to bed...

Around 8:30, which was about an hour after I put Julia to bed, I go in her room to check on her. Now here's where we pick up from the beginning of this post. She looked so peaceful sound asleep, except for the fact that SHE WAS IN THE CHAIR! Yes, that's right, the last time when I thought she was in bed, thought the cries weren't getting any closer, thought I had won the battle...she had instead snuggled herself in the rocking chair and rocked herself to sleep. This is what we're dealing with around here.

A little while later, I successfully moved her from the chair to her crib without her waking up. We'll see how long that lasts...

Things I Learned on Vacation

2010-09-28T09:48:00.000-05:00

In no particular order, here are 15 (yes, 15, that's all I could come up with) things I learned on our vacation. We had a wonderful time. I can't wait to post some pictures once I figure out how to get them off of my new camera (translation: don't hold your breath for those pictures).

1. It is quite possible, in fact, probable, to return home from vacation with more stuff than when you left (especially if grandparents are involved).
2. It's pretty easy to parent when the only items on your agenda for the whole day are 1) run around on the beach and 2) swim at the pool.
3. Will is no longer a boy. He is actually a fish.
4. "Treat" is actually a food group while on vacation.
5. Running around after/with your kids is pretty good exercise. Not good enough to counteract the cocktails and vacation food you ate all week, but pretty good nonetheless.
6. One of the hardest parts of motherhood is conquering your fears so that your children don't inherit your neuroses. So, let's say that you're hypothetically afraid of close contact with sea creatures. Even if you would REALLY rather not, you must still pick up starfish and throw them back in the ocean so that your children can see you do it and want to try it themselves. (Although, Julia really needed no encouragement.)
7. Doing laundry on vacation is not such a bad thing if it means you do not have to do 18 loads of dirty laundry when you get home.
8. Children CAN actually subsist on air and milk for days at a time. I've witnessed this first-hand.
9. Julia does not like bike riding. She much prefers horse riding, but ONLY IF it is the "white pony". Don't you dare try to put her on the brown pony. No, no, NOOOO brown pony. Don't even try it.
10. Two and four are the best ages. I'm looking into ways to keep them this way.
11. I am jealous of Julia's tanning ability. And yes, we put sunscreen on her all the time.
12. Will makes up a lot of games. They all have complex rules that you will never get right. And, all rules favor him.
13. "Vacation" does not mean the same thing to children as it does to adults. For example, "Sit by the pool and read your book" was not on the kids' list of fun vacation things to do.
14. As an addendum to #13, my children don't understand the concept of "sleeping in" on vacation. In fact, they seem to think that you should get up even earlier so that you can fully enjoy all of activites that the day holds.
15. I really like hanging out with my kids. I almost decided that we should all stay at the beach and never come home. The long car rides, the multiple grocery store visits, the packing and unpacking--it was all worth it. This was the perfect vacation.

Girlie Thursdays: Be Happy

2010-08-26T20:20:00.004-05:00

Carol gave Julia a pink t-shirt that has a picture of a bee and then the word "happy": Be Happy. Julia loves it and constantly asks for her 'be happy' shirt. If one of us says, "Don't Worry," we've taught her to respond with "Be Happy!" And, if she sees anyone who is sad (or pretending to be sad to get her attention...not that I've ever done that), she'll go up to them, pat them on the hand, and say, "Be happy, Bubs (or whoever it is)!"

Don't worry, little girl. It's hard not to be happy with you around.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-08-25T13:02:00.001-05:00

I've been saving up a couple of Wednesday Will-isms during my blogging break, so here they are:

One day, Will was playing with something that I didn't want him to mess with...I don't even remember exactly what it was, but it was something small, like paperclips, and I just didn't want him to play with it. I told him, "Will, don't mess with those things."
"Why, Mama? Are they expensive?"
Well, whatever it was was certainly not expensive, and I told him so. "Will, do you know what expensive means?"
"Yes, I do. It means something that is only for grown-ups."

Strangely enough, he's not too far off!
*******************************************

When we went to Ohio, Will immediately took to his older cousin, Henry, who is about eight. Henry was so sweet to Will and very patient with him, and they had a great time playing together. The first night we were there, Margaret (Henry's mom) and I were discussing where everyone would sleep. Will overheard us and piped up with, "I need to sleep in the room with Henry because he's my best friend."

I love how, when you're a child, a best friendship can be formed in four hours and over a mutual love of swing sets and trains.

Bad Blogger

2010-08-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. I've been a very bad blogger. Time keeps getting away from me, and then I realize that I haven't posted in almost a month. Even though we don't have kids going "back to school" (because they never left), this time of year is just busy. We're trying to squeeze everything we can out the last few days of summer--even though it will be hot until November--and with two end-of-summer birthdays, things get hectic. With Zach traveling for work, the whole family traveling for fun, planning two birthday parties, making two sets of birthday doctor appointments, finishing up swimming lessons, signing up for soccer, trying to convince Will he likes his new school, listening to Julia talk non-stop, hosting our favorite aunt, buying a new camera etc., etc....there just hasn't been time for blogging! But, I have to remind myself, AT LEAST WE'RE NOT MOVING!

Since I have been delinquent, here's a snippet of things that I haven't been blogging about over the past few weeks:

A fabulous trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit some of Zach's cousins. Will loved playing with the big kids, Julia had fun taking us on wild-goose chases through their house, we all enjoyed the zoo and the pool, and most importantly, we had a great time catching up with family that we never get to see otherwise. Don't get me wrong, the actual travel to and fro was not my idea of a good time, but it was worth it for the time we were there. (Of course, I took no pictures.)
A visit from five-months-pregnant Aunt Melanie who came to visit us for 1) our love and affection and 2) all of Will's baby clothes and gear for her baby boy who is due in November. (Or, was it the other way around? Was the gear really the #1 draw to B'ham?) Hooraaay! We loved seeing her, even for a short visit, and can't wait to meet the Willfull nephew/cousin.
Julia's new found vocabulary. Just like her brother, she does not stop talking. I find myself asking her to "please be quiet, just for a minute". Which, I might as well be talking to a wall for all the good that does. But, I love hearing her chatter (usually), and I love hearing her version of new words, like "bob-boo" for bottom or bottle, "appie juice," "neh-nin" (naked), and "took-ie" (cookie). I also love the way she thinks about things; for example, she really only knows Elmo from Sesame Street, so any other characters are just "Pink Elmo" or "Cookie Elmo". And, she's really starting to communicate well with lots of new phrases, like, "I come?" which she asks anytime I tell her I have to leave the room, to say, go to the bathroom or take a shower or something crazy like that. Or, "I kiss Mama right der." Because, despite her reputation, she is a super-sweet, super-affectionate little girl these days.
Will's new school. Will moved to Canterbury in the middle of July for a variety of reasons, and we thought it was working out well. When we pick him up each day, he seems to have enjoyed it, and he's making new friends. But, when we drop him off each morning, he acts like we are sending him to the firing squad. The past few days have been really terrible, with lots of sobbing involved (just him, although it almost sends me over the edge, too.) He constantly tells us he doesn't want to go to school, and he's started "acting up" more in general--whining, tantruming, having trouble going to sleep. So, this is a really fun phase! I don't know where it's all stemming from, but I'm hopeful we can see some improvement soon.

And...I think that's about it. Of course, I haven't been taking any pictures, either (I mean, really--what HAVE I been doing?), so this wrap up is all you'll get. Here's hoping for better blogging, cooler weather, and a happier Will very soon!

Girlie Thursdays: Smarty Pants

2010-07-29T20:38:00.000-05:00

I haven't written much about Julia lately, which is a shame because she's at that age where she's learning and doing new things each day. But, for some reason, it's also difficult for me to write about her. With my limited writing skills, I just don't feel that I can really capture her personality, emotion, expression...just her little SELF. She is so funny, bossy, expressive, smart, creative, independent, and loving. Compared to a few months ago, her temperament has really improved, and she's not hitting as much. In fact, she is super sweet and affectionate, always offering up kisses and hugs. She particularly loves to kiss boo-boos--on herself or other people. But, I digress. What I wanted to write about today is how much she's been learning recently. It's been sneaking up on me that she knows so much these days. With Will, I was aware of his every movement and accomplishment. But with Julia, I just don't have as much time as I did with Will to sit and patiently do puzzles, or shape sorters, or letters. Yet, she seems to be doing just fine:

She knows a lot of her letters. She doesn't know many by name, but she knows who each letter is for. So, she points at an 'H' and says "HeeHee" (Hulie). Or "Tracy" when she sees a 'T' (her teacher at school). Or, "Mama! Kate!" when she sees a 'K'. Sometimes she gets so excited to tell you about the letters she sees that she just can't contain herself. However, there are quite a few letters that she doesn't know because she doesn't have anyone to associate them with. So, if your name starts with an E, I, or R, and you'd like to become an integral part of Julia's life, just let me know.

She knows almost all of her colors. Yet, unlike Will who wanted everything to be 'Lello' (which is STILL the way he says 'yellow' by the way), Julia's default answer is (of course) PINK!

She can do simple puzzles. She likes to pick up a piece, point to the spot where it will go, and say, "Dat one right DER, Mama." It's really cute (and repetitive).

She can count...to two. Two is her favorite number. If you ask her anything to do with a number, her answer is always two. So, she sounds really smart if you ask the right questions, like, "How old will you be on your birthday?" or "How many eyes do you have?" She uses this in conjunction with her letters and likes to point out anytime there are "Two Tracys! Mama, two Tracys!" (She will say this even if there are four 'T's. Two just means there are than one.)

She's starting to learn a few little songs and will sing along with you or do the motions for the ones she knows. My favorite thing is how she just seems to know the end of a line and chimes in a that point. Like, for "Twinkle, twinkle little star" she just yells 'STAR!"

She's very bossy and puts together full sentences to convey what she wants: "Come ON, Mama right now!" or "Sit right DER, Wah-wah (Will)!"

Now, don't waste your time telling me that these are all very normal almost-two-year old behaviors. I think it's clear that these point to brilliance and greatness in the making.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-07-21T12:11:00.000-05:00

Lately Will has been very interested in marriage. The only problem is that he wants to marry me. Now, I know this is completely common, and I'm not worried about it, I'm just having a hard time convincing Will that he won't want to marry me when he gets older! The other morning, after discussing it for a while, he pleaded, "Please can I marry you, Mommy? It's okay to marry someone who's already married." While I explained polygamy to him (not really), I realized that what he wanted was to just be reassured that he would still be able to come see us and visit us....so sweet. Good thing I'm writing this down so I'll have written proof that, at one point in his life, he considered Mommy and Daddy the finest people on earth.

Later in the day, Will came up with a new plan: "I'll marry Julia!"

Clearly he doesn't have a grasp on this whole concept yet.

Atlanta

2010-07-08T12:17:00.001-05:00

A word of advice: Never, under any circumstances, go to the Georgia Aquarium on the Friday of July 4th weekend. Or any day of any holiday weekend. Or any time other than a random Tuesday afternoon in October.

So, we went to Atlanta over the Fourth of July weekend, and suffice it to say, the Aquarium was packed. Mom and Dad came with us, and the plan was to leave early Friday morning and get to the Aquarium a little after lunch. After a GPS-induced ride through the Atlanta ghetto, we made it to the Aquarium in one piece. The plan was to just to let Julia skip her nap--she would be tired, but would probably be okay, since she is genetically similar to the Energizer Bunny. Nothing about this plan worked out very well. Like I said, the place was mobbed, and it was hard for Will to see the exhibits. Julia didn't care much about seeing the exhibits because she was busy screaming her head off. Finally, I found the Aquarium's Ballroom, which is where they have events, and I was able to wheel Julia around in her stroller. She was still screaming, but at least there weren't as many people around to think I was kidnapping her. And, the Ballroom had two huge windows that showcased some of the place's best exhibits--the rest of our group joined us in the Ballroom and we were able to get close-up views of the Beluga whales and various kinds of sharks. Julia finally calmed down a bit, and we were able to go to the interactive section of the Aquarium, which the kids really enjoyed.

Trying to touch sting rays and sharks. We had to physically stop Julia from diving in.

