Wednesday Will-isms: Infinity

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

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

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!

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

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

"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

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.