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!
Lilypie Kids Birthday tickers
Lilypie Fifth Birthday tickers
Lilypie First Birthday tickers
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
A Decade in Review
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.
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Mean
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.
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, December 16, 2009
Wednesday Will-isms
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?"
"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?"
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Fail
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.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Words
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