On the fishing boat replica

Please, no more photos. I just can't handle the paparazzi.

After the Aquarium, we met some college friends for dinner and got to meet their sweet little girl. We had dinner outside on a rooftop at a brewery, and it was lovely. Surprisingly, the weather was fabulous--the humidity disappeared for a few days, so it was nice all weekend. Back at the hotel, Will stayed in the room with Mom and Dad, and Julia bunked in a suite with us. Aside from Will's twenty million questions and comments, it all worked out well.

The next morning, we went over to Atlanta's children's museum, Imagine It. It was perfect for the children, and definitely more their speed. It was similar to the McWane center (although not quite as focused on science), and the kids had a ball trying out every exhibit there. They sat on a tractor, built with sand, tap-danced, played in the water table, and generally had a fabulous time. At this point, we were right across the street from Centennial Park, so we headed over there to check out the scene. We had a bit of ice cream, and Will played in the fountain, and then it was time for the girls to go home. Julia did pretty well in the car, but once again, skipped her nap and chatted the entire time. While the girls went back to B'ham, the guys went to Will's first baseball game and saw the Braves play the Marlins. From what I hear, they had a good time. When they arrived home late that night, Zach reported, "I didn't put any more sunscreen on him, I didn't take any pictures, and all he ate the whole time was ice cream." Yep....sounds like a Daddy trip! They all had a blast.

On the actual Fourth, we just played around the house and had lunch with friends. The kids didn't even know that it was a holiday, and we didn't let on that there was anything exciting going on that night. We had thought about trying to take at least Will to see the fireworks, but after two days of crazy schedules and not enough sleep, it was better that we all went to sleep early. The next day, we went to some friends' lake for the day and all had a wonderful, relaxing time. There were several children right around Will and Julia's age, and they had fun playing together.

Whew. By the time we went back to work on Tuesday, I felt like I needed a vacation.

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-06T19:49:00.000-05:00

More to come on how we celebrated (hint: the kids didn't even know it was the Fourth of July), but for now, a picture:

Girlie Thursdays: So Sweet

2010-06-24T20:42:00.001-05:00

Julia calls her baby dolls "Dee-dees". She loves to rock them, hold them, feed them her milk and her food, and only occasionally tell them, "No, no, NO Dee-dee!" She usually holds them sweetly and says "My Dee-dee."

So, imagine my delight the other day when Julia, sitting in my lap, looked up at me and said, "Ju-ju Mama's Dee-dee."

Why yes, sweet girl. You will always be my baby.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-06-23T20:49:00.000-05:00

Apparently I need to step it up in terms of my wardrobe. Admittedly, I often wear work-out clothes because A) I work from home and B) I actually work out at lunch at least a couple of days a week. The other day, I happened to be wearing "real" clothes--nothing fancy, just capris and a sleeveless shirt--but it wasn't work out gear. When Will saw me, he immediately looked concerned and surprised.

"Mama, why are you wearing those clothes?"
"What's wrong with these clothes, Will?"
"Nothing, but are you going somewhere? You look like you're going to a meeting." (A "meeting" is what we call any sort of going out--we learned early on that if we told Will we were going to a party or out to dinner, then he would want to come.)

So it seems that me in anything other than work-out clothes confuses Will. I guess I'm not setting very high standards!

Girlie Thursdays

2010-06-17T19:54:00.001-05:00

Excuse me, but did Julia turn into a teenager when I wasn't looking? This is what she wore to the pool this weekend. Please note the boots and the attitude.

Where did she get this move?

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-06-16T19:48:00.000-05:00

The other night I took Will to Yogurt Mountain as a special after dinner treat. As usual, he came up with the most disgusting combo you could think of: watermelon sorbet, raspberry yogurt, birthday cake yogurt, and peanut butter yogurt all topped with Lucky Charms, gummy bears, sprinkles, and chocolate sauce. Dis-gust-ing. (I am not making this up. This is the exact combo that he ate.) Of course, he LOVED it. At one point, I looked into his bowl, and my face must have said it all:
"Oh Will, that looks..." (I trailed off, at a loss for words)
"Looks kind of yucky?"
"Well, yes. It does look kind of yucky."
"No it doesn't, Mama...it looks like a birthday party!"

I just had to laugh, because it did look like a birthday party. Or rather, the aftermath of a birthday party where fifteen toddlers had run through a house, leaving decorations, food, and wrapping paper in their wake. It did look exactly like that kind of birthday party.

Tales from a Plane

2010-06-11T07:16:00.001-05:00

We're all antsy to get off of the plane, but apparently Julia was more antsy than most.
"Julia, as soon as these people walk up the aisle, it will be our turn to go."
Julia decides to take matters in her own hands...literally. She put both hands up on the man's butt that was right in front of her, pushed, and yelled "GOOOOOO!" He never even turned around.

****************************************************
Will and Zach are sitting together, and Will does not stop talking the entire time. He's asking question after question. Making up story after story. Sharing his ideas, plans, schemes, and every little thought that comes in his head. As they get off the plane, the woman behind him notes (hopefully nicely), "Your son has quite the imagination!" Why yes he does.

****************************************************
Julia and I are sitting together in the first row of the plane. She is all over the place. She doesn't fuss too much, but just won't sit still, doesn't want to be buckled in her seat, doesn't want me to hold her. What she apparently wants is to walk around the plane and make new friends. It seems that the flight crew frowns on this. At one point, the flight attendant even offers me her iPhone that has some Sesame Street videos downloaded on it, in the hopes that this will keep Julia occupied. It doesn't. I try books, snacks, play-doh, coloring, more snacks, suckers...nothing matter. She just doesn't want to sit still. I spend the whole flight picking her up and putting her back in her seat.

Once we land, we're waiting in our row for Zach and Will to come up from the back of the plane. I'm still trying to corral Julia, trying to keep her in her seat (or near it) while I gather up all of our stuff. Trying to avoid her leaving the plane with a different family, which seems to be her new plan.

As a woman exits the plane, she pats me on the shoulder and says (very nicely and with a gleam in her eye), "I'll pray for you honey!" I thank her because I need every prayer I can get. (Side note: Only in the deep South do people say this, especially to people they don't know!)

Sharing snacks in the airport

Looking out the window as we land

(No, Julia is not bigger than Will--it's just the angle)

Reuniting

2010-06-10T06:54:00.053-05:00

As I mentioned, we just returned from a trip to Charlottesville where we attended our ten-year college reunion. I love that Zach and I both went to UVA because we both love it and love to visit, we have lots of common friends from college, and our memories of that time include each other. So, we were both excited about reuniting with lots of old friends, although, particularly in Zach's case, some of the people he really wanted to see weren't able to make it. He joked that the only one who came from his pledge class was Peter...who he sits next to every day at work.

Since Carol and Bill live in Charlottesville, we had the perfect place to stay and the perfect babysitters. However, all weekend I still felt like I was pulled in so many directions. While many of our college friends have kids, very few brought them to the reunion. And, since our kids are still young, they weren't really able to participate in many reunion activities, which mean they stayed home with the grandparents a lot of the time. Which is great, except that it made me feel guilty--that's a lot for Carol to handle, and I felt bad not spending more time with the kids. (Bill can't help for reasons that are too long to get into here.) We had lots of fun catching up with our friends, but then had to get up at the crack of dawn each morning to deal with the kids. As my mom says, you can't hoot with the owls if you're going to soar with the eagles. Or some such thing. Basically, it sucks to get up really damn early when you've been out the night before pretending like you're still in college. (To give credit where credit is due, Zach got up most mornings with our early bird, Julia. Several days he took her out to Bodo's, my favorite bagel place, and then brought stuff back for everyone. Wonderful husband!)

So while the visit was good, it just wasn't the carefree time that I was hoping for. Traveling was difficult. The cat peed in my suitcase on our second night there. A heat wave made it hotter in Virginia than it was in Alabama. Julia screamed bloody murder any time I had to leave her...it even got to the point that she would lose it if I tried to leave the room to go to the bathroom. I'm glad we went--not only for the reunion, but also just because we need to get to Charlottesville more often. While it's challenging to do so, I want Will and Julia to visit their grandparents.

Enough complaining. Here are some pictures from when we took the kids to play on the Lawn. They seemed to enjoy that except for when they got in a screaming match (like nothing I've ever heard them do) right in front of a huge tour group. Zach and I just started laughing hysterically because we didn't know what else to do. I guess that kind of sums up our trip...sometimes you just have to laugh and be thankful that you're all together.

Wednesday Will-isms: Charlottesville

2010-06-09T14:42:00.001-05:00

We were in Charlottesville this past weekend for our ten-year college reunion (a whole other post is needed for that), and apparently all of the traveling wore Will out. We left on Wednesday and came back on Monday, so it was a pretty long time for us to be gone...especially in the mind of a three-year-old. Around Sunday, Will looked at me and told me, "Whew, I just can't hold my breath in Charlottesville." I was a bit confused by this and said, "You mean catch your breath?" Will replied, "Yeah, I just can't catch my breath!" I can see where playing all day and being spoiled by grandparents would do that to a boy.

Later, Will asked me when we were going home. I told him, and asked why he wanted to know.
"Because I don't even remember what our house looks like, Mama!"

Oh, the trials of being on a vacation when you are three!

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-06-02T19:38:00.001-05:00

This weekend, Julia was trying to get in the chair that Will was already sitting in. He looked at her, held up one finger, and in his most serious voice, says, "Don't start, Julia. Just don't start."

At least I know he hears me some of the time!

Lake, Part 2

2010-06-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

As I noted in my last lake post, the weather over Memorial Day wasn't stellar. So, we had to find other activities to occupy our time. Maybe it's because the kids are more relaxed at the lake (or the parents are!), or maybe everything is easier when you're sitting on a screened porch overlooking the water, but they seem to be a bit more laid back when we're at the lake; every little thing doesn't turn into an argument, time out is employed less frequently, and there are more shrieks of joy and fewer temper tantrums. So, here are a few more pictures of our "indoor" activities:

Julia in her "muscles" aka the best toddler water product ever made (by Puddle Jumpers, in case you care)

Lake, Part 1

2010-05-31T16:38:00.001-05:00

We've been to the lake a couple of times this summer: once about mid-May and once over Memorial Day weekend. It's already Will's favorite place in the world. Each time we leave the lake, he immediately asks when we're coming back. He loves being in the water, swimming with his "muscles" on, throwing rocks in the lake, or just general lazing about. The water was a bit chilly the first time we went, but that didn't bother Will in the least. He kept telling everyone else, "You'll get used to it! You'll get used to it!"

Julia is developing a love for the lake as well. She wasn't too keen on swimming the first time we went (i.e., she was attached to me like a barnacle), but by the second time, she was much more interested in "swimming" around while shouting "kick, kick, kick!" She's also fascinated with throwing things in the lake, but of course, what child isn't?

At the lake, messes are somehow easier to deal with, so we do a lot of non-water activities, too, like painting, bubbles, play-doh, and eating watermelon on the dock. We also love to pull out the baby pool, which we could of course do at home, but like everything else--it's just more fun at the lake! Here are some pics of our recent visits:

Blowing Bubbles

Throwing Rocks

Safety first!

Summertime Treat

Girlie Thursdays: Phrase-ology

2010-05-27T15:38:00.001-05:00

Julia has started talking so much more in the last few weeks, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy this stage. I love to watch her figuring things out, putting concepts together, and really starting to communicate--in her own ways. I love how her speech at this point is a mixed bag of words I understand and "words" that are just babble...but it all makes perfect sense to her.

Recently Julia has been making more phrases, and it's so funny what she's picked up on. When she sees me get out of the shower or notices that my hair is wet (or when we run through the rain), she always notes "All wet, Mama! All wet!" Zach has been traveling a good bit lately, so now anytime I ask Julia where Daddy is, she replies with "Dada trip" (except she misses her 'r' so it comes out as 'tip'). She loves to tell anyone, anywhere 'no'--she's always looking for someone to boss around. Will is a favorite target; I often hear her saying "No-NO Wah-wah!" She's also figured out that the boy across the street is younger than her (by a mere six months), and is on him like white on rice anytime we see him: "No, no, no, Whit!"

She's also beginning to figure out the possessive and loves to point out what belongs to whom: "Wah-wah cup," "Ju-ju milk," or "Mama shoe." Of course, like any toddler, she frequently just resorts to "MY snack!" or a screeched "MIIIIIIIIIIINE!" She has learned to be somewhat polite, though, and if I ask the kids to share, she'll tell Will, "My turn!" or "Ju-ju's turn!" Of course, if he doesn't respond quickly enough, she just tries to snatch whatever it is she was waiting on.

One of my favorite phrases that I hear A LOT from Julia is "Mama, POP!" Which means, 'stop'. If I attempt to dance or sing, she quickly chimes in with that refrain, "Mama, POP! Pop, Mama!" I love it that she's not even two, and already, I'm embarrassing her! I imagine this will continue for many more years.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-05-26T13:17:00.002-05:00

This weekend, a storm blew over this little set of cactus plants that Will was working on. He seemed a bit disappointed, so I tried to make it up to him by letting him know that we could get some new pots and plant something new. I told him, "Maybe we'll even get some seeds and grow our own vegetables!"

Will thought about this for a minute and concluded, "I don't want to grow vegetables...I want to grow hamburgers!"

I like the way he thinks.

Girlie Thursdays

2010-05-20T13:11:00.001-05:00

Julia's learned a new trick: "Excuse Me". Except, the way that she says it, it sounds more like, "Muse Me!" And she says it in this tiny little voice. And it's the cutest thing ever. One part that's not so cute is the fact that she's taken to fake burping, just so she will have the opportunity to say "Muse Me!" She also loves to correct everyone else...if she hears a burp, she's quick to say "Muse Me Wah-wah" (Excuse me, Will) as a gentle reminder of manners. She's so helpful!

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-05-19T20:00:00.002-05:00

While getting ready for school one day:
Will saw Zach without his shirt on and just had to comment: "Daddy! You are so furry! You are like a bear you are so furry. You even have hair in your armpits!" Will found this whole thing to be absolutely hilarious. I don't know why he hasn't commented on this before, because he's seen Zach without a shirt plenty of times. The funny thing is, Zach isn't even very hairy!
**************************************

While driving home from school one day:
"Mama, your car doesn't go as fast as Daddy's."
"Yes, Will, it can go as fast as Daddy's, I'm just not driving it as fast."
"That's cuz YOU know the rules, Mama."

Girlie Thursdays: She Did It!

2010-05-13T19:42:00.000-05:00

Remember this post? Well, I certainly haven't been pushing the potty training thing, but rather just trying to be aware if Julia's interested. Many nights before or after bath she wants to sit on the potty, but then she gets up, having done nothing. Tonight was different...

She wanted to sit on the potty before bath, but then quickly got up and got into the bath. When her bath was almost over, though, she started insistently saying "Tee-tee! Tee-tee!" So, I got her out and put her back on the potty...a couple of minutes later, she gets up nonchalantly, like she always does...except this time, she had actually peed in the potty! I couldn't believe it--I got so excited trying to praise her that I scared her instead. But, after she got over being scared, she seemed proud of what she had done. Will was very cute, too, encouraging her and saying "Good job, Julia!"

Again, I have no real expectations that this will lead to anything in the near future--she probably won't do it again for months. And since "they're not allowed to potty train" in the class that Julia's currently in (don't ask--I don't know what that's about), I'm not really going to push it. But, it certainly would be nice if potty training happened sooner rather than later. I wouldn't know what to do with myself with no one in diapers. Guess we'd have to have a third baby, huh, Zach?

Wednesday Will-isms: Infinity

2010-05-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

We have this crazy kids CD by They Might Be Giants. The songs are really creative, but a little on the weird side, and they're all about numbers. Will's new favorite is a song about infinity. Now, whoever thought it was a good idea to put a song about infinity on a kids CD needs to come to my house where they will be promptly buried in questions:

Will: "Are there more sidewalk squares than infinity?"
Me: "No, Will...infinity is the biggest number ever. Nothing is bigger than infinity."
Will: "Is that branch bigger than infinity? What about that tree? (Continues for a really long time asking whether different items are bigger than infinity. I attempt to be patient and continue to tell him that no, our house is not bigger than infinity.)
Will: "All the way up to heaven is bigger than infinity."
Me: "Well, okay. 'All the way up to heaven' might be the definition of infinity."
Will: "So, how can I get to infinity? Can you use a ladder? A rope?"

I guess I can't really blame him that he hasn't mastered this philosophical concept yet. After all, he's only three. But when he turns four, I'm not cutting him any more slack.

Eight Years

2010-05-11T10:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary to me and Zach today! When we were awakened at 5:30 this morning by cries of "MaaaaMA! Dada! Dada!" from Julia's crib, I turned to Zach and asked, "Eight years ago, is this what you thought you were getting into?" He laughed, but now that I think about it, he didn't answer the question.

I kid, of course. We are so blessed to have the life we have and the kids we have. I love those baby picture frames that have a place for a picture of your baby, then the quote, "All because two people fell in love." It's so true...everything we have, these beautiful kids, the life we lead today is all because we fell in love over a decade ago. I can't believe it's been that long. I can't believe how far we've come. I can't wait to see what's coming next.

(Here's where I would put a picture of me and Zach if I actually had a recent one of the two of us.)

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T21:44:00.005-05:00

One of my friends lost her mom to breast cancer this week, the Tuesday before Mother's Day. While she has handled this sad event with extreme grace, faith, and strength, it makes me hyperventilate a little each time I think about it. I can't bear the thought of not having my mom around to call for advice or to come over for a little visit, just when things are getting crazy. I am so sad for my friend, but her mother's passing has made me realize that I should never take my mom (or anyone, really) for granted. So, today, I want my mom to know how much we appreciate her. How much we all love the time she wants to spend with us, even when the children are maniacs. How special it is that she chooses to spend her limited free time with us and the children. I love that she knows the kids' routine just as well as Zach and I do. I love that she knows what books the children like, what their favorite foods are, and what Will is learning about in school. Of course, much of this is proximity--we are lucky to have my parents only five minutes away. But, much of it is dedication and love on her part. We are so thankful for that.

I am also thankful for a wonderful mother-in-law who did a fabulous job raising her son. Although she's farther away, we always know that she loves us and wishes she could see us more. From the packages she sends to the gruelling ten hour car trips to come visit, it is clear that Carol loves these children more than life itself. So, on Mother's Day, I am thankful for two wonderful mothers in my life who are teaching me how to be a good mother and who are showing me that the most important ingredient is love. If you have love, everything else falls into place.

We had a wonderful day celebrating. Zach and the children gave me an iPhone (!) and some beautiful flowers. We went to my parents' house to have lunch together. Julia took a nap with no fussing. We played in the yard in the afternoon. It was a great day. The only thing that could have been improved was the Mother's Day picture. I was determined to get a picture with both of the kids, but as usual, that wasn't their idea of a good time. Here's the best one that we got. I think it will do just fine.

Twenty Months!

2010-05-08T19:45:00.001-05:00

Julia is twenty months today. I can't believe she'll be two in just a few short months. I also can't believe that when Will was this age, I was six months pregnant. What was I thinking? Luckily, it was all worth it since we got Julia out of that deal. To mark twenty months, here's a couple of pictures taken recently by Catherine Mayo. Ju-ju has been difficult to photograph lately (understatement), so I'm glad we had these taken last week.

Girlie Thursdays: Vocabulary

2010-05-06T20:44:00.002-05:00

It seems that Julia's vocabulary is increasing every day. She's learning new words all the time...Will is constantly saying, "She said 'app-pull'! I didn't know she could say 'apple'!" Even he seems proud, amazed, and aware at how much more she's talking lately. She's also started to put more words together, like "Daddy bye-bye" or "Ju-ju milk" (she calls herself Ju-ju and it is adorable). Some of my favorites are "Ahdonknow" ('I don't know'...said as one word and with a little shrug) and "All gone!". Of course, we're still having to do a lot of translating and a lot of guessing on many of the words, but I love to hear her babble and try to express herself. Things are getting much easier as she can ask for the things she wants, although she does get frustrated when we can't understand her requests. Luckily, many are very straightforward, like tonight at dinner, when we asked her if she wanted anything else. She happily replied with "Cheese!"

Some of the new words I've noticed in the past few weeks include car, airplane, truck, tree, watch, cookie, cheese, teeth, bath, juice. The one phrase I can't wait to hear..."Love you". I hope it's coming soon!

Wednesday Will-isms: Loey

2010-05-05T15:00:00.001-05:00

"Mama, Mama! Guess what? I found a ladybug on our porch. I've been playing with him. I named him Loey." (Rhymes with Joey...not sure on the spelling. I also love that the ladybug is a 'him', per Will.)

A few hours later...
"Mama! Loey is still there. I'm going to hold him. See? See? Come look, Mama! See the way he crawls on my hand?"
"Will, I don't know that ladybugs really like to be held too much. It might scare him. Don't hurt him."
"Loey likes to be held, Mama. I'm not hurting him. I love him."

Later that night, Will checks on Loey and then gently leaves him on the table on the porch.

The next day, on the way to school...
"Will, this week you're talking about pets at school. Do many of your friends have pets, like dogs and cats?"
"Yes, some people have dogs and cats. Luke A. has a dog named Bosco."
"Oh really? Do you think you would ever want a pet?"
"Mama! I have a pet!"
"You do?"
"Yes...Loey!"

That night, Will discovers that Loey no longer resides on our porch.
"Mama, Loey is gone. Why do you think he left?" (said VERY sadly)
"Well, baby, I think he just went on a different adventure. Maybe he went to find some other ladybugs."
"Do you think Loey left because I held him too much? Do you think he didn't want to be held and he got scared?"
"Oh no, baby! You didn't do anything wrong. Ladybugs just like to fly, so I think Loey just flew away somewhere else."
"I miss Loey. I want him to come back."

The next day...
"Mama, I prayed to God that Loey would come back. I prayed to God about him, Mama."

That was several days ago, and we haven't heard anything about Loey since. It was an intense, but short-lived love affair. Poor kid needs a real pet. (Not that I'm offering.)

Word of the Weekend

2010-05-03T14:47:00.003-05:00

W is for weekend. And W is for whiny. Coincidence? I think not.

The word of the weekend was whiny, for everyone at our house. The days were overcast, and we kept thinking it was going to rain. This meant lots of inside play and not enough energy being expended. And, I don't know about your children, but my children are only occupied by an activity for about 17 seconds, so we run out of fun, creative options pretty quickly. I truly don't know how stay-at-home moms keep their kids entertained (or at least pacified) all day long.

In addition, Will has basically given up his weekend naps, although he will still take a nap at school. Julia is on a kick where it takes her two hours of talking, whining, screaming, crying, etc before she falls asleep for her naps (I am not exaggerating, and nothing we do seems to help this process along). So, this means we spend at least 4 hours a day in the house trying to get her to nap, and then waiting while she takes a nap...it is not.an.option. for her to skip her nap.

We did have a family from Will's class over Friday night, which was a lot of fun. And Saturday night was our standard "order food and catch up on TiVo night," which I always need and enjoy. But otherwise, it was just a 'blah' weekend...both inside and outside the house. Since we have so little time to spend with the kiddos, I hate when it's not enjoyable. I really tried to focus on the little things that were fun or sweet, but for much of the time, the whining took over my brain. It has that effect on people.

Girlie Thursdays

2010-04-29T20:09:00.001-05:00

I've got a new nickname for Julia: the Naked Bandit. Well, more accurately, the Bottomless Bandit (and that's even alliterative...bonus!). Yes, the other morning when I went into her room, Julia had taken off her pajama pants, taken off her diaper, and peed--deliberately--all over her crib. Apparently, we had ignored her for too long and she wasn't going to take it anymore! Now, before anyone suggests that she was just tired of her soaking wet overnight diaper, that is not the case. In fact, Zach had been in her room about 30 minutes prior to this event, had changed her diaper, given her some milk, and tried to get her to go back to sleep. You see, Julia has been waking up at the ungodly hour of around 5AM this week, so Zach had been (futilely) trying to get her to go back to sleep until a reasonable hour. She was quiet for a few minutes, so we thought the plan had been somewhat successful. But, actually, that's when she was stripping.

I love this baby to death, but I don't know what to do with her. She is a mess! If anyone has any advice on how to put an end to the 5AM wake-up calls or, more importantly, the crib strip routine, please leave a comment and enlighten me.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-04-28T13:37:00.000-05:00

Will had lots of comments this week. Then again, he always has lots of comments because he does not stop talking. Ever. Anyway, here are a few of my favorites:

Will on...nicknames:
Me, to Julia: "Come here bud, let's put on your shoes."
Will: "Mama! I am bud. She is sweetie."

Me, to Julia another time: "Julia, you look cool with your sunglasses on!"
Will: "Mama, she does not look 'cool'. She looks pretty."
**********************************************

Will on...religion:
"Mama, does God have a body?"
"Does Jesus have a body?"
"When I go to heaven, will I have a body? Will I ever get hurt in heaven?"
(All of the above accompanied by my feeble attempts at answers.)
**********************************************

Prayers by Will:
"Dear God, when I grow up, please make me a red Power Ranger so that I can fight the bad guys. Please, God. Amen."

"Dear God, please don't let Daddy pass us because I want to be first and it's not safe to pass. Amen." (Said in the car when we were leaving for school one day and Zach was in his car.)

Girlie Thursdays: First Haircut

2010-04-22T15:25:00.003-05:00

Since Julia is getting older and more interactive, I thought she should get some weekly press time on the blog. So, I'm instituting "Girlie Thursdays," where I will do a post on our little Ju-ju. I'm sure I'll be just as good about posting as I am for Wednesday Will-isms, which is to say, not good at all. But, we'll see how it goes.

To start off, this week's post is about Julia's first haircut! Her hair had been getting a little mullet-esque and was kind of stringy and wild. So, even though I eventually want it to grow, I thought it was time for a trim. On Sunday, we took both of the kids to one of those walk-in haircut places, since I have no idea where one should go to get a little girl's hair cut. But, it turned out fine! It actually turned out great! Will went first and did a great job being very still and patient. Each time he gets his hair cut, I feel like he looks more and more like a big boy (combined with the fact that he gets taller and skinnier every day!) Then it was Julia's turn, and I prepared myself for disaster. The (male) stylist cutting their hair didn't seem too warm and fuzzy or very good with kids, so I had visions of tantrums and chunks of hair on the floor, but we persevered. Apparently, I neglected to factor in the power of the sucker. The sucker was key--she ate it happily and didn't pay too much attention to the strange man with scissors near her head. And just like that, it was over, and she had an adorable new bob! I knew that she shape was much better, but I couldn't believe the difference it made to her "look," and I couldn't believe how many of the teachers at school commented it on it (positively). So sweet! Here are some pics of the big event. I don't have a good "after" shot yet because Julia doesn't cooperate with the picture taking these days. Hopefully, I'll get one soon so you can see the adorableness in action.

As a side note to this post, Julia has become very interested in her hair, in general. She often requests a "air-bow" and if she sees her barrettes, she wants to wear those, too. She is not dissuaded if she already has a barrette or bow in her hair, she's fine with wearing multiple at once. It's part the look she's developing. I'm sure it will be all the rage soon.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-04-21T09:47:00.000-05:00

Will on...poop.

Zach: "Will, you have to poop again? Does your tummy hurt?"

Will (exasperated, as usual): "Daddy, that's how it works. You eat food and it goes down your throat and into your body and then it comes out as poop. I just ate a cookie, so now I have to poop. See? That's how it works."

Not Quite Yet

2010-04-19T20:11:00.001-05:00

Julia has been showing signs that she is getting interested in being potty trained: She tells us (with relatively good accuracy) when she needs her diaper changed. And, she's very interested in the actual potty, so I thought I would try to encourage that. Of course, she was scared when I tried to let her sit on the big potty...probably because she felt like she was going to fall in. I'd be scared too! As an alternative, we got the little potty out of the attic tonight.

The little potty went over really well...Julia thought it was a perfect spot to store her ducks from the bathtub. She liked opening and closing the lid. And then she stood up and peed on the floor...right next to the potty.

Nope, not ready yet.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-04-14T13:54:00.002-05:00

"What are you doing, Will?"
"I was just coming in to say good night to Julia. But right now, I'm not saying good night. I'm being wild."
*************************************************

"Mama, I like your shoes! Are those Sketchers?"

Um...what? How in the world does he know what Sketchers are?!

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

2010-04-10T14:07:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I was trying to get Will to take a nap while we were at Hulie and Bubs' house for Easter. Often I think that if I could just get him to lie still and close his eyes, he would probably fall asleep. So, I was telling him to close his eyes and think of some of his favorite things, like Christmas.

"No, Mama, I'm not going to think about Christmas. I'm going to think about monsters! And, well, Christmas too. And when I come to Hulie and Bubs' house to spend the night. And when Coco and Pop Pop come to our house. Those are the things I'm going to think about."

I love the window into his thoughts on his favorite things!
*********************************************

On a similar note, I've been meaning to post about Will's bedfellows. He went through a phase where he slept with random toys, like a matchbox firetruck and a hard plastic turtle. Somehow we have gotten past that, but there are now seven (at last count) specific animals that sleep with him each night, and they must be lined up in their correct positions, and the covers must "cover their necks." We've got some pretty strict guidelines around here. It seems that I never get the animals in their right spots, but the other night, I did for once, and Will was so excited. "MAMA! You did it! You got the animals right! Yay, Mama!" So, in case you're ever at our house and need an animal guide, this is the way I believe they are supposed to be laid out (from left to right if you're looking at the bed): Mousey, Tucker (aka black dog), Giraffe, Will on random Rudolph pillow and snuggling with Super Monkey, Super Giraffe, Dinosaur, and Gorilla. Take notes. There will be a test on this later.

So Pitiful

2010-04-08T20:23:00.001-05:00

As I was putting Will to bed tonight, I told him that we were going to friend's third birthday party tomorrow.
"Mama, when am I going to be four?"
"On August 30th, Will. That's not too far."
"It's taking TOO LONG to get here." (sniff, sniff)
"What's wrong with being three?"
"Being three is too little. I don't want to be three anymore. I want to be four. When am I going to be four?? I really want to be four, Mama."

My only guess is that, since most of his friends in his class are already four, he's getting teased for still being three. I hadn't realized this was an issue (and who knows--it may never come up again). Poor thing. I guess this speaks to why it's best to not be the youngest in the class.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

First of all, let me say how impressed I am with everyone on blogs, Facebook, etc. who already have all of their Easter pictures up. I didn't even GET any good Easter pictures, much less would I have had them off the camera and onto the Interwebs within a day of the holiday. (My dad may have some reasonably cute ones that I can share at some point.) The children are at a point where getting good pictures of them is futile--and I'm not talking about achieving a perfect family photo; even pictures of each of them alone are difficult. Julia is too busy and doesn't stop long enough for you to snap a picture; she also seems wary of the camera most of the time. Will can take good pictures--if it suits his mood. On Sunday, he was just more interested in being silly.

Oh well. Despite the lack of photos, we had a nice Easter weekend, with the exception of the sickness that felled Mama on Saturday and Daddy on Sunday. Melanie and Bob were in town all last week (until Friday morning), which was such a nice treat. I took the day off on Thursday so that Mel and I could have some sister time. Friday, the kids were off of school and Zach was mostly off of work. Will had swimming lessons, we met some friends for a somewhat disasterous playdate (Will threw up when we got there--hopefully just from too much pool water--Julia was in full force, was not good at sharing, and got reealllly jealous when I held my friend's new baby), then the kids got Wendy's for dinner as a special treat before Mama and Daddy went out with friends. Will's comment about Wendy's: "Wendy's isn't healthy food, Mama....but I LIKE it!!"

Saturday was a bit of a bummer with the rain and the sickness, but it was partially redeemed by a marathon snuggle session with Will while we watched Alvin and the Chipmunks. Yes, I will watch Alvin and the Chipmunks if it involves snuggling with my favorite boy.

And then came Sunday! For once, we had glorious weather for Easter...it was almost hot. And, bonus was that the kids didn't have to freeze in their (completely adorable) Easter outfits. In case I never get any pictures up (highly likely), Julia wore a pink bishop with ecru smocking and ecru lace. Will wore white pincord shorts and button-in-the-back shirt, with his monogram in ecru. And, he even wanted to wear the knee socks--I wasn't going to press it, but he CHOSE to wear them like that. The children were thrilled with their Easter baskets and the one Easter present that we had gotten each of them (what can I say...I was tired of the Easter bunny getting all the credit, especially for something as cool as a Batman motorcycle with a sidecar.) When Will saw a bunny Pez dispenser in his Easter basket, he exclaimed, "How did the Easter bunny know that this was the only thing I wanted?!" They also hunted eggs--both inside and out--but only plastic ones filled with candy and money. We never got around to dying eggs, which is probably for the best for everyone involved. We discovered that Julia really likes--no, I mean REALLY likes--candy in general, but specifically jelly beans. She caught on very quickly about opening the plastic eggs to see what was inside. If she found jelly beans, she would try to shove as many as she could into her mouth before we noticed and stopped her.

Despite the massive candy intake and a few "issues" about getting dressed, we actually made it to church on time. Julia, as usual, screamed her head off when Zach left her in the nursery. I made Zach take her because I knew there was a good chance I would chicken out if I had to leave her there. And Will...I am so proud of Will. He didn't want to go to the nursery, but instead wanted to come to church with us. I was skeptical, but he made it almost all the way through the service and was SO GOOD. He made it through the sermon, and then he and Zach headed out when the last anthem began. I felt we were pushing our luck to ask him to be quiet through the prayers of the people. But, I was amazed. He's even starting to get the idea of the meaning of Easter...well, sort of. In order to try to put it in language he could understand, I told him that bad guys killed Jesus and then a few days later, God brought him back to life. I explained that this is called resurrection and it's why we celebrate Easter. Later, I hear him telling Hulie, "...and then Jesus came back to life and it was magic!"

Well, close enough. Easter is magic in a way, and we had a great day celebrating. We enjoyed lunch at my parents' house after church, naps for some, and then a nice trip to the Botanical Gardens. Of course, I feel like I've been behind on life ever since the weekend, but I think it was worth it.

Overheard

2010-03-25T09:25:00.001-06:00

This weekend, Will's friend, Charlie, came over to play for a little while. I was in the kitchen, but I could hear them playing in the other room, and I could hear Will trying to tell Charlie how to do everything. So, I called to Will and told him not to be so bossy. He basically ignored me, and they kept playing, with Will still directing the play. Here's what I overheard:

Charlie: Your mama said not to be so bossy.
Will: I'm not being bossy!
Charlie: Yes you are.
Will: What does bossy mean?
Charlie: I don't know.
Will: I don't know either.
Charlie: OK!

And then they continue playing without a care in the world. I guess Mama needs to mind her own business. Clearly they've got this all taken care of.

Eighteen Months!

2010-03-23T19:53:00.001-06:00

Julia turned eighteen months a couple of weeks ago. That's right...eighteen months! How did we get here? If anyone tries to call Julia a baby these days, Will quickly corrects them and says, "No, she's a toddler!" And, he's right! She is in full-force toddler mode. She knows what she wants, but can't express it. Or, she doesn't know what she wants, and this makes her mad. And, her teeth are STILL working to come in. All of these combine to create a force of nature; I think she must be very advanced, as she seems to be hitting the "terrible twos" a bit early! For example, on Sunday afternoon when she was supposed to be napping, Julia was screaming her head off instead. And when no one came to her rescue quickly enough, she took off her pants and her (dirty) diaper, and threw them both on the floor. Luckily, it was easily cleaned up, she went to sleep after that incident, and Will thought it was the best story ever.

In general, she just has this look about her that lets you know she's trouble. She still throws her food and is very particular about what she will and won't eat. She's learned how to say "no" to accompany the vigorous head shaking--as if that wasn't clear enough. On certain occasions, if she doesn't like what you've picked out for her to wear, she will actually try to take it off (all while screaming "no, no, no!"), while you're trying to force it over her head. I thought we had a bit more time before she had an opinion on what to wear! She's also still in a bit of a hitting phase, although it seems that she often hits in order to be able to offer a hug afterwards. We've tried to explain that the hitting isn't a prerequisite, but she insists. When we put her in time out, she just gets up. If we speak sharply to her, she burst into tears, as if we have just slapped her across the face. In short, she's got us wrapped around her finger--and SHE KNOWS IT.

But, just as she offers some of our greatest frustrations right now, she also offers some of our greatest joys. Like when I pick her up to give her a hug, and she rubs or pats my back. Like the way she blows kisses, or wants to give each person in the family a kiss--on the arm, of all places. Or how she knows which books she likes, and requests "Moon" each night. And the way she's starting learning some of her friends' names from school--and will "tell" us about them when she gets home. The little smile that lights up a room. The big personality in an eighteen-month body. She is so precious--frustrations and all. As much as I lament this stage, I will be sad when it is over. When she's too busy for me to hold her. When she no longer requests to "rock" each night. Many days it's hard to savor each moment, but I'm doing my best. I know they'll be gone too fast.

Super hero of all things pink

Conversations With Will

2010-03-06T08:03:00.007-06:00

I missed Wednesday Will-isms this week, and thank goodness I did, because the conversations we had on Friday turned out to be some of Will's finest:

Yesterday morning Will climbed in bed with me to snuggle and watch TV. At some point, he noted, "Mama, sometimes when I sit down, my pull-up (he still wears one to bed) or my jammies get caught up in my bottom and I have to pull them out."

Me: "Yes, Will, that's called a wedgie."

Around here, we like to start our mornings with a new vocabulary word. That's my parenting tip of the week. You can thank me later.
***********************************************

Friday afternoon, coming home from school:
W: "Today Ms. Lizzie came on the playground with us."
Me: "Oh, that's nice, do you like Ms. Lizzie?"
W: "Yes. She's brown like Ms. Katherine."
Me: (trying to figure out what to say here) "Well, yes, um...people come in all colors, shapes, and sizes, don't they?"
W: "Yes. Like how Hayden's head is funny-looking."
Me: (trying not to laugh at this point) "Will! It's not nice to call people funny-looking."
W: "Oh, Mama. It's okay, I wasn't talking to anyone, I was just talking to myself."
Me: "Well, I heard you say he was funny-looking."
W: "Yes, but Mama, I was just talking to myself."

I love how matter-of-fact he is about things and the innocence that children have. Will has no idea that it might be offensive to call someone "brown"; he just notes that information like he would note if someone had blonde hair. I hope that as he grows up, he'll continue to not care what color people are. Of course, I also hope that he'll learn not to call people funny-looking...we'll keep working on that one.

I Don't Want to Forget

2010-03-04T13:56:00.000-06:00

I did a few of these posts when Will was much younger, but I haven't done one in a long time. So, here are a few things I don't want to forget about this phase:

How the first thing that Julia asks for in the morning and the last thing that she asks about at night is "Wuh-wuh?" (Will)
The way Will thinks that "looking at his toes" is a fun activity. He will seriously spend 15 minutes or more just studying--and cleaning--his toes. Gross, but funny.
The little shrug that Julia gives to say "I don't know".
The way Julia toddles to the laundry basket --either naked or just in her diaper--each night before her bath, opens up the basket, drops in her dirty clothes, closes the basket, and looks completely satisfied with herself. It's adorable.
How Will knows to say 'thank-you' for abstract things and will do so out of the blue. "Thank you, Mama, for signing me up to go to computer class." "Thank you for making me this supper." "Thank you for finding my glove."
How, even though Will's pronounciation is mostly excellent, he still says "calapitter" for "caterpillar."
The way Julia likes me best right now. This is not an opinion--it is fact. And, I'll admit that it is sometimes annoying when she wants me to hold her when I'm trying to get ready, eat, do laundry, etc. But, I felt I should document her love for me so I can be reminded of it during the teenage years.
The way Will often exclaims, "Down goes Frazier!" when Julia falls down. (If you don't know this reference, you'll have to Google it. Will first learned it when my dad said it when a waterskier they were watching fell at the lake.)
How Julia loves any kind of shoes and socks and enjoys taking them on and off. She really loves wearing Will's tennis shoes around the house, but she also puts on mine and Zach's and attempts to walk in those. And, as soon as she wakes up in the morning, she wants to put on her socks and shoes. I should really let her sleep in them, but that ends up causing more problems when she decides to take them off and throw them (and then cry that she doesn't have them anymore).
The fact that Will calls everything bagels "all bagels."
The way Julia has an opinion about everything--from what she will eat to what books she will read--and, despite a limited vocabulary, manages to make that opinion known. It's frustrating at times, but I love that she knows what she wants. (Luckily, she isn't fighting me on what to wear...at least not yet.)
The love that Will and Julia have for each other. Never mind the hitting, the screaming, the fighting--at the end of the day, they love each other and are (mostly) sweet. The teachers at school say that they both light up if they get to see each other during the day. Melts my heart...and I don't want to forget.

Miss Priss

2010-02-25T09:53:00.000-06:00

In case anyone was about to accuse me of only posting positive things on my blog, here's this: Julia is driving me crazy! I mean, look at that face...she is TROUBLE, with a capital T. She's in a big hitting phase, one I thought was getting better, but then it reared its ugly head again this morning. I don't mean that she hits Will when they're fighting over a toy, or she's frustrated and can't express herself. That, I could at least understand. But, sometimes, Will will be across the room, minding his own business, and Julia will get up from whatever she's doing (seemingly out of the blue) and walk over to him just to hit him. Really? That is just not okay.

Then, there's the food throwing. Someone is very particular about what she will eat and how much. And, I guess because she doesn't have words to say "all finished," she just throws whatever is on her tray when she's had enough. Or if she's mad. Or if it's not what she wants. Or if you haven't given her her milk fast enough. If you show her food that she doesn't want, she shakes her head vehemently. This pattern continues until you offer the thing that she DOES want (which changes every meal), at which point she will smile and nod her head. Of course, I'm the dummy who keeps giving her these choices, but see the food throwing issue described previously. I really don't know how to get her to eat AND quit this nonsense. I think it's mostly an age thing, because we've tried all tactics we can think of to stop the madness.

Of course, most of the time she is sweet. And she's learning so many new things each day and developing her little personality (stubborn, independent, strong-willed, from what I can tell). We're not going to sell her to the gypsies just yet, but toddlers are supremely frustrating. Good thing she's cute!

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-02-24T08:31:00.002-06:00

The other night Will and Julia were taking a bath together, and Will was sitting in the front, next to the running water. My younger sister has vivid memories (which she has shared with me many times) of me always getting to sit in the front of the bathtub and always "hogging" the hot water. As an attempt to prevent Julia from being scarred for life like Melanie apparently was, I told Will that he and Julia were going to have to switch out. He could sit in the front for a while, then it would be Julia's turn. (As a side note, Julia LOVES sitting in the front because she loves to drink the water out of the tap...lapping it up like a little dog!)

I asked Will several times to switch with Julia, and he just wasn't listening. Finally, I moved him to the back of the bathtub. This greatly upset him, and he let me know why: "Sitting in the back hurts my feeeeeelings!"

Ah yes, the hurt feelings argument. Maybe we need to turn down the psycho-babble a bit over here at our house.
******************************************************

Will's class has been learning about "community helpers" this month--doctors, teachers, firefighters, police, etc. On Friday, they have a chance to dress up as their favorite community helper for school. (Another side note--this is a completely annoying assignment because who really has a full police outfit for their child? And of course, my child won't tolerate just a police hat or accessories because he tells me that that's not what real policemen wear. SIGH.)

Anyway, I was asking Will what community helper he wanted to be--thinking that I best get to work creating a costume--and he first said he wanted to be a firefighter.

"Oh, that will be great, Will. You can wear a red shirt and your firefighter hat. That will be perfect."
"Hmm...no. I think I want to be a knight!"
"A knight? Have you talked about knights at school as part of community helpers?"
"Well, knights save people. That's HELPING."

As usual, I couldn't argue with him.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-02-17T20:30:00.001-06:00

Will has been learning about the days of the week at school. He knows some of the names, but definitely can't associate the names with actual days or keep track of time at all.

Each morning, Will asks me if we're going to school that day. On Saturday, I told him, "No, today is a day we stay home with our family. Do you remember what that day of the week is called?"

"Um, Home-day?"
**********************************************************

The other night, Will and Julia stayed at Hulie and Bubs' house overnight. Apparently, Will had a tough time going to sleep and kept coming downstairs to talk to Hulie. Finally, she told him something along the lines of "you need to get sleep so that you can grow up and be big and strong" so that he would hopefully go to bed.

Will's reply? "Hulie, sometimes I don't want to eat good food and get lots of sleep and do stuff to make me get big. Because when I get big, I have to grow up and not live with my Mama and Daddy anymore. And I don't want to not live with my parents so I don't want to get big."

Do You Speak Julia?

2010-02-09T10:47:00.001-06:00

Julia is rapidly increasing her vocabulary. Some things, like Mama and Dada, are easy to understand and identify. But, there are certain "words" that she has that might be tough for the average person to comprehend. So, I present the Julia dictionary:

Rock = Chair (as in rocking chair), rocking horse, or "hold me in your arms and sway"

Bock = Sock, shoe, chicken (as in the sound a chicken makes)--either a picture of a chicken or a piece of chicken that you eat, or toe. You really have to use your context clues on this one.

Night-night = Blanket or "I want to go to bed"

Yak-yak = Telephone or "I want to talk on the phone" (I find this one hilarious.)

Dee-Dee = Baby

Wuh-wuh = Will

Ma-at = Cat (I think it's a combo of 'meow' and 'cat')

Ooh-OOH = Dog (as in the sound of a dog barking)

Bu-uh? = Book or sometimes belly button

Bubbles? = Bath or "I want to wash my hands"

Nack = Snack or ANY food item

Miiilll = Milk or ANY drink

Ooh! (while pointing to diaper) = I need a diaper change

Uh-UH = "I want that! No, THAT. THAAAAT! Not that, THAT!! Why can't you get this???"

AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAEIEIEEEEEE = "My life is so hard. No one understands me! I never get what I want!! Why can't anyone HELP me?!?" (We hear this one a lot lately. It's usually accompanied by someone throwing herself on the ground. Typically, it's Julia. Sometimes, it's me.)

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-02-03T09:25:00.004-06:00

"Two more minutes, Will."
"Mama, if you say two more minutes and I say 'Four more minutes! or Five more minutes!' that's called pushing it."

**************************************************
The other morning Will came and got in bed with us around 5 AM. We were skeptical that any of us would get any more sleep, but he actually went right back to dreamland. Around 6:15, Julia woke up and Zach went to get her. Around 6:45, Will woke up, and seeing that it was just him and me in the bed, leaned over and whispered, "Mama, you want some more time to sleep by yourself?"

Blissfully, I got to do just that. Will bounded out of bed and went to find Daddy, and they all let me sleep for another hour!

Weekends

2010-02-01T08:29:00.001-06:00

Two weekends ago, we had a really craptastic weekend. Be very glad that I was never able to do a full post about it because it would have been whiny and self-serving. Zach returned home from a business trip with the swine flu and then was in bed all day on Saturday. It was cold and rainy all weekend (like it's been EVERY weekend, it seems). We couldn't go anywhere, couldn't see anyone. I was annoyed and angry at the whole situation, even though it wasn't that bad and wasn't about me and I really had no right to complain.

Once last weekend rolled around, I was ready to make up for it. I had a spa day on Friday (my day off), and then Zach and I had a date night at Bettola. Everything about that day was fabulous (except for the never-ending rain). Saturday morning (still raining), we packed up the whole family and met some friends at iJump, which, as their website will tell you, is the largest! indoor! family! entertainment! center! in Birmingham. iJump didn't disappoint, despite the throngs of people and undoubtedly large quantities of germs. The children loved the inflatables, the obstacle courses, the giant slide, etc. Julia had fun in the toddler room, and Will LOVED playing games in the arcade and winning tickets to be redeemed for tiny choking hazards. The best part was, it wore them out so much that they both collapsed for excellent naps when we got home. It was a good thing, too, because the fun wasn't over for day. That night, we had Allen and Kathryn and their family over for dinner. The boys played really well together, and the little girls were really cute. I told the girls that they better learn to like each other because we were pretty much going to force them to be friends.

By the time Sunday rolled around, I was exhausted from all of the fun, but it wasn't over yet. It was time for the circus! While Julia stayed with a babysitter, Zach, Will, Bubs, and I headed to the circus. We had a good time, but Will didn't seem as enthralled by it as he did last year. And we had an issue with the never-ending merchandise opportunities, but that's another story for another day. Will missed his nap for the circus, although he hasn't been napping very much on the weekends anyway. But, he was worn out, which didn't help the situation. That night, we had an early dinner with my mom at La Paz and then all went to bed as soon as we could.

I was glad we had such a fun, full weekend, but it seems we may have swung in the opposite direction. In trying to make up for the previous weekend, I packed too much into the next weekend. While it was fun, it was tiring. And, I think I forget that the children, especially, need some downtime. While it makes me stir-crazy to sit around our house, that's what they need sometimes so they can recharge after a week at school. As with everything else in my life, I'll have to work to find a balance.

Parenting Tips

2010-01-31T19:19:00.001-06:00

Parenting Tip #1: If your toddler walks off with some clean laundry, be suspicious. He or she may be going to wash it again for you...in the toilet.

Parenting Tip #2: Always keep your toilets closed.

You can see the kind of weekend we've had around here...

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-01-27T19:10:00.009-06:00

Lately, Will has been very concerned with unconditional love. Of course, he doesn't use that phrase, but he wants constant reassurance that we love him no matter what, and he wants us to know that he always loves us, too. I'm not sure where this came from...the only thing I can think of is that, one day when he was in trouble, I told him, "I love you very much, but you need to go to your room right now to calm down." I guess he was able to put together that I still loved him even when he was in trouble.

So, the other day, Will was whining or doing something he wasn't supposed to do, and Zach told him to stop.

"Daddy, do you always love me even if I'm whining."
"Yes, Will, I always love you. I just want you to stop whining."
"Do you love me even if you get angry and frustrated?"
"Yes, Will."
"Daddy, say it a lot of times so you don't forget."

If you're looking for me, I'll be picking up my heart off of the floor.

Penguin Day

2010-01-23T09:26:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I had the honor and the privilege of attending Will's school with him. It's something I've been wanting to do--to get a sense of how his day goes, what the children are like, what their rituals are. We get a sheet each day that tells us what the class did that day, and of course Will offers up some random pieces of info like, "We painted with icebergs!" but I wanted to see for myself how a day at preschool really went down. And to top it off, the day I chose to attend school was Penguin Day.

What? Your preschool doesn't have Penguin Day? Well then, you are missing out. Actually, I can't figure out why we have Penguin Day either, but they do it every year. I guess it's just something to make January more fun (and they are learning about winter, things that are cold, cold-weather animals, so I suppose it makes sense). Regardless, the kids seem to love it.

So, yesterday morning we headed out to school--all of us in our black and white (a requirement of Penguin Day)--except Julia, who wore penguin pajamas. Will was so excited, which was super sweet. All week he had been telling his friends, "My Mama is coming to school on Friday. She's going to STAY at school with me." I had to emphasize multiple times that this was a special day, that we would not be doing this every day, that I would only come to his class once in a while. He seems to get it--we'll see.

When we arrived, I got to see how a "typical" day plays out. Although, the kids did seem a little hyped up--Ms. Debbie (one of Will's teachers) explained that they get a little crazy anytime they have something special going on. So, I sat on the sidelines and watched as she did "Circle Time" and the kids learned about how penguins live in colonies, but polar bears like to live alone. She read a story about penguins, the kids got to hold stuffed penguins, and then they played a few penguin games--practicing waddling, etc. I watched in awe as she got eleven kids to (mostly) pay attention and how she practiced loving discipline with them. Watching the kids, I learned who the "troublemakers" in the class were (thankfully not Will, at least not at this moment), and who needs more attention, and who is super-sweet and quiet. Will was mostly good, and not too clingy with me; although, he did have trouble with the instruction "hold your penguin in your lap quietly," as he thought it would be more fun to make his penguin dance and flip.

After Circle Time, it was time for "Centers." This is where the children are divided up into groups, and they go to different areas of the room for specified amounts of time. Again, I was impressed with the activities the teachers provided--in one center, the children worked on a penguin worksheet helping them learn how to sequence events, and at the center where I was helping, the children worked on their letters by making the letters out of Legos. The most popular center was the "water station" where the kids got to play with arctic animals and shaving cream (for snow) in a big bucket of water. Only one person got to go at a time, and it seemed to be a big treat to get picked for that one. Then, they also had centers where they just played--blocks and home living. What fascinated me was how quickly they moved to a new center. Due to their short attention spans (I assume), Ms. Debbie had the kids switch centers every five minutes or so. Since it was only 9:00 at this point, I was really wondering how she was going to keep them entertained all day.

At 9:30, it was time for computer class. Most of the kids (Will included) have signed up to participate in computer once a week, so off we went to the Activity Room, where the computer teacher had set up several laptops. She gave a short lesson on computer terminology like keyboard, saving, and word processing, then the kids took turns playing educational games on the computer. I had no idea that Will was so adept with the mouse already! I was also surprised at how well they shared with each other--how can we get that to happen at home?!

When we got back from computer, we worked on making the penguin snack that I had brought for the class--Oreo cookies, Hershey kisses, and candy corn. Ms. Debbie told them that we were going to make the snack now, but they would eat it after nap. Again, I was surprised at how little whining there was about this. For the most part, they just accept what the teacher says without complaint, a skill we REALLY need to work on here at home. Once the snacks were ready, it was time to go outside and burn off some energy. For some reason, Will got pitiful at this point and didn't want to play. But, I loved seeing the rituals of going outside--how they all go to the bathroom, put on their coats, and line up...someone is the line leader and someone is the door holder (and it's a special honor to get to do either of those jobs). When they get back inside, they each head to the bathroom to wash their hands and then sit down in their assigned seat for lunch. Lunch was spaghetti, applesauce, and a roll (with a cookie afterwards), and Will wolfed it down and asked for more. During lunch, they're supposed to only whisper or talk quietly, and they all DID JUST THAT. After lunch, the girls go potty, then the boys, and then everyone gets on their mat for nap time. At this point, I read them a quick story, and then I left...exhausted. I could have used a nap myself, and it was only 11:45!

I was so glad I got to have this experience and plan to go back sometime in the spring or summer. I learned a lot by going to school with Will. First of all, I learned that I should take every dollar out of my savings account and give it to those teachers because their job is HARD and they are not paid even close to enough. They are all so sweet and patient, and I am very thankful for them and the role they play in my children's lives. Second, I learned that Will is capable of a lot more than I give him credit for. When we have behavior issues at home, I often brush it off as "he's just being three" and while that's true sometimes, I also think I need to expect more of him--I've seen the way he can behave at school, so I know he can do it. However, the flip side of that (and something else I learned) is that these kids are busy ALL DAY at school. They are listening and following rules and waiting their turn and just generally keeping it together. So, at the end of the day, I understand that Will just wants to veg out and watch a TV show, or that he's a bit cranky or whiny. After all, he's only three. I was worn out after only three hours at preschool--he does it all day, every day. I don't think I could hack it. Maybe next time I'll stay for the whole day and see how that goes.

McWane

2010-01-22T16:54:00.030-06:00

Last weekend, in our continual effort to expend the children's energy despite the rain and the cold, we did what the rest of Birmingham families with small children did: we went to McWane. This visit was particularly special because McWane was hosting some of Will's favorite "people"--Curious George and the Man With the Yellow Hat. The children got to meet them and have their picture taken with them, and surprisingly, Julia didn't freak out the way she did with Santa. Well, she didn't freak out as long as she got to visit with them on HER terms. If they tried to touch her or give her a high-five...forget it. She was backing away. But otherwise, she loved them and waved and waved and said, "Hi! Hi! Hi!" She even wanted to sit with them twice. Will also seemed to enjoy the visit, although he noted, "This is a big Curious George. I wanted him to be a little Curious George." So apparently he expected an actual monkey. I hate to tell him, but even McWane isn't that cool, buddy.

So, in honor of this visit, as well as the multiple other visits that we have taken (and are sure to take soon in the future), I present some pictures of the children enjoying McWane on various trips. Julia's first visit was in November, and she already seems to be right at home.

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-01-20T20:08:00.002-06:00

"Mama, when I get big I will have a brother and a sister and we'll be a whole family."

"OH really? You don't have a brother now. How do you think you will get a brother when you get big?"

(Looks at me with his "DUH" face): "Well, God will make him!"

Hmm...okay. We'll have to see about that. (And no, this is not me telling you that I'm pregnant. Not even CLOSE.)

Tubes!

2010-01-19T16:16:00.004-06:00

Julia got tubes on Friday, and all is well! She had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia--screaming, crying, fits of rage, and then some throw up--but after about an hour, she was fine. The nurse told us that she would "probably be a bit sleepy all day," but apparently someone forgot to tell Julia that. She was ready to play and barely even wanted to nap.

The doctor told us that her ears were full of gunk (my words, not his), so I feel like we made the right decision. Hopefully we can kiss ear infections goodbye!

A Week in Rhyme

2010-01-08T06:21:00.004-06:00

A glimpse into our last week:

I've started a diet--there's nothing to eat!
I'd really like wine or a nice chocolate treat.

Will got a black eye on Julia's high chair,
And we can't even cover it up with his hair.

My Mom got real sick and then took a fall.
Now her broken arm will hurt us all.

I've been working 'til ten several nights in a row,
Then the kids had a snow day on the THREAT of some snow.

Zach's been doing double duty: at work and around here.
My sweet, sweet husband--he's really such a dear.

Little Juju took a trip to the ole ENT;
Tubes are the answer, from what he could see.

Gross! Yuck! What is that smell?
A dead 'possum in the vent--oh HOLY HELL.

Alabama v. Texas--championship's on the line.
Too bad I was asleep at a little past nine.

I thought things would calm down once we reached Jan-u-ary.
But so far twenty-ten has been rather hairy!

Wednesday Will-isms

2010-01-06T19:42:00.002-06:00

Last week, Will saw me working out to an exercise DVD and had lots of questions:

"Mama! Why are those ladies wearing wee-kinis?"
"It's bikini, Will. I guess they're wearing them because that's what they like to wear to exercise."

Will thinks about this and watches me exercise.

"Mama, why aren't YOU wearing a wee-kini?" (I resist the urge to tell him, "Because of you and your sister!")
**************************************************

The next day, Will sees me doing the DVD again.

"That lady is here AGAIN?"

He's Got My Back

2009-12-31T13:45:00.001-06:00

The other day, my mom asked Will if he wanted to help her make some cupcakes for my birthday.

Will: "NO!"
Hulie: "No? Why not? I thought you would think that was fun."
Will: "My mama needs a REAL cake. My mama needs a big cake for her birthday!"

Nice to know he's looking out for me!

A Decade in Review

2009-12-30T15:38:00.004-06:00

With 2009 and the "aughts" coming to a close, I thought I'd review what the last decade has been like for the Mathers. We've been very fortunate that we've had a lot of "highs" with not too many "lows". Hopefully the "tens" (is that what we will call this decade?) will bring more of the same!

January 1, 2000: We ring in the New Year at the lake with Molly and Parrish. We had hunkered down there in preparation for Y2K.

May 2000: We graduate from UVA. Kate heads to Birmingham for the summer, while Zach stays in Charlottesville.

Summer 2000: After a trip to Europe with her family, Kate dislocates her shoulder while sneezing and then has surgery.

August 2000: Zach moves to the DC area to start a new job with WorldCom. Kate follows in September (still in a sling from the surgery), and starts work as a consultant with AMS.

July 2001: Zach proposes on the Lawn in Charlottesville. Surprisingly, Kate says YES! Wedding planning ensues.

February 2002: Kate and Zach buy their first "house"...a townhome in a development called Penderbrook in Fairfax, Virginia.

May 11, 2002: A wonderful wedding followed by a fabulous honeymoon to Little Dix Bay.

June 2002: Zach gets laid off from his job at WorldCom as WorldCom goes into a downward spiral. Luckily, the severance is good. Zach is very motivated and throws himself into his job search and painting the entire interior of the new townhouse.

September 2002: Zach and Kate get a dog and name her Dixie. Three days later, they realize their mistake and have to return the dog. Sad times. Good lesson.

September 2002: Zach gets a new job with Yellow Pages selling ad space. While it doesn't sound glamorous, it suits him, and he excels.

February 2003: Zach starts talking with Peter and his dad about coming to work at CRC. A job is offered and accepted.

May 2003: Zach and Kate move to Birmingham and buy a house in Homewood. Zach starts work at CRC, and Kate works from home for AMS (now CGI).

May 2003 - December 2005: Zach and Kate live the life of "married, no children"--traveling, parties, work, movies, dinners out. Or, at least I think that's what we did. I can't really remember at this point.

December 27, 2005: Kate discovers that she is pregnant, due September 4, 2006! Planning and prepping for baby ensues, including a home remodel (new bathroom, closet, expanded nursery, etc.) Somehow, Kate and Zach survive the remodel AND sleeping in a double bed while Kate is pregnant. Overall, an easy, joyful pregnancy.

March 2005: Zach's Grandpa Jim passes away. We head to Virginia Beach for the funeral.

August 30, 2006: After many long hours of labor and an eventual C-section, William Steel Mather comes into the world weighing an astonishing 10 pounds, 1 ounce.

September 2006 - December 2007: Life revolves around the new munchkin.

January 4, 2008: Zach and Kate decide to put their house on the market, "For Sale By Owner."

January 6, 2008: Kate discovers that she is pregnant again, due September 14, 2008! The children will be almost exactly two years apart.

April 25, 2008: We find out that the new baby is a GIRL! Kate, especially, is over the moon and goes out to buy everything pink she can find. The next night, Kate participates in her first (only?) adult tap dancing recital (yes, you read that correctly).

Summer 2008: Beach, lake, pampering Will before we rock his world.

July 2008: We take our house off the market since it has failed to sell and Kate needs to nest.

September 8, 2008: In a nice, planned C-section, Julia Mitchell Mather arrives on her great-grandfather's birthday, weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces. She is the 5th generation Julia on my mother's side of the family, and the 5th generation Mitchell on my dad's side (my middle name was Mitchell until I got married).

September - December 2008: Easy baby. She tricked us (I kid--even at her worst, I know we have it good!)

January 2009: Julia decides she doesn't really like sleeping too much. Or gaining weight. See multiple anguished blog posts on the subject.

February 2009: Zach's beloved grandmother, GoGo, passes away. Zach, Kate, and Julia head to Virginia Beach for the funeral and visit with lots of family and friends. Will stays at home with Hulie and Bubs.

July 2009: Kate and Zach find a new house they love, and on a whim, put a contingent contract on it and put their house on the market (not really thinking it will sell). Two weeks later, it does.

August 2009: The Mathers move. Twice. We move out of our house before we can move into the new one, so we stay with my parents for two weeks. All in all...exhausting. I vow to never move again.

Fall 2009: A toddler. A preschooler. Lots of fun, lots of craziness, lots of whining.

Now, looking ahead to 2010: Hoping for more of this wonderful life we've built together. Counting our blessings. Loving our children and each other.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T15:15:00.003-06:00

Spiced tea. Christmas china. Terrible weather. Chex mix. Twinkling lights. Christmas CDs. Hulie and Bubs. Coco and PopPop. Sick kids. More presents than you can imagine. Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. Staying up late putting toys together. Stockings times three. Breakfast casserole. Phone calls to Mel. Children's church at noon. Chaos. Joy.

That about sums up Christmas 2009. The days leading up to the holiday were hectic as I tried to finish the shopping and the wrapping, tie up loose ends at work, get ahead on some cooking, and prepare the house for our guests (Coco and PopPop) who would be arriving on the 23rd. (So, this at least somewhat explains the lack of blogging.) Then, on the night of the 22nd, Julia spiked a fever to go along with the cold she'd had for three weeks. We went to the doctor on the 23rd (which has become a tradition--we were there last year on the same day!) and found out she had another ear infection. This time, we started with the strong stuff in terms of antibiotics, and she was feeling better pretty quickly. Will starting coughing on the 23rd, and by Christmas Eve, he too had a raging fever. We found out on the 26th that he had croup, and he's really still not 100%.

All of this to say, things were a little calmer, just due to the kids not feeling great. On Christmas Eve, we let Will stay up to have dinner with the grown-ups, but he was very cranky and not behaving well. At one point, Zach told him that if he couldn't behave, he would have to go to bed. Will immediately put down his fork and said, "Yes, Daddy. That's what I want to do. I want to go to bed." And off he went...with no talk of Santa, or getting up early, or leaving out cookies or reindeer food. So, he was quite pitiful that night, but it made things a bit easier and a bit calmer. And, everyone slept until almost 7:00 on Christmas morning! Luckily, thanks to Motrin and cough medicine, Will was feeling reasonably well on the big day and was very excited about the whole event. I loved hearing him exclaim as he came down the stairs, "Santa got me a guitar because he knew I wanted one!"

So, what were the big hits this year? From Santa, Will got the guitar, a "big bucket of dinosaurs," and some soccer goals for the yard. Julia got a pink tricycle, a cradle for her babies, and a little telephone. Will proclaimed the dinosaurs to be his favorite gift (although, if you ask him another time, I'm sure the answer would be different), and Julia seemed to love it all! Will also got a kids' laptop computer--not a real one, just one that plays games, an "exercise" bike that is hilarious--it hooks to the TV and he can play games while he pedals, several games like Hungry Hippos and Candyland, some books, some flashlights, binoculars, art supplies, and clothes. Julia got a new baby, several stuffed animals--including a giant stuffed dog, clothes, books, and balls. And, they got a puppet set to share!

Despite the illnesses, despite the craziness, it was a fun Christmas. We are so very blessed. I'll post some pictures as soon as I can find my camera under the mountains of new toys.

Mean

2009-12-22T09:46:00.002-06:00

Throughout the Christmas season, we've obviously been discussing the Christmas story, and all of the major players in that story. I think most kids are awed by the whole idea and love to talk about Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the angels, and even the animals who were present at the manger. However, most kids probably don't share Will's favorite character: King Herod. Yes, that's right...somehow, Will identifies with the ONLY mean guy in the whole Christmas story...the guy who wants to kill baby Jesus. And, Will can tell you all about this: "King Herod is MEAN. He is so mean and he wants to KILL the baby Jesus! But the wise men tricked him and didn't tell him where baby Jesus was."

So, at least he knows that Herod is a mean character and isn't aspiring to be like him, but STILL. Is it okay that my child likes the mean guy? In fact, it seems that he is fascinated by the villains in a lot of the stories he hears. In the movie about Rudolph, Will's into the snow monster. In Madagascar II, he wants to talk about the hunters who try to shoot the lion. Based on my extensive psychological knowledge (hey--my mom's a psychologist and my sister's a psychiatry resident, so surely some of it has rubbed off on me), I think Will may just be trying to deal with "mean stuff" and evil characters in a safe way. It's easy to be brave when the bad guys are just on TV or in a story.

Or, maybe I'm just rationalizing. But, I hope that he can see that it's not fun to be the bad guy and that these are not characters that you should emulate. He does like to point out (as he learned from one of his Bible stories), that King Herod died and didn't get to kill Jesus. So, at least that's something. But, I think I'll still keep an eye on this behavior.

Wednesday Will-isms

2009-12-16T19:13:00.003-06:00

Will's version of Joy to the World:
"And Heather and Nature See. And Heather and Nature See."
"No, Will, it's 'heaven and nature sing'. Like all of the angels in heaven are singing about Jesus."
"No, Mama, it's Heather. Like Luke A.'s mom: Heather and nature see."

There are some things that just aren't worth arguing about.

*********************************************
"Deer is an animal and it also means love."

*********************************************
"Mama, do super heroes have to wear jammies?"

Fail

2009-12-15T08:32:00.002-06:00

So, clearly I am not cut out for daily blogging. And, unfortunately, I don't have much for today, either. Between work, family, Christmas activities and obligations, volunteer commitments...there's no time right now. Hopefully things will calm down in the next few days in terms of work, and maybe by the weekend I'll have most holiday things settled so we can actually enjoy our time as a family. We'll see! As for blogging, I hope and plan to do a better job starting tomorrow! Talk to you then.

Words

2009-12-10T14:24:00.000-06:00

My family has been skeptical about the 15-20 words that I proclaimed Julia has. So now I feel compelled to list them here:
Mama (she CAN say this, but doesn't often)
Dada
Bye-bye
Hi
Uh-oh
Snack
Milk
Book
Mouth
Eyes
Baby (she really says 'dee-dee')
Dog
Ball
Walk
Rock
Out
Boo-boo
Various animal noises (Moo, Baa, Ooh-ooh--for dog)
A version of 'thank you'--it really comes out as 'Da-DAA', but the inflection is spot on

Wednesday Will-isms: Parrot Edition

2009-12-09T14:18:00.000-06:00

We often get onto Will for not listening, but in some cases, he's listening to us more than we think. Here are some things that he's said this week...where do you think he learned them?

"Mama, I gave Julia some of my snack, but she kept throwing it on the floor. I told her, 'I'll give you one more chance and then I'm not picking it up again.' So, that's why her food is on the floor."

In traffic: "GO PEOPLE!"

When my cell phone rings: "Maybe it is one of your work friends."

"Hulie, how many times do I have to tell you that?"

Just a Regular Morning

2009-12-08T09:35:00.000-06:00

What? You mean you don't eat your breakfast wearing Santa pajamas and a big, blue Easter bunny hat? Why not? Why wouldn't you start your week like this?

Sunday Funday

2009-12-07T21:21:00.003-06:00

So, I already wrote about our busy Saturday, and Sunday was just as busy...particularly for Will. My mom picked him up around 9:30 to go to a program at church--the 5th graders put on a nativity play and then they all sang songs. When I asked Will how it was he said, "I didn't like it." At least he's honest! Apparently he was annoyed that he couldn't be IN the play or up on the stage singing 'Jesus Loves Me' with the other children. Of course, if we had wanted him to sing, he would have been shy. Oh well! He told us lots of stories about the program, so at least he got something out of it (and we got a few things done around the house while he was gone--including rearranging the guest bedroom, which we had been meaning to do for weeks!)

When they returned from church, Mom offered to take us to lunch at La Paz, which is something I never turn down. So, off we went...always pressing our luck with how much the children can handle before naps. Everyone was cranky and tired by the time we left, but at least I got my cheese dip! I really know what's important in life. So, when we got home, we were able to convince both children to take a nap AT THE SAME TIME. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, because we had promised Will that we would go to the Mountain Brook parade, so we had to wake him up to leave for that. Julia must have had a sense that she was missing out on some fun, because she woke up too, despite only napping for an hour. So, off we went to the parade...very naive that we would just be able to drive up five minutes before it started and find a parking place.

In case you're wondering, that's not how it works. I was astounded at the number of cars and people at the parade. But, since we had PROMISED Will that we would go, he and I jumped out of the car and went to watch the parade (Zach and Miss Priss headed home). And actually, Will really loved it. We were right at the beginning of the route, so everyone was throwing candy, treats, and beads, and he collected a lot of things. We saw some "real live" horses, Santa on the firetruck, and "a really big plastic cow that said 'Moo'". The parade was a big hit. Next year we'll have to plan ahead a little more and really take it all in. But for this year, Will was happy to see a few floats, eat a couple of Sweetarts, and then take a walk down the street with Mama so that Daddy could pick us up.

You would think that a church program, lunch out, and a parade would be enough for one day. But no! My dad called and asked if he could take Will to the Bass Pro Shop. Well, he couldn't miss the Bass Pro Shop, especially with Bubs, so off they went. Will is still talking about the adventures they had...shooting a bow and arrow, firing a gun, climbing through tents. Dad said he was so well-behaved, and it seems they had a great time. While they were gone, Zach and I took (a still fussy) Julia to the grocery store and ran a few errands. I forgot how much easier things are with just one child!

Finally, finally...we all made it home, had some dinner, and collapsed. While it's fun to have these power-packed weekends, I need to remember that we all need downtime, as well. Sometimes, with all of these activities, I end the weekend feeling like I've barely seen the kids at all. Like with everything else, it's just hard to find the right balance. We're still working on it.

Christmas Spirit

2009-12-06T19:29:00.002-06:00

We've had a very busy weekend, full of Christmas spirit. On Saturday morning, we woke up to snow...in Alabama...in December! Unheard of! Needless to say, Will and I had to enjoy it before it melted, so we went outside (in our PJs, coats, and mittens) and had a quick snowball fight and took pictures. Then, Will came inside and ate "snow cream"--snow with maple syrup on top. Maybe it was the sugar, or maybe it was the excitement, but after that, he was CRAZY the rest of the day.

After snow cream, Will declared he had already eaten breakfast, but in my book, sugar and ice don't count as breakfast. So, we headed out to Chic-Fil-A for some oh-so-healthy food and some indoor play time. Then, we were off to find our Christmas tree...yes, in the freezing cold weather. I need to remember that the realities of activities with children rarely match my expectations or imagination. I had visions of us wandering through rows of trees, picking out the perfect one, taking a few pictures where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera. Instead, Julia was screaming, running away from us, and falling on the wet, dirty ground every few seconds. Will, still hyped up on sugar, was darting all over the place and (as usual) asking a million questions. Needless to say, it was not the scene I envisioned, but we got a great tree and went on our merry way. Well, some of us were merry...for a variety of reasons, Julia fussed ALL DAY. This is not an exaggeration. If she wasn't asleep, she was fussing, whining, crying, or screaming. Poor thing--she has a cold and cough, had just gotten her shots on Friday, and is teething. So, I can understand why she was upset, but it still drove me out of my mind.

After the tree was up and in the house, Will was still out of control, and we had to get out of the house. So, he and I left for an "adventure"...we stopped at Hulie and Bubs' house to play for a little while, then Hulie joined us on a trip to Wal-Mart to pick out the stuff for our angel tree child. We really wanted to involve Will this year, so we got a little boy about his age who likes cars and trucks. I want him to understand that we give to other people, and that not everyone is as fortunate as we are. He was pretty good and helped pick out some toys (and to his credit, only asked for one thing for himself), but I still don't think he fully understands the concept. Hopefully these are ideals that he will see us live out as a family, so he will grow up valuing helping others and being grateful for what we have.

Wal-Mart wore us out--even Will! So, after we got home, we relaxed a bit while we decorated the tree and watched Alabama beat Florida. Zach and I had a wedding to attend Saturday night, so sweet Hulie came over to watch the children. I think we were both VERY thankful to be out of the house after the day we had had (a few drinks didn't hurt either).

Whew! I'm exhausted just writing about all we did, and Sunday was just as busy. I'll have to leave that for another post.

Tall, Thin, and Smart

2009-12-04T21:46:00.003-06:00

At least, that's what I took away from Julia's check-up today. At 32 inches, she is in the 95th percentile for height, and 24.5 pounds puts her in the 50th percentile for weight. As for the smart...her head circumference is also about the 95th percentile, which clearly indicates that she is going to be brilliant. So, all in all, she is doing wonderfully. We saw a new, woman doctor who just joined the practice, and she was very nice and very thorough. She asked how many words Julia was saying that I could recognize, and I told her about 15-20. She replied that at Julia's age, they are really only looking for 4-6. See? Told you she was smart! She's starting to learn some body parts (she's really good on 'eyes', but that means that yours almost get gouged out if you ask about them), and she's working on her animal noises...like Will, 'gorilla' is particularly adorable. She knows what a hairbrush is for and how to use a spoon. And, if you give her anything resembling a dropper, she will try to put it in your ear--since she had ear drops for so long. I can't believe all of the things she's learning.

Unfortunately, Julia does have a cold and a bit of congestion, and the doctor said that her right ear, while not infected yet, was primed to become infected. So, it will be a big test to see if she can make it through this cold without an ear infection. If not...heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to the ENT we go.

Juju also had to get three shots today: MMR, HiB, and her second dose of the swine flu vaccine. I, of course, know it's the right thing to do, but it's always so hard. Each time, I feel like I am betraying my child by letting someone hurt her! Luckily, she made it through with flying colors and was fine by the time she got a sucker.

A successful visit for Miss Julia today. I hope we will also have a successful night of sleep...but, I'm not optimistic, considering all that she has going on. Thus, on that note, I'm off to bed!

Wednesday Will-isms

2009-12-02T08:20:00.000-06:00

As always, Will has been full of comments and questions this week:

"Mama, what do superheroes' bottoms look like?"

"I want to get a Christmas tree that goes all the way up to heaven."

When I complimented him on knowing to fold his hands and bow his head when saying the blessing or a prayer, he told me, "Yep. That's how God knows you're praying."

When I was playing a Christmas CD and a slow song came on: "Nope, not this one. That's a night-night song."

Proud

2009-12-01T21:42:00.001-06:00

I was telling Zach the other day that lately I've found myself being very proud of things I should be doing anyway.

"I got her birthday present to her ON TIME. Go me!"

"I was able to take care of both kids by myself, with no melt downs from anyone (including me)." (Um, yes, you're their MOTHER. This is not an accomplishment. This is standard care.)

"I actually crossed things off my work to-do list." (Yep. That's what they pay you for.)

"I folded the laundry right when I got it out of the dryer. Then, I (gasp!) put it away!" (Again...this is what normal people do.)

My point is, on certain days, I have to take pride in the little things (some would say nonexistant things), because that's all I have to hold onto. Often, I'm just working to make it through each day and hoping that things don't fall through the cracks. So, if it makes me feel better to pat myself on the back for the fact that at least one child ate at least one bite of vegetables at dinner, then I'll do it. Sometimes, it really is all about the little things.

Girlie-Girl or Tomboy?

2009-11-30T20:08:00.007-06:00

I'm not sure yet if Julia will be a girlie-girl or a tomboy. On one hand, she's very into the girlie, and can be a drama queen at times (like when she falls to the floor when something doesn't go her way).

Dressing Up:

Taking care of baby (not sure if you can tell, but she's giving the baby milk from her sippy cup):

But, on the other hand, she's not afraid to get rough and tumble with the boys. She is "miss independent" and takes care of herself. She's constantly falling down and bumping some body part, but she usually jumps right back up, without even a cry.

Wrestling with her brother:

With this combination of girlie and tough, I think she'll likely end up like Mary Poppins: "Practically perfect in every way." She already is in my eyes.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T20:50:00.002-06:00

This weekend I saw how easy it was to get out of the habit of daily posting, and I missed two days. Oh well--onward and upward!

Part of the reason I missed posting was that we were briefly out of town for Thanksgiving. We went down to LA (lower Alabama) to see my grandparents et al from my mom's side of the family. We left Thursday morning and came back on Friday, so it was a quick trip, but well worth it. I treasure the time I get to spend with my grandparents, especially. Aside from Julia screaming for two hours straight on the ride down there, the kids were great. Two of my cousins have children about the same age, so we had six kids that were five and under (one five, two threes, one two, and two ones--it was crazy!)...and Julia was the only girl! Will had a blast playing with his cousins and seemed to take to them right away. We had been talking up the trip, so I guess he felt comfortable. On Friday, when I told Will that we were heading to the park with his cousins, Will replied excitedly, "I know them now!"

Julia definitely held her own and was possibly the busiest of the bunch. She didn't stop moving the whole day--I think my grandparents were worn out just from watching her. She's a little human tornado and is at a difficult age--someone has to basically follow her around at all times since she's mobile, but doesn't fully understand what's okay and what's not (or she understands, but chooses to ignore it).

Overall, we had a great time, but I was glad to be home on Friday and have the weekend here. I'll post some pictures when I get them uploaded. I hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Thankful

2009-11-26T07:56:00.000-06:00

A top ten list of the things I'm thankful for:
10) Diet Dr. Pepper--I can't imagine my life without it.
9) Good white wine. Or red, in a pinch. Or really, anything with alcohol.
8) Super monkey and giraffe and bunny and all of the other creatures who keep my children company at night and help them sleep (sort of).
7) The portable DVD player. Maybe this should be #1, given the drive today.
6) A sleepy "Good night, see you in the morning bright. I love you." from my favorite boy.
5) Wittiness in general, but especially from a three-year-old.
4) Kisses from my husband, particularly when they are waking me up after he's dealt with the children and let me sleep in.
3) The times--once in a while--when my children play nicely with each other.
2) Baby laughs.
1) The hugs, smiles, and joy that I get from my family everyday.

In all seriousness, I am constantly overwhelmed with gratitude for the many, many blessings that I have in my life. I couldn't have imagined such a wonderful family: a fabulous husband and two beautiful, smart, healthy, happy children. I thank God every day--not just on this day of Thanksgiving--for all that He has given me and my family. On a basic level, I am thankful that we have plenty of food, clothes, and heat--things we take for granted. I can't imagine being a mother and not being able to provide for your children's basic needs. I'm thankful for our health and that our biggest worries health-wise are throw-up bugs and ear infections. I am thankful, especially this year, that Zach and I have good jobs that we enjoy and benefits to help provide for things we need. I'm thankful for our new house and our new neighborhood and for the new friendships that we are developing. I'm thankful for old friends who knew me way back when and STILL love me! I'm thankful for family--both near and far--and for the love and support that they constantly provide.

I'm thankful. And, I'm happy. I hope everyone has a wonderful day of giving thanks, many things to be thankful for, and lots of delicious food to enjoy.

Wednesday Will-isms: Thanksgiving Edition

2009-11-25T10:23:00.003-06:00

Since it is almost Thanksgiving, I thought I would share Will's thoughts on what he is thankful for. I asked him this the other day while we were driving, and this is what I got:

"Trees! I am thankful for trees. (This was just because that's what he saw when he looked out the window.) And GOD!"

"That's good! Anything else?"

"Yes, I am thankful for you. And for my teachers. (Oh yes, I am VERY thankful for your teachers.) And for cousin Laura."

As you can see, we have a wide variety of things to be thankful for in our house. At Will's school, they were writing things that they were thankful for on paper feathers and then sticking the feathers on the "turkey". So, I asked Will what he wanted me to write for his feather. "Vegetables. I am thankful for vegetables." I resisted the urge to shout, "No you're not!" and just wrote it anyway. I think the problem is that Will keeps intermingling the ideas of "being thankful at Thanksgiving" and "what you eat at Thanksgiving"--two things they've been learning about recently at school.

Oh By Golly

2009-11-24T21:25:00.005-06:00

Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas.

It's the best time of the year.

Oh by golly, have a Holly Jolly Christmas this year!

Yes, we already went to see Santa. And yes, the kids had as much fun as it seems from these pictures. We went to 'Sweets with Santa' at the Jr. League Market this past Saturday morning. I thought it would be a good opportunity to get the Santa visit out of the way without having to go to the mall. I'm all about the laziness. Will actually really enjoyed it (though you couldn't tell from his enthusiastic expression during the pictures)--they had crafts, snacks, and a guy playing guitar where you could dance. That's about all he needs for a good time. Julia absolutely HATED it (obviously...I mean, I might as well put things on this blog like, 'The sky is blue.') She's in a phase where she really doesn't want to be held by anyone she doesn't know, much less some old guy with a white beard. Once she figured out what was happening, she really freaked out. But don't worry--I didn't torture her too long. She was on his lap for less than a minute--just long enough for me to get the photos! She was really tired, as well, and took a three-hour nap as soon as we got home. So, she probably would have been unhappy even in the best of circumstances, but Santa really did her in.

Needless to say, we are done with Santa for the year.